Subscribe11 Practical Changes to Make Your Life Better
In a destination-focused world we often ignore the importance of the journey. In doing so, we tend to skip over the crucial foundational behavioral aspects that can impede the chances of long-term success. We seek out the fastest possible route to achieve whatever goal it is we have in mind (let's go with weight loss as an example).
Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the underpinnings that will support the outcome goals. So here are 11 behavioral goals that can help translate into physical goals and shape a lifetime of success. I encourage you to modify them to fit your needs.
- Wake up thinking about how you will be active today: Making this the first thought of the day will help you seek out opportunities to move.
- Practice positive self-talk: Come up with a short, positive phrase that you can repeat throughout the day (perhaps every time you look at your watch/clock)
- Create an exercise mission statement and post it on your fridge: Exercise mission statements are designed to enforce why you are (or desire to be) active
- Watch 30 min less TV each night: Choose your screen vice here. It is often a good idea to focus on items that help free up time to engage in healthy activity.
- Become aware of your posture: We are in a posture 24/7. Consciously paying attention to your posture will help keep you aware of your body and its needs
- Walk and take stairs: It is easy to not give a second thought to hopping in our cars or on an escalator/elevator. These are golden opportunities to add more activity to your life - seize them!
- Recruit accountability buddies: Get the word out that you are planning on changing your life. Being accountable to only you seldom works. You may even get some workout partners out of it.
- Do something active at least 1 day on the weekend: Make plans to be outside or be active inside. Get the whole family involved
- Go to bed a ½ hour earlier: Can't say enough about the benefits of a good nights sleep. Many people don't get enough. Aim for an extra ½ to 1 hour (if you aren't getting enough)
- Grocery shop once per week: Very few habits are as significant to health as consistent, methodic grocery shopping. Stock your fridge/freezer/cupboards with healthy stuff!
- Don't leave the house without healthy food: Whether you will be gone for the next 10 hours for work or just a couple of hours to run some errands - bring some portable, healthy snacks with you. Mental checklist: Wallet, keys, apple, trail mix, water bottle.
Have you employed any behavioral goals that have worked for you? Please add your suggestions!
More like this in Psychology · Apr 30, 2008
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One which works well for me -- and which I'm constantly advocating on The Office Diet! -- is to pack lunch in the morning and take it into work.
It's SO much cheaper than buying sandwiches out, you get exactly what you want, and you can control the fat/calories/protein/carbs.
It also means you can spend your lunch hour walking in the nearest park, or pumping iron in the gym, rather than in a long line of impatient office workers in the nearest sandwich shop...
If it helps motivate you to find those extra 10 minutes in the morning to prepare lunch, save up the money you save: I spend mine on gym membership what is, to me, a "swanky" gym near work.
Ali
ReplyNice article! Thank you for the tips!
Replyit's all about the ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDIES up in herre.
M.
ReplyAll good tips but the opening line reveals a big tip too:
"In a destination-focused world we often ignore the importance of the journey."
Just putting your attention on what you're currently doing feeds your sense of personal power and stops you getting lost in your own thoughts.
You can enjoy doing almost anything if you give it your attention. In life, we never arrive anywhere final, so save some attention for enjoying 'now'. ~ James
ReplyWonderful article containing great tips! Being mindful of our goals is very important. Thanks.
Reply"In a destination-focused world we often ignore the importance of the journey."
ReplyI love this. This might be one of the most important posts I've read yet. I'm a strong believer in going on a journey to wellness instead of a quick fix.
I really like the idea of not leaving the house without the right food. Once you get caught up in something and need food on the run, you'll grab whatever is quickest,and thats usually not the best choice....
-Justin
ReplySelf, you are awesome. Awesome. I think I'll focus on #2.
Reply"Watch 30 min less TV each night"
ReplyI think I should modify it to "stay 30 min less internet access each night" and find another healthy activity instead.
Grocery shop once per week: I grocery shop almost every day. I wish we had the kinds of markets you find in Italian cities; when living there I'd go by the market while walking home from work and pick up whatever was fresh for dinner.
Here I don't walk to work and the markets aren't like those in Italy, but I still like to see what's fresh. It is no way to live if you want to save money or time, but I've maintained a very healthy diet for years...
This is a swing season, though - the best local produce we're getting here are some awesome strawberries. The avocados are still good.
ReplyI agree, frequent quick shopping trips focusing on what's fresh might be a better way to shop than a once-weekly trip to the grocery store where you get tempted to visit the aisles with the ice cream and the potato chips.
I was always leaving the house without eating and without giving myself time to grab something healthy on the way out. So I just started leaving some good stuff in the car - there's some dried berries and some sunflower seeds in there now.
ReplyYeah, when I was in Ukraine, we stayed in an apartment right across the street from the market and we grocery-shopped every day. It was kind of fun, actually. I go to the store at least once a week...sometimes twice if the produce looks really sad on my main trip. I also like to visit the farmer's market when it's open because you can get some great produce for an extremely good price. This past weekend I picked up 2 dozen fresh organic eggs from a local farm and paid about 50 cents LESS per dozen than I would've paid at the store for the non-organic kind.
ReplyIn which country people live leads them to how frequent they grocery-shop. In fact, when I was living in Hongkong, I used to grocery-shop daily or every other day. Grocery stores are all around apartment area; surprisingly, in the area of a university (HKUST) there has a grocery store.
For now, it's too time-consuming to grocery shop everyday as the nearest grocery store is around 20 minutes away by car and it takes 5 to 10 more minutes to find the parking space.
I just really can't do Soozeequeue's "frequent quick shopping trips focusing on what's fresh might be a better way to shop.. " Then, I go on a once-weekly trip to the giant grocery store in my town. And I do enjoy my shopping (leaving 2 kids at Game Zone) and visit every corner of the store, and grab the fresh and green for the last minute of my shopping.
Quito is great for his saying "It is no way to live if you want to save money or time.." I plan to adopt your life style when I grow older and less productive, really!
ReplyIt's not something that's very practical for me either Jade, I'm just saying it would be a better way, and I wish it could be that way. It definitely works better for me in the summer than in the winter - markets and u-picks are prolific then, and I can just supplement from the grocery store. Most of the year a weekly trip to the farmers market (and I feel very lucky we have a year-round one) and a weekly trip to the grocery store is all I can do too. And if I have to take my kids with me to the grocery store then I'm lucky if I remember to leave with my brain let alone the right food! They are fine to take to the markets and upicks though - they get right into it then.
ReplyHi Jade,
I'm a chair of a research department at a major university, and so I'm still kind of productive. ^_^ In any case, I understand why people do weekly shopping trips. I just don't think it is a requirement of living healthfully.
It's weird, yes, but I also like shopping - talking with the green grocer, running into friends in the local market I frequent, stuff like that. Mental health stuff.
ReplyWe have not retired from the great theatre of action, eh Quito?
ReplyHa ha .. In your picture, you look like a senior citizen who must have plenty of time to grocery-shop. Don't get get offended! ^^
ReplyI like the idea of taking the stairs more often and walking more often. Lately, I've been taking my dog for a walk every night instead of watching TV. It's paid off in more than one way...I get more exercise and I always find Coke Rewards and Pepsi Stuff points on garbage that's all over the grass. I've found enough Pepsi Points to get a free tote bag, which I'll use to go shopping with.
I also like to make sure my fridge is always stocked full of healthy snacks like carrots, celery, apples, yogurts, fresh fruit, pre-grilled chicken breasts, lettuce for salads, etc. It makes making a healthy dinner very easy and I'm not tempted to order take-out or go out to eat.
ReplyOne of the best improvements I made actually reduced the activity in my life. I moved from a flat at the top of a low rise block with stairs only access to a ground floor flat. The effort required to go out had formed a psychological barrier and removing it actually helped me get out more.
ReplyThis is a wonderful observation... It's good that you could move.
Reply^_^ Here in SoCal, we senior citizens are formidable...
Here's a link to a bigger picture of me taken last year. I'm the guy on the right with the ukulele. Next to me is famous musician from Moloka`i who has 20 years on me; I have a hard time keeping up with him.
ReplyNice post
ReplyI love the tip of freeing your time. That seems to be my biggest problem. I complain about being busy sometimes, but I know I can easily make time if I wanted.
Keeping yourself accountable to the time in your day can make a big difference in your life.
Reply