When you want to change your eating habits, it can be very hard to get on track. Whether it’s to lose weight, cut down on processed foods, or try a new diet like Vegan or Keto, we try to rely on willpower or discipline to get us through. But willpower is limited and will only get us so far. We usually end up trying, failing, and then spiraling into negative self-talk or self-flagellation.
You can fortify your willpower with some very practical actions that make it easier to stay on track. Instead of just asking, ‘How do I maintain my discipline to eat healthy’, the question you can ask is, “How do I organize my time and space to encourage eating in a healthy way?” That slight shift in approach can set you up for success, giving you the scaffolding and support you need to follow through on your goals.
Here’s how:
Get Clear on Your Motivation
We don't change any habits without seeing something on the other side of that habit that we desperately, authentically want. There are many reasons to eat healthy, including longevity, energy, and vanity, to name a few. But I want to introduce another idea: There is a direct correlation between diet and productivity. Food is our fuel and therefore has a direct impact on our energy and brainpower. When we eat the right foods, at the right time, in the right quantity, we feel energized, engaged, and productive. On the other hand, when we eat the wrong foods, at the wrong time, in the wrong quantities, we become sluggish, light-headed, and have difficulty thinking clearly, or making it through the full workday. Enhanced productivity is a powerful motivation for eating healthy, but whatever yours is, defining it makes an impact. Getting clear on your ‘why’ is clarifying and energizing.
Organize Your Fridge
Set aside time to make your spaces really easy and enticing for eating in a healthy way. That means clean out your fridge and pantry. Get rid of everything that is old, expired, or you just don’t trust. For any non-healthy food you find, either give it away or just trash it. Your health is more important and more valuable than whatever you spent on that ranch dip and chips that you know you can’t resist. Then fill your spaces up with the good foods that nourish you. Set your environment up in an appealing way to encourage you to reach for the healthy choices. One woman I know found it helpful to artistically arrange apples on the front edge of every shelf in her fridge. Every time she opened her fridge looking for a snack, it made it easy and delightful to reach for an apple. Setting up your environment so it’s appealing and easy to eat the way you want is such an overlooked but powerful way to support yourself.
Plan Your Meals
If we are going to eat healthy, we need to plan for it. It's nearly impossible to eat healthy on the fly, at the last minute, or when you are starving. Once a week, perhaps on the weekend, do some planning on what your dinners, lunches, and even breakfasts are going to be. If you plan it out, you're much more likely to shop and get those ingredients in the house. Planning also takes decision-making out of every day so that you are just in implementation mode for the rest of the week. You can rest easy knowing that you are all set up with the right choices to eat in a way that brings out your peak energy, brain power, and productivity.
Every day is a new chance to fortify your commitment to build healthy habits. Knowing your motivation and taking time to organize your spaces and your meals provides the structure for you to eat the way you want to. When we eat healthy—we are properly “fueled” and have the energy to think clearly, to focus, the stamina to pace ourselves through the day to seize the opportunities and tackle all sorts of challenges. With that positive feedback loop, you will feel more confident and motivated to keep eating well.