Setting up Strategies for Success
No matter what you desire, you have the ability to make it come true. Crazy right? I really believe that you do, even the BIG Stuff.
So what do you want, and how do you get there? Or, as I prefer to frame it: What do I want? How do I get there? It’s like going anywhere, you need to know where you are, where you want to go, and how you prefer to travel. (I add this in, because I like to enjoy the ride.) If you were taking a trip you’d want to determine the basic logistics of when you were leaving, how long you intend to take, where you want to visit, how you are going to get there, and where you’ll stay. Then you’d think about the pleasure aspects of the trip like food, entertainment, weather, and activities.
In the scale of our lives, anything is possible. So if you decide you want to loose weight, learn to swim, learn a foreign language, travel to India, or find a life partner, you still need to set your intentions on where you want to go, or what you want to do, determine a time frame, figure out what steps you’ll take, and I recommend, choosing to add in things that fill your soul or make you happy along the way.
I’ve been listening to “Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being,” by Deepak Chopra, MD, and Rudolph E. Tanzi, PH.d., on Audible. They are taking about behavior change and they say that in order to illicit change we need to make lot of small steps, to build a foundation of success. They recommend one change a week – no more. So that by the time you reach the end of a month, you’ve made four healthy shifts in your life, and by the end of the year, you’ve made fifty two [the book’s premise is that when we begin making healthy shifts in our lives that this changes the way our DNA expresses, for the better]. My take-away from this was to create lots of easy strategies for success, so that I move easily toward my goal. The more small successes we have, the more our momentum builds upon itself.
If, for example, loosing weight were your goal, you’d want to set up some strategies for success for yourself. Here are some strategies for success around weight loss (and not one of them is about measuring, or weighing, or counting).
Research a new way of eating, or decide if you want to do a cleanse (cut something out)
Increase your water intake — recommend a target of .67 x your body weight (in ounces!)
Learn to balance your blood sugar, with less swings. This may mean changing how you eat (frequency, or protein sources, or the food you put on your plate.
Cut out high-fructose corn syrup (just say no to sweetened beverages)
Cut out added sugar
Embark on an elimination diet – to see what foods are causing symptoms for You
Enhance your sleep quality
Cut out screens 1 hour before bed, blue light tricks your pineal gland
Read a book on nutrition or exercise
Set a regular sleep schedule, go to bed at the same time each night
Exercise more
Join a gym or a local pool
Get a yoga DVD – put it in and turn it on, on a regular basis (you decide how often)
Learn to meditate, start with sitting and breathing for a length of time (there are apps for this)
Learn to say no to things you don’t want to do
Become aware of unconscious eating patterns: Do you eat super fast? Do you snack while cooking? Are you eating chips when you get home from work?
Get a fitbit – and track your activities, water, and meals (here are links to the options with heart rate monitors: Charge2 Blaze, or the new SmartWatch).
Aim for 10,000 steps a day (or put on your pedometer and just see where you are at and aim for higher each day
Go for a walk, even a short one
Take the stairs
Move your body / do something active each day
Get rid of unhealthy fats and seed oils (aim to reduce: Soybean Oil, Corn oil, Canola, Safflower, Sunflower, if you have not already, Quit Margarine–completely).
Add in healthy fats: Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Lard, Butter, Ghee (clarified butter).
Use a smaller plate, order lighter or half portions, or a la carte at restaurants. My aunt asks for a to go box with her meal and she puts half of it aside before she starts eating.
Eat without distractions, conversations over a meal is fine (no screens, no phones, no newspapers, or to do lists). Just be with your food.
Eat mindfully, chew slower and longer, breathe, put your fork down, enjoy the color, texture and smell of your meal.
Find a photo of yourself, when you were the size you want to be – put that up where you can see it regularly.
Whatever it is, for you, start by choosing one thing you want to incorporate into your life. Try and make it easy, be kind to yourself, and re-word your goals if you need to. It is all about setting yourself up for success.
“The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu
I believe in You!