Making better lifestyle choices is the heart of eating healthier, but knowing and doing can be two very different things. Sometimes we just feel like we are spinning our wheels as we stay stuck in what seems like the same place. We lose motivation to work out or even eat the foods we know are good for us.
Sometimes it’s hard. And that’s okay. While keeping a positive attitude can help, we need to look deeper and find ways to keep that motivation. It is even harder to motivate ourselves when we don’t want to do it.
Eating healthier is a solid foundation for a healthier lifestyle. GoNanas believes in making these healthy changes as part of the journey, not the final destination. So grab your favorite banana bread and get ready to dive into some small steps that can make significant changes.
Best Motivations to Healthier Eating
Each of these steps can be a stepping stone on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Take what you need. Leave those parts that don’t apply to you. And remember, every little bit counts.
Find Your Reasons
This might seem obvious, there are some ways to make this action work for you. Write down the reason why you want to eat a healthier diet. Do you want to lose weight, climb a mountain, or maybe you just want to keep up with the grandkids? Are you looking to go vegan? Your reasons for wanting to eat healthier are yours.
Write down your goals and be very clear on what you want and why you want this lifestyle. Be sure to make a small list of all the people in your life who could benefit from this change. Such as those cute little grandkids.
Pro Tip: Take a picture of your list and goals and set it as your phone background.
Read About It
Knowledge is power, and that’s no different than when you want a healthier lifestyle. When you surround yourself with credible sources of information, it makes it easier to stick to your own plan.
For example, if you want to shift your eating habits to include more whole foods, you won’t need the same supplements as if you were eating a different diet. Educating yourself can also inspire you to make healthier choices.
Pro Tip: Set aside about twenty minutes a day to read. That roughly translates to ten pages, but reading blogs and other online sources might be more your style.
Related: Our Comprehensive List of Books to Guide You Towards Peace with Your Body
Focus on Positivity
The power of positivity can be mighty. Some people have journals and write down what makes them happy or positive things in their life daily. Staying positive can help you stay on track towards your goals by focusing on the positive things. Rather than looking at the “can not,” you can change your perspective, and things can get easier.
Pro Tip: Rather than say “I can’t eat bread,” be excited as you exclaim, “I am lucky that GoNanas has vegan, gluten-free banana bread that is delicious!”
Related: Healthy Vegan Desserts
Track Your Progress
This process can be as straightforward or as complex as you want it to be, but you must track your progress. That can be tracking calories or water or just marking an X on the calendar when you reach your daily goal.
Tracking your progress is critical because being able to look back at what you have or haven’t done is the only way to improve. If one week you workout every day for ten minutes, that’s great. Try for fifteen minutes this week. Building on what you have already done is also a great way to stay positive.
Make Tiny Steps
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just snap your fingers and reach your goals? It would, but sadly that’s not the case. However, what if that goal was easy? Setting small goals can be a huge step towards progress.
Setting a goal of drinking one more glass of water today can be easy enough and can help you reach those bigger goals. It’s also fantastic to check off those little goals all the time rather than wait for the big ones.
Program Your Mind
Making decisions isn’t always easy. Yet we make them every day. You most likely don’t even stop to think about what route you will take to or from work. By utilizing those ingrained habits that we all have, we can shift our brains.
Utilizing the theory of Pavlov can train ourselves to react to specific triggers. For example, whenever you walk into your house after work, you reach a candy bar from the table. Remove the candy bars and replace them with a bowl of precut fruit or vegetables. Make the swap as easy for you as you need.
Sometimes these changes can be as simple as being mindful in the moment about what you are about to eat. Or if you are even hungry or just snacking out of habit.
Make It Enjoyable
If you aren’t having fun, then it’s easy to give up on your goals. To reach your goals of eating healthier, you will have to do some things that you might not like, like adding veggies to desserts. But by allowing yourself to enjoy a dessert rather than none at all can make the process easier. Remember, positive thinking!
If you are struggling with making a task enjoyable, take a few moments to go back and look over your goals. It’s okay to tweak them a bit. Or set up new goals. This is your journey. Own it.
Related: Not Your Nanas Cook Book
Use Your Calendar
A planner, a journal, paper shoved in a binder. Track things in writing and hold yourself accountable. Jot down notes and reward ideas too. This can also be where you track weak spots in your habits and meal plan to make up those weaknesses.
Conclusion
Grab a friend and challenge them to eat healthier with you! After all, life is better with friends, and it’s a great way to hold one another accountable. All of these things can add up to keep you motivated while you work towards eating healthier.
Are you ready for something sweet? GoNanas banana bread isn’t just a great reward, but vegan and gluten-free. The perfect way to celebrate reaching your goal.
