BJ Fogg, is the Director of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University. He’s studied human behavior for 20 years (mostly at Stanford University) and he believes that only three (3) things will change a person’s behaviour in the long term. I tend to agree. For a fit and healthy lifestyle, those three things are:
1. Have an epiphany .
Maybe it WILL suddenly dawn on you that what you’re doing now isn’t really working for you. You’ll realize that the high sugar, high sodium, junk food diet you’ve been eating for years is actually poisoning your system and undermining all the other attempts you may have been making to be fit and healthy. Maybe you’ll finally realize that being a “couch potato“, spending endless hours sitting at a desk, watching TV or playing video games, won’t do your cardiovascular and/or muscular system ANY good. You’ll understand that you have to eat clean and exercise regularly to actually be fit and healthy!
2. Change your environment (what surrounds you).
Once you’ve had your epiphany (mentioned above), you must then take the next step and make the decision to change how you live your life. You must eat healthier and exercise more! But, you can NOT simply go on a different “diet” for a little while, or join a fitness class for a couple of months (until you achieve some favourable results) and then go back to your old ways. You MUST actually change your lifestyle and then maintain that change for the foreseeable future (or, more specifically, “the rest of your life!“).
3. Start by taking baby steps.
This might be the easiest task of all. To be successful in your endeavor to change, you don’t have to make huge changes all at once. This isn’t an “all or nothing” situation. So, if it all seems too overwhelming, then start small and build on your success. Increase your intake of organic fruits, vegetables and produce. Eliminate some of the sweet and salty foods from your meals, one at a time, and incorporate healthier choices. Experiment with eliminating gluten from your diet for several months. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed as having celiac disease, you may still find that it adversely affects you. Try it and see. Do the same with dairy products.
And, make a commitment to be more active. Get out and get some exercise, a half hour or more, at least every second day. Join a fitness class that you can commit to for a long time (at least until you feel you’re able to continue with exercising by yourself). Each small step you make takes you that much closer to your goal of health and fitness.
You CAN achieve lasting change if you follow the right plan. However, with all the “quick fix” pills, machines and/or medical procedures available, you may be seduced into thinking you don’t actually have to work for your results. WRONG! Those things may provide temporary reprieves. But, they won’t give you the lifelong lasting results you really want, need and deserve.
Fitness and health is my passion. And, I really love to share that passion with others. I want to be the healthiest I can be so that I’m around for a long time to enjoy sharing in the lives of my children and grandchildren. I can’t do that if I don’t commit to a healthier and fitter lifestyle, neither can you. So, when you’ve had your epiphany, and you’re ready to embrace a fitter and healthier life, please give me a call and let me help you achieve an optimum level of health and fitness.
Loreli’s company, Alter Ego Fitness Experience, offers Personal Training, Group Fitness (boot camp) and YogaFit training options. Her passion for overall health and wellness, and her innate ability to sense a client’s personal struggles, enables her to assist them to get to their next level and to, ultimately, find their “alter ego”!
“Overall health and fitness is a journey, not a destination!“