Lasting, healthy results are what we all aim to achieve, no matter the plan.
Obviously, changing your eating and exercise habits will help you transform, but many other choices you make throughout the day can play a massive part in your progress. Let’s take a look at the ways to build habits and improve your environment to make it easier to stick to your plan and move towards your goal.
Create a routine
Devising a daily routine with some key habits can help you stick to your plan. Try to…
- Drink a glass of water when you wake up.
- Eat breakfast before you leave the house. Make time to get up earlier or pre-make it the night before.
- Set a time for lunch and dinner each day and stick to it.
Dopamine is a chemical messenger in your brain that’s closely related to motivation. When released in large amounts, it creates feelings of reward and pleasure, motivating you to repeat that specific behaviour. When you’re in a routine, for example training consistently every day at a similar time, you feel good and get a dopamine hit. This dopamine hit motivates you to do it again, keeping you on track and in a healthy routine of training.
Stay hydrated
Drinking a large glass of water can help curb hunger and cravings, so aim to…
- Have a bottle of water at your desk while working.
- Keep your fridge at home and work stocked with water.
- Buy a large, cooling metal water bottle and keep it next to your bed.
- Have a read of our blog on why water is the ultimate health drink here.
Top tips for food shops
Creating habits while out food shopping can really help your success and change the way you think.
- Stock up on diet friendly snacks and make sure they’re conveniently placed (at your desk, in your bag or car).
- Resist buying bad food at the supermarket, if it’s not in your kitchen cupboard, you can’t eat it. Have a read of our blog on the healthiest options for the best meat, fish and vegetables to buy here.
- Change your online food shop to ‘repeat’ so you’re not tempted to add junk food.
- Don’t do your food shop while you’re hungry, you always add more food than you need to the trolley.
Things to change in the kitchen
Your kitchen environment plays a big part in your decision making throughout the day.
- Out of sight, out of mind! Move cooking tools such as chip pans or full fat fryers to hard-to-reach areas. If these are easily accessible, you’ll use them more frequently.
- Cooking tools that’ll help you stick to your plan, for example air fryers, should be on the countertop and easily accessible.
Optimise your environment
Whether you’re at home, in the office or on the go, optimising your environment will set you up for success.
- Work in an office? Have water and protein shakes prepared to stock up the fridge for the working week.
- Running errands all day? Keep a bottle of water and healthy snacks in your bag.
- Travelling by car? Stow away healthy snacks in the glove box so you’re not tempted to visit drive throughs.
If you’re stuggling to know where to start or how to stay on track, get in touch with our personal trainers across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Speke and London who will be able to help you get on the right path with your nutrition: Book a free consultation here.
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