Creating a healthy lifestyle makes a difference. It’s easy when you’re still in a “dieting” mentality to think that managing your weight is something you’ll deal with tomorrow, or next week – or to feel discouraged because you’ve already tried everything. When you’re focused on creating a healthy lifestyle, you know that today you can make one simple change and that’s progress.
“First they started with one healthy lifestyle change and then gradually added one more and then one more, until eventually they could say, ‘I’m living a healthy lifestyle,’” said Eliza Kingsford, MA, LPC, a past-speaker of the Your Weight Matters National Convention as she described a study.
What is Success?
It can be easy to fall into a line of “all or nothing” thinking when it comes to defining success. However, your health goes beyond what the number on the scale is telling you. What if you could walk farther than you did six months ago? What if you felt better about yourself and were spending more time with your friends? Beware of focusing on your weight goal so much that you can’t embrace the progress you’re making in other areas of your life. A focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help you! When individuals who are focused on a healthy lifestyle run into barriers on their journey, they remember their progress as a source of motivation.
Dieting Versus Living a Healthy Lifestyle
When most people go on a diet, it means there is a beginning point and an ending point. Some dieters may get discouraged if they find they are not losing weight in consistently. “Our biology is not set-up in seven day increments,” said Kingsford. “Random fluctuations and plateaus are part of long-term success.”
One of the best ways to stay focused on a healthy lifestyle is by setting SMART goals:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Timely
A poor goal would be to say, “I will eat better this week than I did last week.” A goal set-up this way has no way to measure its success and may be difficult to reach because it is not specific. You might be too hard on yourself if you feel you “failed” in some way to eat better. A better example of this goal would be, “I plan to eat 1300 calories five out of seven days this week.”
Remember, a healthy lifestyle starts with one healthy behavior you can implement in your daily life. Set one goal today to start reaching toward, and make it your focus this week.
Get More Tips about Creating a Healthy Home and Lifestyle for Success
Want more information and strategies to position yourself for long-term success? Watch the video below from our 3rd Annual Your Weight Matters National Convention:
Learn More about Managing Your Weight!
Want to get even more great information in-person? The Your Weight Matters National Convention is a 3-day educational event where you can hear from expert speakers about the best ways to manage your weight. This year, the Convention takes place August 25-28 in Washington, DC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. For a limited time, registrations for the 2016 Convention are available for just $30/day or $95 for the Full Convention Registration, which includes social events. These prices are ending on June 1, so please click here to learn more about attending!
