It’s happened to all of us.
You’re cruising along with your healthy habits. You’re eating well, exercising, sleeping enough, etc… But then you find yourself in one of those tricky spots where you might have to make unhealthy choices in the moment.
Well, with a little planning, we can avoid those situations so we’re encouraging our habits more often. Here are a few suggestions.
1. Make shopping, cooking and eating plans. Take a list to the grocery store. Prepare a few days’ meals in advance. Choose the times you’ll eat out.
2. When in a restaurant, think about what you’re ordering and decide whether it aligns with your goals and habits. Instead of restricting yourself, simply maintain a few base habits you’ve chosen in advance and apply those.
3. Avoid shopping when you’re hungry. You end up making impulsive purchases based on your temporary state. Then, a few days later, you notice all these items at home that make you think, “Why in the world did I buy all of this?”
4. Pack a variety of snacks with you all the time. Keep a bag of peanuts, an apple, cheese sticks or any other options in your bag and desk. That will help when you’re stuck in traffic or running late.
5. Drink plenty of water. Being well hydrated allows us to feel our hunger cues more accurately.
6. Chew a piece of sugarless gum. Sometimes the flavour is enough to calm our desire to eat something.
7. Keep a regular sleep pattern. It’ll manage your hunger, stress and mood throughout the day.
8. Schedule workouts for the week, if you’re having trouble “finding the time” day to day. Treat them like you would any other serious appointment in your schedule.
9. Keep a few basic workout items at home – like a mat and light weights — for the days you can’t make it to your class. Every workout does not have to be an hour long.
10. Avoid buying too much alcohol for the home; that makes it a lot easier to avoid drinking too much sometimes.
Healthy choices aren’t always easy. But it helps to prepare and have options.
