Are you ready to change?

As mentioned earlier, we all have different reasons why we decide to change.

You may have a Holistic approach to Healthy Living. Maybe you see the benefits of healing the body, mind and soul more rewarding than simply being able to fit into a smaller size dress or trousers. It is so important to remove the barriers when maintaining your health.

Find a way that you are comfortable with and that truly fulfills you in pursuing your personal goals.

For many, this may not be the first thing on your agenda. That is OK too. You will know when the time is right and hopefully my advice prompts you to take action. To take such a big step requires energy, so yes, you need to use up more energy (calories) than your body takes in from food and drink to make any difference. Most people find the best results are achieved this way and more noticeable.

You may prefer to think about physical activity later and start off with having a look at what it is you are in fact eating first.

It’s up to you, are you ready?

You need to aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, at least five times a week if you want to greatly benefit from change. “You’ll never discover new oceans unless you have the courage to leave the shore” Jo Hutchinson

What steps did I take?

You may or may not know that it in fact takes 21 days to break a bad habit.

What I did was choose one unhealthy habit I wished to eliminate or change. This was eating junk food from the Roadhouse down the street from my house instead of having healthy dinners. On the other hand you may want to choose a healthy habit you want to adopt as part of your behavior.

Decide on what it is you want to change. OK. Now that you have decided which unhealthy habit to eliminate, or new habit to adopt, decide on the date you will begin this change. Give this date a good deal of thought and then write it down. For example, "On February 15, 2001, I will become a non-smoker."

Look at the date you are planning on changing your habit then count ahead 21 days and mark that date down. Now, make a commitment that you will follow your plan for 21 days.

Helpful Suggestions - It is the first day of your 21-day cycle. Here are some helpful suggestions for habit change:

* Write down your goal. Experts recommend stating your goal in positive terms, such as "I want to be lean and physically fit," instead of "I've got to get rid of this flabby body." There is magic in the written word when it applies to you.

* List your reasons for changing or eliminating your habit. This will help with your commitment toward taking positive action. Writing it down will force you to think out in specific terms what this habit represents in your life and the meaning you believe your life will hold for you upon changing the habit.

* Talk to yourself. Remind yourself that you are moving closer to your goal. Tell yourself you're making progress. Talk to yourself throughout the day about how you are going to avoid triggers that can get you off track. Make healthy substitutes.

* Find substitute routines. For example, if you are changing eating habits and you have identified a particularly difficult time of the day when eating habits are poor, create an activity, a new routine for that time.

* Recruit your support. Ask for their support. Explain to them why you are making this change.

* Be prepared for people who may sabotage your plan. Be assertive and tell them what they are doing.

Sustaining Motivation

The following are some suggestions to follow each day in order to sustain Motivation and determination:

* Make affirmations, positive self-statements about your habit change. For example, "I am filled with so much health and vitality now that I exercise four times a week."

* Reward yourself. Make up a list of self-rewards. Reward yourself verbally.

* Review your list of reasons for quitting or changing.

* Create mental pictures of yourself as having already succeeded.

* Remember to take one day at a time. If you do backslide, don't label yourself as having failed. Get out your list or reasons for quitting or changing and begin again.

Having a relapse isn't as important as how you deal with the relapse. Depression, stress, fatigue and boredom can all make it difficult to stick with your program. If you are so devastated by failure that you call your good intentions into question, that will make changing your habits harder for you.

Allow for occasional relapses and treat it as nothing more than a slight misstep that teaches you something, then you're on the right track.

Follow the suggestions, adopt the more helpful attitude of evaluating your progress and accepting relapses. You will find yourself reaching many of your goals and you will have achieved true behavior change.

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