The Power of Consistency in Achieving Your Health Goals

When it comes to achieving health goals, consistency, not perfection, is the key!

Most people are in search of a quick fix- this leads them to yo-yo. They are perfect for a few weeks, and then some of the changes that they have implemented slip, and they “fall off the wagon.” This leaves an individual in patterns of “being bad” and “being good.” There is no time to establish a habit or routine, and very little opportunity to achieve or maintain results. Sometimes, this pattern can leave people feeling worse than when they started physically and emotionally.

Consistency allows you the time to make a new behaviour into a habit and to see the benefit of that behaviour.

Here are some tips to being consistent:

• Perfection CANNOT be the goal

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while! When you want to implement a new habit or change a habit, you need to be able to be flexible. All-or-nothing mentality will ALWAYS lead to failure. The key is to not let the challenges be a reason to give up.

• Find out what motivates you

If you find that you have trouble with motivation, you need to find your why for making the change in the first place. Is your goal to sleep better? Have more energy? Exercise more?

It’s great to know what you want to change, but if you don’t have a good reason for why you want to make that change, it will be easy to talk yourself out of it.

Once you know your why, you have to ask yourself if you need help. Do you need a trainer or a coach? Do you need more appointments with your doctor or counsellor? Most people have difficulty making changes on their own! Set yourself up for success by getting the support you need before you start.

• Focus on adding something instead of eliminating

If you are focusing on adding something that will get you closer to your goal it is easier than focusing on what you CAN’T have. For example, many of my patients come to see me with the goal of avoiding sugar. Sure, avoiding sugar will make you feel better, but I’m sure the day you decide to avoid sugar is the day you can’t stop thinking about it. Instead I have my patients focus on getting more fibre and protein. Foods higher in protein and fibre are generally lower in sugar. Also, the addition of those more nutrient dense foods helps them to feel better!

When it comes to being healthy you need to understand that there is no quick fix. It takes a level of discomfort to make the changes that you need to make to eventually feel your best. But there is also no all-or-nothing, it is consistency that is the key to making long lasting health changes.

If you are looking for a tailored approach to your health, follow the link to book your alignment call. 

In health,

Dr. Lisa Maddalena, ND