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This has happened many times: I would start a new “daily routine” with great results the first week…excited about it and truly enjoying it.
Then the second week came around, and it would require more effort on my part to stick with it. And then, by the Sunday of the third week… well, I wouldn’t do anything. Just one day off, and I’ll get started tomorrow again, I’d say to myself.
Monday would come around and my calendar was too full and had to work… you know where this is going, right?
By this time, I had run out of willpower…Doesn’t it sound familiar?
You are not alone! Consistency is major problem of many women trying to improve their life. It still is a major issue for me, too.
I think, no, I know we are going about consistency in the wrong way. We start from the end of the process and expect it to work.
Stay Connected to Your Why
Before expecting consistency from yourself in a new routine, diet, exercise or in a new way of thinking, you must first identify WHY you want to do it.
The WHY should be heart-based, NOT head-based. It must be about how you want to feel, not what you should do. Your WHY should be connected to your well being, not the expectation of others or society. I have written a guide to the most powerful questions to ask yourself to find your why here.
Think of your WHY as the foundation of a goal setting exercise which we know to be central to motivation.
Once you have this WHY, stay connected to it. Remind yourself of it everyday. Write it down and post it in places where you will be reminded multiple times a day.
One Thing at a Time
Pick one thing you want to implement, change or transform in your life and one thing only.
One thing at a time, please.
Otherwise, you’d be making the #1 mistake ambitious women do when they try to improve themselves — new exercise routine, new diet, new morning routine…ALL AT ONCE. This is a sure path to failure.
Figure out your why and then select the most effective, pleasing element that will help you reach your goal. Introduce this one element in your life. Give it a structure, a time in your schedule. Learn to love it and make it a habit.
Then, you can move on to the next element. After all, willpower is a limited resource.
Don’t Pay Attention to the Little Voice
Understand that your ego, that little voice in your head that tells you are not good enough, will rise up to the occasion when you try to improve yourself. It will attempt to make you fail so it can prove to you that you are not good enough.
Don’t listen to that little voice… I’m not saying you should not listen to yourself or your intuition. I’m asking you not to listen to the nagging voice that takes you away from what you really want.
If the concept of ego is new to you, you can check out this video from Deepak Chopra or listen to this podcast from Sean Croxton.
Assess whether that voice inside you is trying to protect you from something that can be really dangerous, like working out when you are injured, versus simply trying to show you once more that you are a failure…because you know you are not. Now, you can say NO to that little voice!
Let’s Recap: How to Be More Consistent with Consistency
This research tells us that it takes 18 to 254 days to change a habit. Thus, being consistent with consistency is essential. Remember being consistent doesn’t mean being perfect, so plan to fail. Plan and accept that there will be mornings when you will not go for a walk or times when you will have that piece of cake. That, my friend, is OK.
So to sum up:
- Understand your WHY…the one connected to your heart not your head.
- Pick your battle and do one thing at a time.
- Don’t pay attention to your ego.
The Next Steps:
Ready to transform your relationship with food?
Ready to understand why you crave and most importantly how to free yourself from cravings and emotional eating?
The Crave Cure guide shows you the next steps to take. I’m giving you this free guide to help you in your journey of transforming your relationship with food. From nutrition to mindset, you’ll be ready to take the next steps. Can’t wait to see you on the other side!
Last episode, I was with Dr. Amy Johnson. We talked about how to break up with bad habits without using willpower. It’s a very interesting and insightful conversation. It will change how you see habits forever! I highly recommend it!
Next episode is all about intuitive eating. This topic may sound New Age-y, but intuitive eating is something we humans have done for thousands of years. I’ll be talking about it with Devyn Sisson, the author of Kitchen Intuition. It’s another insightful interview, so stay tuned for it!
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Links mentioned in this episode:
Finding your why Guide: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/transformation-questions/
Deepak Chopra video on EGO: https://youtu.be/ERWBqIJaecY
Episode 65 with Sean Croxton: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/065
The Crave Cure: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/cravecure
Community: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/community
Support me by leaving a review about this episode: http://bit.ly/2gilTsw
How you can reach Stephanie:
Website: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieDodiernutrition
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephdodier/
You tube: https://www.youtube.com/c/stephaniedodier
Email: [email protected]
Got a question for Stephanie you’d like her to answer about consistency, or just want to join our community of women?
Our free and private community: https://www.stephaniedodier.com/community
If you haven’t yet downloaded my guide to emotional eating, you might want to do this while you listen this week’s episode.
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