Nourish
Dietitian Helen Gibbs says you can make resolutions at any time of year, and she has advice for making them stick.
BEYOND NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
I
f you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolutions, you’re not alone. The fact is, most resolutions that people make around food and lifestyle fail. Ask someone why this is the case for them, and they’re likely to say they don’t have willpower. I honestly hate the idea of willpower, because it’s so full of self-blame. We’re surrounded by things that will increase our risk of overeating and inactivity. We simply can’t be “on task” 24/7 trying to change our behaviour. Resolutions can be successful, though. What you need are plans and details behind them. Preparing in advance reduces your risk of returning to old behaviours. This involves thinking through what can be changed, and how, as well as who or what is going to support the change. If we don’t plan our health changes, we’ll almost certainly miss or forget important things. Spending time on planning makes sense.
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Autumn 2020
A CHALLENGE
You don’t need to wait till the next New Year: try making a new resolution at any time and backing it up with planning. And do start with just one thing. Another reason our resolutions can fail is that we’re trying to change too many things at once. The sheer strangeness of the new behaviours takes up too much brain space. We end up lapsing back into old habits because it’s easier. Here’s a challenge for anyone who wants to try for lifestyle improvement this year. Over the next 12 months, can you think of six to 12 small changes you could make to your eating that would make a big difference long term? By small changes, I mean things like replacing two afternoon tea biscuits with a small serve of nuts. Start with just one of those changes and, to prepare for it, think through these questions:
How important is it for me to focus on this activity right now?
On a scale of zero (not at all) to 10 (extremely important), making this change needs to be at least a 7. If you’re saying 5 or less, be honest. Is there something going on that’s more important? Something that needs to be resolved before you can work on change? For example, I have a client who is in a “holding pattern” because her Dad is in hospice care. For her, change is important but not the most important thing right now. What will successful change involve?
For example, let’s look at that idea of swapping two afternoon tea biscuits for a small serving of nuts. Ask yourself – what leads up to having the biscuits (without blaming willpower)? How do you end up having this routine? What maintains the routine? How would you change it?
