Have you found yourself working out or following a diet pretty intensely only for it to fizzle out after a few weeks? The good news is that you’re not alone and with some help you can turn your short-lived ambitions into long-term lifestyle changes. 

Why do you revert back to your old habits?

Making changes in your life is not easy. This is especially true when it requires replacing long-term habits with new ones. 

When you first set your mind on wanting to achieve a certain goal you are excited about it and this excitement drives and motivates you to get started. 

Making major long-term lifestyle changes requires a lot of dedication and energy, which can be exhausting. In the beginning the excitement of starting something new gives you an energy boost. You intensely watch your food choices and intake, avoid sugary foods, and even make time to hit the gym 5 days per week.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t change with you and soon enough events occur that keep you from going to the gym and force you to eat out a few times. For most people this may be their job or family responsibilities. 

Before you know it, you’ve stopped going to the gym consistently, instead only making random appearances. You’ve grabbed a donut from the morning meeting, started getting more meals from the cafeteria or nearby restaurant, and have not thought about your food choices at all.

When life requires us to focus our energy towards something else such as work or family responsibilities, you have to give up some energy and focus on other parts of your life. When you do this, you fall back onto your old habits as these have been ingrained for many years and require little energy to execute. 

Maintaining your focus and motivation after the initial fire.

Making any change in life is difficult and requires more focus and energy from you until it becomes a long-term habit. Follow these tips to keep yourself on track and stay focused once the initial fire burns out.

• Write out your plan and what changes you want to make. Hang it up somewhere you can see it every day.

• Put your physical activities on your calendar such as working out every Mon/Wed/Fri at 3:00 PM and going for an evening walk every day.

• Use meal plans and meal prepping to keep you on track and make it easier on those surprise busy days.

• Have a back-up plan for when you don’t have time to make a healthy meal. 

• Make a list of healthy restaurants on your way home that you looked into.

• Make back-up meals you can freeze for these days.

• Have a few options for physical activity on those days you can’t get to the gym or get your scheduled workout in. 

• If you know early that you’ll miss your workout, try increasing your steps that day.

• Have a few back-up workout days scheduled on your calendar for those last minute change of plans.

• Have a few workouts available to choose from based on your available time. You can get a pretty good HIIT workout in just 20 mins.

• Create accountability for yourself.

• Tell those close to you about your plans to change your lifestyle.

• Find a workout buddy and hold each other accountable.

• Work with a personal trainer and dietitian that will check in with you regularly.

• Do group workouts, people in these tend to notice when someone isn’t coming and will reach out to you.

• Tell your partner, friends, or co-workers about your plans. They will most likely ask you how things are going.

• Set small goals and rewards to achieve along the way.

• Sign up for an event to compete in, 5k’s are great for this and many have a great community of like-minded people.

• Allow yourself to go on a shopping spree once you hit a goal weight.

• Make it a personal celebration when you achieve your mini-goals. These are important achievements and are worthy of celebrating.

• Remind yourself on tough days what drove your decision to start. 

• We often forget our initial reasons we decided to change our habits and reminding yourself of them can re-spark your initial energy.

• Follow positive people on social media that reinforce and motivate your lifestyle changes and choices. 

• Write down all the positive changes that have happened as a result of your lifestyle habit changes. 

• We tend to forget where we came from during long-term changes and the improvements that came along the way.

• Make a commitment to yourself. At the end of the day, you are the number one reason you are making these changes and are worthy of them.

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD