Commitment, Planning, Consistency and Accountability

Well those sound like juicy topics huh? I’m sitting in the parking lot of the gym.. Talking myself into walking in the door. I’m tired. I don’t have enough time for an awesome workout. I’m hot. My neck kinda hurts. I should have more coffee. I need to go to the store. What was the name of my third- grade teacher? How can birds fly so far? Man, I could sit out here all day-this is a good song I’ll wait til that’s done. I should probably check my email…

Is this you? Its literally me right now. Right at this moment. How am I going to get myself to walk thru those doors? I’ll tell you how...

1. COMMITMENT. I’ve committed my life to being healthy. I’ve committed myself to role modeling this for my kids. I’ve committed myself to being better than I was yesterday… to challenging myself, to just “getting it done”. Do I love the 497 tasks and steps it takes to get there sometimes? NOPE. Do I want to be lounging by the pool with donuts? ABSOLUTELY. I’ve made the decision, even if I don’t know the particulars, for a larger purpose. Health, longevity, and leadership. What it looks like for me is maybe not what it looks like for you. This isn’t weighing every ounce of my food for life or swearing off pizza. Its not moving into the gym and sleeping overnight there… It’s increasing your conscious awareness of what you are putting into your body and what you are doing with your body daily to keep moving. Being healthy is a lifelong choice.

2. A PLAN. This is literally the number one key to success in my book. “Failing to plan is planning to fail” Let’s explore your life activities for a moment…

Have you had to run kids to an after-school activity straight from work and forgotten to pack a snack?
Gotten home from work later than you wanted and your HUNGRY AF and you have no idea what to make so you eat a bowl of cereal while you hope dinner makes itself or you order take out
You skip lunch because you are too busy and as a result you are crabby and HANGRY when you get home but decide a couple PBJ will be just fine.. Again..
On Sunday you tell yourself “I’m going to be healthy this week. I’ll start tomorrow” but make no plan to do anything different than you did the week before.
Forget to pack breakfast or take the time to eat in the morning so you run thru Starbucks to “just grab coffee” but somehow a pastry ends up on your lap and you “don’t wanna waste it”
You show up to a party starving, so you end up making the nacho platter your BFF for the night. It doesn’t talk back, and it makes you happy… until the next morning

Any of these resonate with you? Seriously. You’ve gotta have a plan. Not a complicated one. Just a plan. Something you can follow thru with.

If you are not a morning person-pack your food the night before.
Consider meal prepping for the whole dang week. BOOM! DONE.
Cook your proteins on weekends, freeze half. Chop your veggies ahead
Put snacks in single serving bags ahead-I had my son do this with a HUGE bag of popcorn I bought last week. It kept him busy, I was desperate
Shop once a week, the same day and time every week. Make a list ahead with the meals you’ve decided to cook. Follow the damn list. Don’t go hungry or that chocolate mint ice cream that’s ON SALE will make it in your cart.
Dinner out? That’s cool. Look at the menu ahead. Decide generally what you might get that’s a reasonable choice. Then you can enjoy the company and not worry what to order.

Plan for the worst days. The busiest days. The days when you want to wear pajamas to Target. The days when you want to “rest your eyes” at the stoplights. The days you KNOW you’ll be home late because kids have stuff. DO IT NOW. DO IT AHEAD OF TIME.

3. CONSISTENCY. Results will come from consistency. For real. I’d rather have you be consistent 80 percent of the time then Yo-Yo with diet and exercise. Commit to less. But be consistent. Research shows us that in forming a new habit we are better off doing something EVERYDAY even if its short (think 20 minute workout, or making a morning smoothie). So, follow your nutrition food plan 80 % of the time. Need help with a nutrition plan? CALL ME. Follow your fitness plan 80% of the time. Need help with a fitness plan? CALL ME. Things will get busy. They always do.

4. ACCOUNTABILITY. Acknowledge responsibility for your actions. This is where health coaching can be amazing. Who will you be accountable to besides yourself? Really? Like who cares? Who will know if you grab a quick donut or you miss your morning run? Hiring a coach obliges you to report and become responsible for both your rewards and your challenges. I can help you be consistent in the gym AND the kitchen! Accountability is more important that motivation because NO ONE ALWAYS FEELS MOTIVATED. NO ONE.

Again, I’m still in my car typing this so…

The online group coaching was awesome OMG! Reflecting back, I realize how much I have learned. I want to commit to healthy eating and create a balance of eating right, exercise and having fun! I get into bad habits and take shortcuts and it doesn’t do me any favors in the long run. Sarah inspired me to live my best life!

Want some help exploring your commitment to health and making a plan you can follow? Being consistent and accountable? I’m rolling out a new program beginning Aug 1. OH, AND ITS FREE for the month of August! Its my monthly membership group focused on all the things! Click HERE. It’s called the BEET SQUAD! Please join me online in a private group with weekly video coaching, recipes and meal plans, ideas for what the heck to make when you have “nothing in your fridge” and how to redo your favorite recipes! As always feel free to email me at sarah@catalystwellnesscoaching.com with questions or set up your free discovery call HERE.