Welcome to Wellness Wednesday where in-house nutrition coach, Coach Diana Leigh, answers YOUR questions about health, fitness, and nutrition.
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Q: I’m struggling with holding myself accountable… any tips?
A: You swear you’re going to start hitting the AM classes but you hit the snooze button each morning. You swear you’re going to eat healthier but you order pizza for lunch. You swear you’re going to drink more water as you pour yourself your third coffee…
Whatever it is, I’m sure it has you thinking: “Am I just not disciplined enough?”
Not entirely. It could be you’re lacking an accountability system that is sure to help you follow through in the creation of a new habit. So how can we set ourselves up for success to achieve our deepest desires?
STEP 1: Write it down.
When you tell yourself you’re going to do something, it’s not very concrete. There are words floating in your brain but nothing to hold you to it. By writing it down the goal becomes concrete.
I don’t want you to just write down, “Go to the gym.” I want you to be specific.
I will go to the gym for the 6:30am class tomorrow.
Now this is specific and intentional and you’re more likely to follow through. Even better, schedule it in your calendar so that there’s dedicated time for your goal and you can factor it in to your daily schedule.
STEP 2: Create an action plan.
It’s not enough to say you’re going to the 6:30am class tomorrow – you need to create an action plan to get you there. Remember, be specific!
I will go to the gym for the 6:30am class tomorrow.
I will leave the house at 6:15am to make it there 5 minutes before class starts.
I will wake up at 5:45am to get ready.
I will go to bed at 9:45 the night before to get 8 hours of sleep.
I will pack my bag the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning.
Etc.
Plan out every detail so you know what needs to be done in order to meet your goal. Eventually this will become a no-brainer routine, but right now you’re training yourself something brand new and being prepared with a plan sets you up for success.
STEP 3: Plan for obstacles.
This is probably what you’re missing – you have the best of intentions with setting your goal but you don’t create a plan for what to do when shit hits the fan.
What happens if you oversleep? I will set a back up alarm to prevent this from happening.
What happens if you wake up unmotivated? I will write down 3 reasons why I want to go to the gym in the morning and read them when I feel unmotivated to get out of bed.
What happens if there’s traffic? I’ll plan to leave earlier in the event of traffic and give myself an extra buffer.
You want to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE; have strategies ready to go so you don’t skip a beat when an obstacle presents itself.
We cannot possibly plan for ALL obstacles, and sometimes shit happens. Use these as learning opportunities – what could you have done instead and what can you do next time this happens?
STEP 4: Give yourself credit where credit is due.
If you follow through on your habit or goal, celebrate it! Give yourself a sticker or a check mark or something to acknowledge you did it. Then keep celebrating your wins over and over again until the habit sticks.
Habits work like this – there needs to be a cue to signal the habit needs to be done and then a reward at the end to solidify the habit.
When you tell a dog to sit and he sits, you give him a treat. This makes the dog more likely to sit the next time you tell him to.
Same goes for humans.
The more you reward yourself for positive behavior, the more likely you are to repeat it. Before you give yourself a snack for every good thing you do, here are some ways you can reward your good behavior (using my example from above):
- Keep track of your PRs – consistency builds results in the gym!
- Write down how good you feel after a workout is done and how happy you are to have gotten it out of the way in the morning.
- Check-in with your partner, spouse, or friend if they are your accountabilabuddy.
- Make a delicious post-workout smoothie you get to enjoy when you go to the gym.
- Go out to dinner when you reach 30 AM classes.
- Whatever motivates you – do it!!
PRO TIP: Enlist a buddy to help you out. Tell them your goal and ask them to check in on you to see if you followed through. Maybe you two (or a group) want to achieve that goal together, so you’re holding each other accountable. Sometimes people respond better to external motivators, but you can still follow these steps at the same time.
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
Want to work with Coach Diana Leigh? Fill out her application here.