Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [27]
There is no trick about shifting habits. Except—aha!—the same ideas that work for Discardia elsewhere also apply here. You don't have to change everything all at once; you just have to start changing things in the right direction more often than in the wrong.
If you’re trying to lose weight, having less of a caloric overflow is still better than no reduction at all. Making sure that you walk 6,000 steps a day instead of 4,000 is better than no improvement. Aim for 10,000, but don't give up if you don't get there right away.
All this can be adapted for those who need to gain instead of lose weight, of course. Switch to a healthy, high-calorie substitute for something you currently and regularly eat, for example. Incorporating higher fat accompaniments to your meals, such as nuts, avocados, and cheeses, could help tilt the scale in the direction you want to be heading.
Watch for ways to set yourself up for success. Review the snacks you keep on hand around the house and at work. Do they help or harm your overall health goals? I've learned that if there aren't any corn chips or soft drinks in the house and I am limited to lower fat and less sugary snacks—like fresh baby carrots, whole grain crackers, apples, and soda water—I am just as happy and have a lot more energy.
Don't torture yourself by keeping a bunch of stuff around that you don't actually want yourself to eat. Make it easy to snack well. Try substituting smaller amounts of more intense flavors for bigger quantities of simpler foods. A wafer-thin slice of aged sharp cheddar can be nibbled for more pleasure than a hunk of some orange-dyed bland brick. A one-inch square of really good gourmet chocolate can be savored and will linger on the tongue delightfully without lingering on the hips like a Mars bar—and the darker you go, the healthier it gets! Instead of drinking a sugary, fruit-flavored drink, how about eating an actual piece of fruit and drinking a glass of water?
What you measure for is what you get
Make the big decision to do something differently—to change a habit—and then manifest that change by repeatedly making small decisions that support the big one.
Increase your awareness of how you’re doing by paying attention and keeping track. Being able to answer the question, “Did I do better with this habit this week than last week?” is the key to a gradual shift that makes a new behavior stick.
Sites like the online game HealthMonth can be a huge help with recordkeeping and motivation. You can see in your log that, if you make the right choice with the current little decision, it will tip you over the line to having done better this week than last. It’s a great way to break through and stop delaying on doing the right thing.
The antidotes to foolish tricks
Look around for dumb stuff you do that creates chaos in your life. Find your bad habits and build better alternatives. Here are a few examples.
Foolish trick: Pile your plate full of too much food and then think you need to eat all of it.
Antidote: Switch to smaller dinner plates. Give yourself the visual pleasure of a full plate without eating so much. Eating more slowly and stopping when you’re full are also good habits, but while you’re acquiring them why not take the easy win?
Foolish trick: Pants are wrinkled after the first wearing because you drop them on the floor.
Antidote: Put a clothes butler rack (or chair) right where you tend to fling things and drape things that would otherwise get wrinkled neatly over it.
Foolish trick: Give in to the urge to shop when you have no particular item in mind and when what you really need is to relax and have a sense of accomplishment and completion.
Antidote: Be mindful of your actions and urges. Answer your real needs with the right solution, not a placeholder. There are lots of better (and cost-free) ways to do this than acquiring more stuff that you don’t need.
Foolish trick: Buy expensive stuff and then regret it.