A good, strong day starts the night before. Giving yourself a good night's sleep, or in my case, a night with as few interruptions of sleep as possible, can set the stage for success. This isn't always possible, I know, and there will be days when we will drag ourselves out of bed dreading the coming day. But for today, let's just focus on those days that we wake up feeling pretty good.
Then comes time for the pep talk. It has to be when you're alone and have no, I mean, NO distractions. I usually do this in the shower. So let's have a little chat with ourselves. No, don't ask how the weather is, which is sometimes as much as we really tune into ourselves. I mean, tell yourself, out loud, how you intend your day to be and how you intend your choices to be. "Today is going to be a good day. I will stay calm, I will stay under control, and I will enjoy something other than food." Whatever you want your intentions to be for today, say those intentions. Make them really good ones, if you want, whatever it takes to get you amped up to make the effort. And dialogue that's very decisive and positive can make a real difference in how we feel like tackling the day.
Have you ever noticed that if you've had a bad night, or bad previous day, it's real easy to feel sorry for yourself the next morning? And what have I done on days like this? I've said, internally, of course, "you deserve to take it easy on yourself today. It'll take too much energy, which I don't have, to eat well today". So what happens? I have a breakfast loaded with carbs and probably sugar instead of protein, which makes me feel even more sleepy as the day goes on. Bad idea. Always start your day with intentions, positive intentions, whatever they may be. Set your standards for your day really high, so it's something really good to shoot for.
Also, make small goals for yourself, I make mine every month. So if I can't find any positive intent, I at least have a goal that I'm reaching for, it makes it easy for my mind to grasp that when I'm not so awake, alert, or willing.
Enlist the people around you to keep you motivated and accountable during the day. Family, friends, coworkers, the guy sitting next to you on the bus. Tell them to ask you what you're having for lunch, to ask you if you've exercised today. Or just let them know that you're trying to change your lifestyle, so be ready for you talk about it.
As a last point, my husband and I have begun to start our day with something called Macro Greens. Neither of us eat as many veggies as we should, and this powder (mixed with apple juice and water), provides more than our daily allotment in 1 scoop. I swear it has given me more energy. It's organic, as well.
I've almost never had a "perfect" day of health eating and exercise, but the components of a healthy lifestyle are many, so strive toward the goal, don't be stalled by the bumps!
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