Since going Paleo my family has fallen even more in love with our grill. Paleo and grilling just work well together. The past couple of years I've even been stepping outside my grilling comfort zone more and more. Grilling things I'd never thought to have grilled before and trying new flavor combinations. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the results of most of my flavor experiments. In the past I'd never have thought to grill fruit, but it's amazing. Grilling fruit and adding it to traditionally savory dishes? Brilliant. Oh yes, and? New rule: every burger recipe for the rest of forever must contain grilled pineapple. OK, maybe more of a guideline. It's a seriously delicious combination though. This Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burger is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not only Paleo, but Whole30, glutenfree, lower carb, and clean eating friendly. I promise you won't miss the bun! paleo, grilled pineapple burger, smoky
I talked yesterday about taking our goals and breaking them down into action steps and tasks. Today I want to take that a bit further even. There will be things on those lists of tasks that are repetitive. Things that need done daily even (depending on your goals of course).
For instance with fitness and weight loss: there are many things that we will need to do daily to reach our goals. These things we need to add to our daily routines and eventually build them into habits. Only then can we truly make this a lifestyle change!
Some of these things for me are:
For instance with fitness and weight loss: there are many things that we will need to do daily to reach our goals. These things we need to add to our daily routines and eventually build them into habits. Only then can we truly make this a lifestyle change!
Some of these things for me are:
- Water. I have three 1 liter water bottles. Every night before I go to bed I fill them and put them in the refrigerator. I simply added this to my nightly routine. It makes water a no-brainer for me. This helps me so much. Why? Who knows, but it works for me, so I'm making it a habit.
- Exercise. I really believe exercise can become a habit, something we just do. For me, I set my alarm for 4 or 4:30 (yes, I know that's crazy early, but I go to bed early too), I get up and I exercise. I want to get in this habit. Even on off days I still get up, because I want to keep the habit (plus I enjoy the early morning quiet time). I find the mornings I don't get up and I sleep in instead: exercise is much less likely to happen. I also schedule my exercise about a month or so out, so it's again a no-brainer, I look at the schedule and do the workout listed. Now, this works for me, of course find what works for you, but I think scheduling exercise into your day is so important! It's so easy to just let it get lost in the shuffle otherwise.
- Tracking. Some people track, some people don't. Right now I do. I think I need it, so I do it. Daily. Every meal. Every workout. I track it. If you're a tracker, pick how you want to track and make it a habit.
Habits are built through simple repetition. We need to choose the habits we want to build and then make it a point to do these things over and over and over and over...you get the point. Make a to do list, leave yourself sticky notes, or set alarms on your Blackberry (what I can't be the only one still using a blackberry?) If we mess up, we simply start over. Beating ourselves up does nothing to get us closer to our goals. Nope, just forgive yourself and focus on the next opportunity to practice your habits!
Now, I find I thrive on routines, when I stray away from them I fall apart. That's just me. But I think that everyone can benefit from building healthy choices into habits in our lives.
I'll be hosting the Sears Fitness #SFCFit chat on Twitter tonight (Jan. 12) discussing turning our New Years goals into habits. Please join us! It's a really fun fitness chat. I'm @katdoesdiets on twitter and an easy way to follow the chat is to go to: http://tweetchat.com/room/sfcfit The chat starts at 6:30 my time (mountain), 7:30 CST.
What are some things that you need to do daily in working towards your goals?
Mine are pretty much the same as yours - water, exercise, and tracking. Those three things are key for me to lose the weight. :)
ReplyDeleteUgh, my habit tends to be procrastination. I know all the right things to do, and I have done them for months at a time..only to let them slowly slip away again. I guess the habit isn't truly formed for me then.
ReplyDeletetracking is becomming a BIG important factor for me. If I don't want people to see that I've eaten it and I don't want to write it down, I shouldn't eat it. Also, I keep a water filter and cup at my desk for water. It's an added expense, but it saves me from the vending machine diet dr. pepper that I want.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm two days into a 66 day plan to form new habits - renew lost habits in my case. The first four I'm working on are tracking, water, blogging (which helps immensely), and staying within my calorie range. Back to basics pretty much. :)
ReplyDeleteI do very similar to what you do with water. Have it organized & it is 1,452 times more likely to get done, more or less :-)
ReplyDeletefor me it is a THOUSAND PERCENT getting up and CHOOSING MY GOALS EACH MORNING>
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