Do excuses keep getting in the way of eating healthy? You are NOT alone my friend! These 10 easy tips will dig to the root of why your motivation may be lacking, and offer small actions you can take to get yourself re-motivated fast!
We all know how the story goes. Last week you CRUSHED it! You had your grocery list ready Saturday morning, did all the prep on Sunday and ate like a vegetable queen right through to about Friday. You felt SOOOO good!
BUT THEN . . . a busy weekend hits. Next thing you know, you wake up Monday with a fridge full of smelly, mushy veggies and nothing to eat for lunch. The week carries on which involves take-out, frozen pizza, and other not-so nutritious choices – and of course there’s a weekend road trip coming up. We both KNOW how hard it is to choose the gas station veggie cup over the fruit & nut chocolate bar right? Then, another weekend comes and goes – and you just can’t get back on board making healthy eats. UGH!
HERE ARE A FEW TRICKS TO TRY FOR YOURSELF!
HAVE YOURSELF A PITY PARTY!
Write out all the things stopping you, plus what you’re dreading about cooking and eating healthy. Let’s hear all the excuses running through your head! EVERY. SINGLE. ONE! (in your phone, on paper, anywhere just write them out).
ie) (real examples from yours truly)
Thinking up what I want to eat is sooo hard and draining! I’m out of ideas. Cooking feels like such a chore. I can’t believe I have to do this for the rest of my lifeeee!
If someone could just grocery shop for me, that would be great.
I’m way too busy for this.
Vegetables do not taste like cupcakes.
Groceries are expensive.
The stool I need to reach the recipe book cupboard is all the way dow the hall.
My car is almost out of gas. Better not waste it getting groceries.
Cooking for more than myself is hard, and I’m afraid it won’t taste good, or what I try will totally flop and make me feel like crap.
Why should I cook, when cereal tastes so good?
Things just taste better when someone else makes them.
I suck at cooking, and make gross food. I wish someone else would cook for me.
The Tupperware drawer is so messy, I don’t want to even open it.
Cooking involves math, washing measuring cups, following a recipe, and getting my phone sticky hitting the screen when it turns off every 2 minutes. ICK.
My phone/ipad/lap top battery is dead and I can’t see the recipes.
My charger for my phone/ipad/lap top is downstairs and I don’t want to get it.
I hate getting so many dishes dirty.
My tea towels are so pretty, I can’t get them dirty by using them when I’m cooking.
I dread dishes, and then having to put them away, ughh.
READ THE LIST OVER TO GAIN SOME PERSPECTIVE.
Does your pity party sound a whole lot like #firstworldprobs? Chances are, unless you’ve recently been through something tragic – your mental block to eating healthy will be rooted to the #firstworldprobs category.
Now, consider the opposite of each excuse by applying a bit of gratitude and splash of maturity. Basically imagine what your grandmother, or mother might say if she heard you express the frustrations above out loud.
For example:
Excuse 1: Thinking up what I want to eat is sooo hard and draining! I can’t believe I have to do this for the rest of my lifeeee!
Gracious/Mature Thought: “You have so much choice! Before the internet existed, we had to learn recipes off by heart, or by cook book. You have SOO much selection, and opportunity to learn new dishes. You’ll never get tired of eating the same chicken recipe with all those pins on Pinterest! You can also spend as much or as little money as you choose on ingredients, how lucky! Think of all the healthy, delicious things you could eat in your lifetime!”
Excuse 2: If someone could just grocery shop for me, that would be great.
Gracious/Mature Thought: As Dr. Seuss once said, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
How incredible is it to have the ability and power to walk into the grocery store and choose WHICHEVER INGREDIENTS YOU WANT!? Count on yourself for making food you like, you’ll get good at it and be thankful later! Remember – you’re not in prison without a choice, or being served food at a hospital. Get out, use your good health and freedom and choose to enjoy what you eat!
Repeat “What would my mom or grandmother say” for the other excuses in your list until you pull yourself out of the pity party!
GET INSPIRED
Think about the last meal at a restaurant you absolutely loved!! What were you eating? Was it a peanut satay stirfry? Or a spinach salad? Maybe it was a pork roast with roasted root vegetables, or a goat cheese and roasted beet salad! Look up the restaurant menu and aim to re-create it!
For more healthy eating inspo, check out a few of my favourite Instagram foodie accounts:
OK, ENOUGH THINKING & SITTING - LET’S TAKE ACTION!
Grab a pen and paper (or go to notes in your phone) and fill a grocery list full of your favourite fruit, veggies, and ingredients! Remember how much you LOooOooOOVE eating good food and feeling great! Keep things simple so you’re not feeling overwhelmed. Anytime I get ingredients to try more than one new dish, I usually end up mentally spent after making just one. Sadly the other ingredients can go bad while I try to muster up the time to try recipe #2. Focus on safe, basic choices you love and only one new thing. Doing less with more focus feels really manageable and good! And, put the other recipe(s) you want to try in the queue because next week comes fast, and you’ll be ready to try another new one in no time!
FIND A SUPER MOTIVATING, FUN PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY LIKE ONE OF THESE, AND CRANK IT!
SLOW DOWN, AND FIND THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
Have you had a grocery list, rushed the shopping part and arrived back at home to be like – I forgot the one spice I specifically went to the store to get? (facepalm). Or have you looked for a new ingredient like coconut cream, but only been able to find coconut milk? Remember that time you thought coconut flour could do the same job as almond flour? Disaster, and a waste of time and good ingredients. Don’t rush it. Stop and ask someone, or make a second stop to find the right ingredient. The right ingredients can boost your cooking confidence, and it usually doesn’t take long if you just ask.
FOLLOW THE RECIPE
I know I ain’t no Martha Stewart. As much as I might like to believe I am, I’ve got insecurities coming out the ying yang when preparing food for myself and others. Sometimes I’ve thought I’ll sub a different ingredient that SHOULDN’T make a big difference but it does (see tip #6), or I’ll accidentally miss a step that turns out to be pretty important. Ohhh, the ground turkey should have been cooked BEFOREEE I put it in the pot with all the vegetables. WHOOPS. FRICK!!
Did you know room temperature cream cheese and butter work WAYY better than refrigerated when baking? Sauces always get me too. Paying attention to temperature, amounts, and ingredient order can change a lumpy, bumpy curdled looking sauce into a smooth, picturesque one you’re proud to serve. Or who knew adding a stir fry sauce with a little sugar in it should be done at simmering temperatures and not searing temperatures? Well, at least we know the smoke alarm works. Follow the recipe. This will help you go from creating a bit of a disaster your ashamed to serve or eat – to something amazing that tastes so good, people are asking for the recipe!
GET IT FRESH!
nstead of wondering how long the onions and potatoes have been in the cold room, get yourself some fresh stuff. We are not living in the Great Depression and a few fresh onions and potatoes cost less than a few dollars. That very expensive roast you have would go so well with onions and potatoes, so don’t spoil it! Make sure the onions aren’t off, and the potatoes don’t taste like crud!
I have learned we save more money and waste less produce by picking up ingredients more often. A big bag of potatoes or onions are not eaten up fast enough in our house. Even though the bulk bag might be a good deal, for two of us, we end up wasting or forgetting we have them. Fresh ingredients will give you and your family more nutritious, and delicious tasting meals.
Remember, “Life is too short to eat green bananas!”
But, do you dread grocery shopping? Maybe you feel like you never have enough time, or you’re worried your kids will misbehave at the store. If there’s a negative association with shopping for fresh ingredients, there is a solution if you choose to find it. Try out Click and Collect for fast pick up, or inject some imagination into your grocery runs. Grocery shopping doesn’t have to suck. Think of yourself as Jamie Oliver searching for the latest ingredient inspiration for your new Moroccan cookbook! Or imagine you’re Belle from Beauty and the Beast singing your way to town for fresh bread and rolls! Remember to stop and smell the roses. The bakery buns smell so fresh, the bright colours of produce are showing you all the new things in season, and you can actually head to the fresh cut flowers section and actually smell roses. If you love eating, and eating good food – grocery shopping can be fun!
DON’T RESTRICT YOURSELF
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you’ve failed if you have cream in your coffee, a small treat at work, or go out for lunch. Remember that healthy habits are a long game. Set a reasonable goal or allowance for treats and your favourite foods – but never a ban. One day at a time, simply aim to eat more nutritious foods like filling protein, healthy fats, and fibre filled veggies. I have a list in my phone of treats that I’ve likely come across on Instagram. Maybe it’s a Donut Party Donut, or Made By Marcus Ice Cream . I won’t eat one every day, but by indulging in a few treats a month that I’m really excited about, I feel like eating healthy is still winning, yet so am I because I don’t feel deprived!
TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
Sometimes if you look at the whole picture, it’s overwhelming. Try to think about one choice, one nibble, one meal at a time. Planning ahead is super helpful – but what I believe to be even more helpful is practicing making healthy choices in the moment. Trust that you know what you need to do, it’s just a matter of saying ‘yes’ to the best choice, more often than you say ‘no’. Remember that like any skill we have in life, eating and cooking healthy requires focus, effort, and failure. You’re not going to be awesome at it right away, and you’re going to have lulls where you just can’t bring yourself to cook. But keep trying. Think about how much practice we get – 3 meals a day, 365 days a year – for years and years. That is a lot of opportunity to eat and share delicious and nutritious food!
WRAPPING UP
When you’re feeling really down and unmotivated to eat healthy, remember how good you feel when you do. All you need is to connect with one tiny spark of emotion to take action.
Good people have great ideas.
Legendary people have great execution.
Walk down the hallway to get your phone charger so you can make a grocery list. Open the fridge and pantry to see what you’ve got in there right now. Open Spotify and make yourself an upbeat playlist you’d want to cook to! Whatever small step forward you can take, make it happen! You can do this!
