One wouldn’t think there was admin work behind a successful health and beauty routine. However, the experts will advise that planning is possibly one of the most powerful things a person committed to a new health journey can do!
This might include using a daily planner, Post-it notes, lunchboxes, labeled fridge containers, and planned grocery lists. It definitely means spending time in the mornings and evenings writing key points and reflecting.
For non-planners, putting together a nutritional plan might seem overwhelming and unnecessary. Not everyone is a natural planner! However, there are a few simple rules which, if followed with diligence, can help break the barriers of procrastination and create a sense of purpose and mastery as you begin your health journey:
1. Goal Setting
Before setting out on a journey, one must know where one is going. Imagine getting in your car and heading in any direction with a vague idea of where you want to go. You simply won’t arrive!
Setting a goal will make your destination more clear. Perhaps you want to become healthier to have more energy for your children, or to lose weight so you can fit in a special dress for a dance you have been invited to. Your goal might be simple: ‘I want to recover my pre-pregnancy weight. ’
Determine your goal and write it down! This goal quantifies what ‘victory’ looks like.
Your goal will also give you the all-important ‘Why’ you will refer to when you lose motivation and don’t feel you can take another step. Knowing why you are doing something and where you are going will help you to get there. Remember, your goal must be specific. It must also be attainable and realistic, and it must be time-scheduled, in that you must have a deadline for achieving it.
2. What steps will you take to get there?
It’s admirable to want to climb Mount Everest, but wanting to climb the mountain and establishing this as a goal isn’t enough. What steps will you take to climb your personal mountain?
Once you know where you are headed, you have to decide what you will do: What changes will you implement? How and when will you walk closer and closer to this goal week after week?
If you want to be healthier, you might need to cut out sugar, for instance; or perhaps give up your 20+ cups of strong coffee each day. Consider the specific changes you will need to make. Knowing your goal and considering steps and changes that will need to be made, can then help you to begin daily and weekly planning.
3. Weekly planning
Before planning for the next day, the evening before, one must set weekly goals and draft a rough plan for the week.
Set aside time each Sunday to write weekly goals, such as: ‘This week, I want to cut down my daily cups of coffee to two cups a day.’
One might write down a weekly goal to exercise for 20 minutes three times that week or to include five fruits and vegetables into one’s daily nutritional plan.
4. Daily planning
Daily planning in the evening is where specific steps and meal plans for the next day are described and scheduled. In a page of your new planner, write down the meal plan for the next day, and if it helps you to do so, prepare the meals and place them in containers in the fridge. This way, you will wake up knowing what is for breakfast and have a healthy option available. Also, plan for snacks that will keep you going so you don’t feel the need to cheat or indulge in sweet treats to stay energised.
A sound-proof way to stay on track is to plan all three meals and a snack in between each one. With a healthy eating plan, it is advisable to stick with water and unsweetened herbal or health tea between meals.
Daily tasks such as ‘Attend gym class at 8 a.m.’ can also be included in your daily health planner schedule.
5. Time to reflect
Each evening, also take the time to reflect on what worked for you and what didn’t so that week by week you will become more adept at planning. Remember, that planning is not a one-size-fits-all endeavour. Different personality types plan differently.
This is why it is important to reflect on the day and consider where one might tweak the planning process to make it more realistic and attainable, all the while considering the goals you have written down.
While planning might seem like a lot of administrative work, it is definitely a powerful move to eradicate old habits and begin a new way of living. It also helps to give one a sense of mastery over the transformation process and overcome procrastination by enforcing the notion that healthy living is a daily choice.
Author: Lucy Walker
Lucy Walker is a journalist, author and health living enthusiast who has been involved with health writing since 2014.
