Can you believe we are already in May for 2024?!? How are you going with your health and fitness goals that you set at the start of the year? Did you say in January that this is your year but you have already returned to previous habits? Or you want to keep progressing with your goals but feel stuck? I want to share with you my top tip that has really helped me this year to stick to my goals and help me become the person I want to be.
TIP: ALWAYS THINK OF FUTURE YOU & DO IT FOR FUTURE YOU
Let me explain so the above tip doesn’t sound so philosophical.
Every time you argue with yourself about completing a healthy or new habit you don’t want to do, I want you to think of future you. Whether that is future you - the next day or the future you in 5 years time, 10 years or even 20 years.
Example: it is late in the afternoon, you are absolutely exhausted. You don’t want to prep your breakfast for the morning because you just can’t be bothered, even though it might only take you 5 minutes to do. You decide to not do it and then when you wake up in the morning, you are rushing! There is no time for a fulfilling breakfast, you’ve just got to grab a piece of toast and out the door you go for a day filled with constant blood sugar swings feeling hangry and tired.
In that moment, the night before when you didn’t want to meal prep, if you thought of future you rushing in the morning, not setting yourself up properly for the day then it is much more motivating to just do the 5 minutes of meal prep the day before so future you is less stressed, more balanced and happier the next day.
HOW DO YOU TRULY WANT TO LIVE YOUR LIFE?
Another way to think of future you is how do you truly want to live your life? < this is the one that has helped me this year the most!
For those of you who have been here since the start of the year, you know my goal for 2024 is to cook ONE new meal every week so I can learn to love cooking. I chose this goal because when I envision future me, I want to be the person who:
- enjoys going to the Farmer’s Market on the weekend.
- cooks up a storm in the kitchen, cooking foods and flavours from around the world (there is not a day that goes by that I don’t dream of being back in Italy eating all the foods).
- is more “housewife-y” and know how to cook a roast or put on a delectable spread for guests.
- nourishes my body and enjoys making healthy meals.
- bakes with the kids in the kitchen and have fun doing it (to be honest cooking with little ones isn’t the most fun activity IYKYK 😅)
So everytime I try to talk myself out of creating a nourishing meal and opting for a toasted cheese sandwhich*, I remind myself of what I want future me to be like. I then google a real quick recipe that is flavoursome but filled with vegetables, proteins and fats and in roughly the same time it would of taken me to make a toasted sanga, I have learned to create a new meal, nourished my body and experienced a new range of flavours. And with that, so far I have successfully cooked 1-2 new meals EVERY week in 2024.
*There is nothing wrong with having a toasted sandwhich for lunch, my problem was I used to have them nearly everyday because I felt too exhausted to make a proper lunch.
I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY "I DID THAT"
One more way I like to think of future me to help with my goals is to be able to say “I DID THAT”. This works really well with my PT check-in clients. They want to get to our next check in and be able to say “yes, I did everything you asked of me”. They feel disappointed when they can’t say it. Now in this moment, I don’t berate them, we just move on and try to achieve it next time or change it up a little bit but the motivation to be able to say “Yes, I achieved that” helps them to keep going time and time again.
So next time you are trying to talk yourself out of completing a healthy habit, think of future you saying “yes, I did that”. Get someone to keep yourself accountable so in one week’s time, a month’s time or even a year’s time when you come back to January, you can say “look at all the things I achieved”.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT:
Here are some real-life ways you can start to use “future you” to motivate you to achieve your health and fitness goals:
EXERCISE
Have you always said you’d love to run a fun-run but can’t get back into regularly running? Think of “future you” feeling so accomplished after running their first 10km fun-run then go out and start training for it.
Is your goal 2x strength sessions a week but you are struggling with only getting one or none in? (< 🙋♀️this was me last year but this year I have successfully stuck to 2x sessions a week). Think of “future you” feeling strong and powerful but also being able to say “yes, I did my 2x sessions this week”. I’ve been so determined to say this, that if by Sunday afternoon I haven’t done my second workout, I will go out there and just get it done.
If this is you, give this 10 minute strength session a go so you can say “I did it!”
NUTRITION
Do you constantly say “you will start again Monday”? Or “I’ll eat better once this event is over?” Think of “future you” and think of what small changes you can implement RIGHT NOW to get you closer to future you, rather than starting over and over again.
Can’t be bothered meal prepping or choosing a more nourishing meal? Think of “future you” feeling tired, hangry and sick after overeating take out or choosing not so nourishing choices.
GIVE THIS 5 MINUTE OVERNIGHT WEET-BIX RECIPE A GO TO HELP YOU KICKSTART YOUR DAY AND KEEP YOU FEELING FOR LONGER:
SERVES 1 | PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES | COOK TIME: OVERNIGHT
Ingredients:
-2 Weetbix (crushed)
-½ cup milk of choice
-1 cup or tub of high protein yogurt (I used YoPro Caramel)
-1/2 scoop of protein powder
-1 tablespoon Biscoff (melted in microwave for 30 seconds)
*If you don’t have Biscoff, you could try nutella, mixed berries, cacao powder.
Adapted recipe by:https://simplyfreshfoodie.com/overnight-weetabix-with.../...
Directions:
1.Crush 2 Weetbix in a medium-sized bowl or meal prep container.
2.Pour milk over the crushed Weetbix, and stir to combine. The liquid will begin to soak into the Weetbix, so let the mixture set for a few minutes to thicken.
3.While the Weetbix base layer is soaking, mix your yoghurt and protein powder together. If using plain yogurt, add a sweetener such as 1 tsp of honey, maple syrup or a drop of stevia.
Carefully dollop the yoghurt mixture on top of the Weetbix layer. Use a spoon to spread the yogurt evenly.
4.Microwave the Biscoff in a small container for 30 seconds. Pour the liquid Biscoff over top of the yogurt layer.
5.Place the overnight Weetbix in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to let it set. In the morning, remove from fridge and enjoy!
WRAP UP
Just like any habit, practice makes perfect! So everytime that little voice enters your head and you don’t want to do what you know you NEED to do for a healthier, fitter and happier version of yourself… think of future you! Think of future healthier, fitter and happier you. Then keep doing the small things that get you closer to future you so the next day or in a week’s time or a year later, you can look back and say “look what I achieved”. And say a big THANK YOU to past you!
PODCAST RECOMMENDATION
A really great podcast I listened to at the start of the year that helped me implement this thought pattern even more, was this one from Mel Robbins. Give it a listen, especially if you are someone who always wants to be an early bird but talks yourself out of it or if you are someone who needs a big kick up the backside to get things done!
I hope this helps you in some way and if you need someone to keep yourself accountable, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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