Episode 11 5 Common Obstacles To Creating Healthy Eating Habits & How To Overcome Them
Welcome to episode 11 of Wellness Wednesday’s Audio Series.
I’m Nissrine, registered holistic nutritionist, mindful nutrition & wellness coach for female entrepreneurs who are looking to prioritize their health and wellbeing without fad diets and wellness trends.
I created this series to bring a fresh perspective to nutrition and wellness, one that is centered on and lead by you.
There’s a plethora of information out there and it can be really hard to know what to do and eat to feel good in your body.
It’s easy to get caught up in fad diets and wellness trends, often questioning, doubting and second guessing your decisions when it comes to the way you nourish and care for yourself.
I wholeheartedly believe that; reconnecting with your own innate wisdom to know what your body needs to thrive is the first step to a life-changing transformation and true lasting wellness; and that progress is made by taking small steps, mindfully, intentionally and consistently.
In today’s episode, I’m talking about 5 common obstacles to creating healthy eating habits and how to overcome them.
So here’s the thing, challenges, set backs and obstacles are a part of life.
They happen every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
But when it comes to forming new healthy habits, they can be a source of anxiety and stress for many of us.
The reality is though, that these challenges, set backs and obstacles are a normal part of the journey.
Willpower isn’t endless, life gets busy and sometimes we just don’t feel like doing something and that’s totally ok. It happens to all of us. Myself included.
Embarking on a journey to cultivate healthier more mindful eating habits (or any other habit for that matter) isn’t going to be easy.
Any new habit takes time and practice to master.
How you handle those challenges, set back and obstacles along the way though, can make all the difference in how your journey unfolds.
Guilt, shame, blame and the start and stop - all or nothing mentality will only prevent you from moving forward with and staying committed to your journey and fulfilling your promises to yourself.
Because like I said, challenges, set-backs and obstacles are normal and happen to everyone; and no one is immune to them.
So right now, let’s unpack the most common challenges, set-backs and obstacles that come up when adopting healthier eating and lifestyle habits and how you can deal with them.
Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s some of the most common things that come up for my clients and the women in my community.
1 - Feeling overwhelmed
This usually happens when you decide to make changes overnight, snap your fingers and you want it all done, you decide to go all in and do all the things.
I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.
It’s like starting a new business today or deciding you want to start a new business today and expecting yourself to have all your systems in place tomorrow, right, all your ducks in a row tomorrow, selling tomorrow, when the idea just hit you today. Highly unrealistic, right?
While it can feel tempting to make monumental changes right from the beginning, it’s important to pace yourself for longevity. Right?
Motivation may be what gets you started, but it certainly won’t be what keeps you going and the changes may feel overwhelming and difficult to maintain once that motivation runs out.
So starting small is the best antidote to feeling overwhelmed.
Lasting behaviour and habit change is about taking small and steady steps, consistently and for the long term. It’s not about making giant leaps in the short term.
2 - Too busy
So being too busy. That is a really common obstacle and challenge when it comes to prioritizing your nutrition and self-care.
I hear from so many women that they’re too busy to make it a priority.
Right?
But the reality is that it’s an excuse and it isn’t.
As a mom and entrepreneur I know all too well how busy life can get at times.
And it can legitimately feel impossible to do one more thing.
But I challenge you to ask yourself, "what's more important than taking care of my health and wellbeing?"
Reflect on that.
The truth is, nothing is more important (not even your children). Shocker right? Hear me out here.
If you can't show up for yourself fully, you'll never be able to show up for others the way they need you most because "you can't pour from an empty cup".
Right?
And if you don’t have children, I’m still going to say nothing is more important, not even your business, right?
Because if you can’t show up for yourself, how are you going to have the energy to show up for your business?
If being too busy is keeping you from committing to your healthy habits, then it’s time to do three things:
Take inventory and re-prioritize the things in your life to make time for your health and wellbeing; there’s always room for spring cleaning and reorganizing.
Reevaluate your approach.
Do you have a clear vision of what you want and why you want it?
What are your motivators?
Are you looking externally for them or are you digging deep down?
Is what you are doing truly aligned with your intrinsic motivators (aka your why)?
If you’re not sure how to do this exercise, check out episode 8 or read my article about why willpower isn’t enough, and what to do instead.
Ask yourself: Do I have the tools, resources and support system in place to make the changes I want to make or need?
If so, why am I not using them?
If don’t have them, how can I identify and seek out the kind of support and tools I need?
Many wellness coaches offer free discovery calls or initial consultations that can help you get clear about the kind of support that you need to bring your wellness vision to fruition with more ease.
If you’re in doubt, take advantage of my complimentary wellness consultation to chat about your goals and get the clarity you need to move toward your wellness vision with ease.
Book a Complimentary no Obligation Wellness Consultation
To chat about your goals and learn more about my coaching programs and packages and how I can support you in reaching your wellness goals with ease and simplicity as you build the business and life of your dreams.
3-Resistance from others
This is one of the most difficult obstacles to face because you don't have control over someone else's resistance.
What you can do is involve them without imposing your decisions on them.
So, explain why this is important to you, and ask them to support you by respecting your needs and desires. In return, respect their boundaries.
So if they don’t want to come along for the ride, respect that. Right?
Find someone else who will. Join a community of like minded women. Hire a coach. Find a friend who will want to come along for the right.
But at the end of the day, when it comes to prioritizing your health and wellbeing, your nutrition and self-care, it is a journey that is unique to you, that you must walk alone.
I’m not saying you have to do it all alone. But it is a journey that you have to take along, it’s a path that you have to pave by yourself.
So, resistance from others is really not that big of an obstacle, or shouldn’t be.
Right? Let them do them, and you do you. Right?
Your commitment and dedication to yourself might just inspire them to articulate their own wellness vision and go after it. Their path may not look like yours, but that’s the beauty of it all.
Alright?
4 - Lack of motivation/willpower
Now, the fourth most common obstacle, challenge or set-back is the lack of motivation and willpower.
I talked about this before.
The cold hard truth is, you are not always going to be motivated.
You’re not always going to have the willpower to do all the things you want to do.
Motivation and willpower are not bottomless. They are going to run out on you, right, sooner rather than later.
Because we’re creatures of habit, we’re built to resist change, we get tired, we get bored, we get lethargic. And it’s all normal and it’s all ok.
Having a vision of where you want to go, so that wellness vision that I talked about before.
Having goals and intentions that you feel connected to, having a good plan in place, and routines, and a support system and a lot of self compassion is extremely important and way more powerful than motivation and willpower.
So, give yourself some wiggle room, take a break if you have to, be kind and gentle with yourself and reach out for encouragement if you need it. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
Book A Complimentary No Obligation Wellness Consultation
To chat about your goals and learn more about my coaching programs and packages and how I can support you in reaching your wellness goals with ease and simplicity as you build the business and life of your dreams.
5 - Negative thinking
And the last but not least, most common obstacle that comes up as a challenge or set-back when it comes to prioritizing your nutrition and self-care or cultivating healthy eating and lifestyle habits is, negative thinking, right.
Negative thinking can creep up and get the best of us at times in all areas of our life. In our business, in our journey as a parent, as a wife, as a friend, as a daughter, as a caretaker.
Right?
Our inner dialogue has a loud voice that can be downright nasty if we let it be. If we give it the room to be.
You’re never going to be able to stop negative thinking.
In the sense that, no one is positive 100% of the time.
The best way to deal with negative thoughts from my personal experience is to have a dialogue with your inner voice (read this article).
But ultimately, you want to change the narrative from "I can't" to "I will".
You embarked on this journey for a reason, right?
To prioritize your nutrition and self-care
To cultivate healthy habits
To add some intentional movement to your day
To eat with more intention
To nourish yourself more mindfully
You did it for a reason. So remember your wellness vision, remember your reasons, your motivators, those intrinsic ones that are unique to you, not society’s expectations and focus on what is working and the progress you've made on this journey.
So whenever you have those negative thoughts, shift your focus to the things that are working. The things that you have done, and don’t dwell on something that you skipped for a day.
Bring positive attention to the moment and shed the need for perfection.
In general, building your resilience is essential to lasting behaviour change as it allows you to tap into your strengths, your support system, the tools and resources to overcome a difficult situation or hurdle, rather than giving up or differing to a later date.
You know the whole mentality of “oh well, I screwed up, I’ll start again/over on Monday”
But when you find yourself struggling, whatever the reason may be, here’s a great exercise to help you move forward from all of the obstacles we just talked about, but any other obstacles that may come up for you personally.
Investigate & Get Curious
ask yourself…
Why am I struggling with this?
How do I feel when I stick with it?
How do I feel when I don't?
dig deeper, start a reflection journal and get to the bottom of this.
then ask yourself…
Is this really something I want?
Does this truly align with my vision?
If you answered yes to the last two questions, then course correct
ask yourself, what can I do differently to be more consistent with this?
and what kind of support do I need to overcome the challenges I'm having?
If you answered no to these questions, that it doesn’t truly align with your vision, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate
by asking yourself…where should I be focusing my energy instead?
So, just because you decided to do something, if you at some point in time decide that it’s not right for you and it doesn’t fit with your vision and where you want to go, it’s ok to give it up.
That’s not to say that you should use this as an excuse to just give up, but really if something doesn’t fit with your vision and goal right now, it’s ok to put it on the back burner for a while.
Take Action
And finally pnce you've determined, so you know why you’re struggling, you why you’re having a hard time sticking with something, you know how it feels when you stick with it and when you don’t, and you know whether your really want it or not…it’s time to take action.
Right? You’ve investigated the reasons behind why you are struggling and come up with some possible ways to overcome the obstacles and challenges you're facing, now take action.
Try again, and adjust as needed until you find something that fits.
Right?
For me, remember, change is a process that takes trial and correction. It’s not trial and error but trial and correction.
You try and adjust or correct.
Focus on taking small and steady steps and celebrate progress over perfection. It will carry you farther than you’ve ever gone before.
If you need support with this, I invite you to book a complimentary wellness consultation with me.
We can chat about your goals and how my program and coaching methodology can support you. At the very least, you’ll get the clarity and confidence to face the wellness journey ahead of you.
Book A Complimentary No Obligation Wellness Consultation
To chat about your goals and learn more about my coaching programs and packages and how I can support you in reaching your wellness goals with ease and simplicity as you build the business and life of your dreams.
On that note, thank you for tuning in.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and share with a friend and be sure to tune in next week for another episode of Wellness Wednesday Audio Series, where I a share a short audio clip each week to inspire you to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level so you can start nourishing and caring for yourself, more mindfully and intentionally.
Until next week,
Stay healthy, happy and safe,
Nissrine
P.S. If you’d like to be a part of my pilot program, entitled (re) Awaken Your Innate Food Wisdom, a self-paced mindful nutrition program with 4 weeks of group support to help you prioritize your nutrition & wellness without fad diets and trends, get on my mailing list to get an exclusive invitation once I’m ready to launch it.
To get on my mailing list, subscribe to this audio series or download my simple 5 step framework to nourishing meals in minutes and you’ll be the first to know when the pilot program is ready for testing.
A Simple 5 Step Framework To Nourishing Meals in Minutes
You’ve got your hands full and more than enough on your plate. Take the guess work out of what and how to eat and make meal preparation a breeze, even when you’re short on time.
It will be a journey to learning more about your body and what it needs to thrive; A mindful approach to nutrition that will improve your relationship with food; and a wellness education program that will guide you for life so your nutrition and self-care will always be a priority.