Now is the time to start believing that you have as much control over your own health and happiness as a CEO has over the success of their company.

You are responsible for everything that you do (or don’t do) in the area of your health and happiness. If you don’t like something and want to change it, you can. Try not to allow the actions of others or even outside events to influence your health decisions.

Every CEO knows that you cannot ignore an entire aspect of the business and expect the company as a whole to thrive. It’s the same with your health and happiness. You cannot just take a view that there is no time for eating well or relaxing and hope to make up for it by shoehorning in a yoga class between trips to the supermarket and taking the dog to the vet.

Make a plan

All businesses require a vision and purpose, and your life needs the same driving force.

Working out what you actually want for your health (and your life) is really important. Once you know what you really want for your health and for your life in general, you

can plan to make the magic happen by setting your daily intentions and learning to create habits that last.

Keep a food diary

The easiest way to keep track of what you’re eating and drinking is to keep a food diary, as this makes you 100% responsible for everything you eat and drink. You cannot argue with the facts. If you suffer from digestive problems or low energy levels, this is often caused by what you are eating.

 Sleep for 7 – 9 hours

Sleep really is a gamechanger for your health and for your emotional wellbeing.

The purpose of sleep is for the body and mind to rest and repair, and that process in humans takes between seven and nine hours, which is where the idea comes from that everyone should get eight hours sleep a night.

Lack of sleep leads to lower mood and lower tolerance than usual and this affects your motivation to eat well.

 Make healthy living a habit

Healthy habits don’t just happen overnight. They need time and persistence.

Studies have shown it takes time for a new habit to become the default choice.

I follow the  3 / 6 / 36 rule when working with my clients:

  • 3 weeks to break a habit.
  • 6 weeks to create a new habit.
  • 36 weeks for the new habit to become a default habit 

So which habits do you want to change?

It might be too many snacks, not enough water, too much wine sneaking into the week.

Instead of tasking yourself with ‘I need to change everything immediately’, try making a micro-commitment. This is a small healthy commitment like drinking three glasses of water or having an extra two veggies at dinner. Just start with one thing and repeat over and over.

These micro-commitments, although small, have a huge impact over time because of psychology of winning which encourages you to make another micro-commitment, and then another.

Breaking the bigger, really ingrained habits and having them release their grip on you takes time, persistence and the accountability to change.

If this blog has got you thinking more about your general health, weight loss, immunity or gut health I would be delighted to talk to you about how I can help.

Check out the link below for a free 20 minute consultation or send me an email at: info@suzannahjacksonnutrition.co.uk

I am a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist and can work with you to create a plan specific to your body’s needs and your personal health and fitness goals.