Why is it so hard to make healthy decisions and stick to them?
The main reason is our motivation, or lack of.
It takes a lot of motivation to sacrifice short term joy for long term happiness.
For example, it takes willpower to say no to that tasty treat right in front of you because the reward is immediate when the healthy weight you are aiming for might be weeks or months away.
Dr. David Asch, the Executive Director of the Penn Medicine Centre for Health Care Innovation gave a speech at a Ted Talk in 2019 called Why it is so hard to make healthy decisions.
During his speech he stated that outcomes in front of us are always more desirable than one’s way in the future.
This is why fad diets, short term exercise plans, and basic nutrition plans are so popular but often do not work or create long term changes.
So, if it is so hard to make healthy decisions, how to do we it?
According to Dr. Asch, we fundamentally care what others think of us.
So, one of the most powerful ways to change our behaviours is to make it witnessable to others. Because we behave differently when we are being observed than when we are not.
Yes, one of the most powerful ways to make change is having support and accountability.
And that can be as simple as doing things with someone else or telling and checking in with a partner, family member, or trainer.
Another proven trick is to look at what you are losing, rather than what the benefits are.
This works surprisingly well.
For example, if exercising more is a goal, rather than thinking ok if I DO exercise regularly I will feel better and reach my healthy weight.
Reframe it to think if I DON’T exercise regularly than my health and well-being will get worse, I may gain weight, have poorer mental and physical health, or whatever else you might be afraid to lose.
The cool part?
You can implement BOTH of these starting right now!
Can you think of a way you can reframe a benefit into a loss? Send me a message and let me know!
