Want to make a healthy change but keep getting stuck? 5 very simple ways to go from PLANNING to ACTION!

I’ve been there. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there. You logically know that something is good for you. You’ve made a promise to yourself to finally get on that treadmill, to start meditating, or to begin that healthy diet you’ve been wanting to try. You know that it would take about two seconds to actually get started. But then comes that voice inside your head…
 
You know the voice I’m referring to. It’s the all too familiar voice that allows self-doubt to creep in. It’s the one that questions all of your original intentions and it’s the one that successfully convinces you to throw your ambitious plans out the window!
 
All too often, we just stop at the planning phase. It can be fulfilling enough to just feel ambitious sometimes. Planning ahead can make you feel like you’re one step closer to meeting your goals. It can be incredibly rewarding to sit and conjure up images of how you’re going to finally meet your goals, of what you’ll look like and feel like once you begin to finally make some progress.

The planning part of the process of change makes you feel like you’re already well on your way. And don’t get me wrong. The planning phase is absolutely critical for success. But don’t be fooled here. Progress doesn’t truly begin until you take your first action step. Don’t let the planning phase become an illusion of progress.
 
In these fleeting moments of enthusiasm during the planning phase for a healthy change (the “honeymoon period”), it can be easy to overlook some of the very real possible challenges of making a change and sustaining it. And one of the most challenging parts is transferring this enthusiasm into real action.
 
I myself have struggled with getting stuck in the planning phase for healthy changes more times than I care to admit. I can spend days and weeks pondering a change, preparing for it, overanalyzing every little detail, only to end up quitting before I even got started. Part of the reason I don’t get started is probably because of analysis paralysis.
 
But even though I myself am guilty of getting stuck in the false illusion of progress phase from time to time, I can say that I feel like I’ve gotten a bit better at identifying this phase and then successfully moving past it. So how exactly do you go from the planning phase to the action phase?

Check out these 5 easy tips to go from thinker to doer!
 
1.) Begin by doing something that’s ridiculously easy to start with. And promise yourself that you will do this thing regardless of how motivated you feel in the moment. Because it’s just too easy to not do it. Of course eventually, your goals will get bigger, over time. But to get started, just go slow and easy. Reward yourself for just doing “better than nothing”.
 
2.) Stop trying to be a perfectionist. Accept that in the beginning of any change, you might suck at it. In fact you most probably will suck at it. Stop expecting perfection. You are not striving to be perfect and you are not competing with anyone but yourself. Accept all of the failed attempts. Remind yourself that we all have to be beginners before we can become pros.
 
3.) Track any and all progress. Do this no matter how seemingly small the progress is. You added one serving of dark leafy greens today. Kudos. You successfully jogged for 1 straight minute. Kudos again. You meditated for 5 minutes before bed. Give yourself credit for this. Be happy about the little progress and then just grow organically from there. Tracking progress allows you to see that your efforts are not futile. While you may not see the progress, small steps are indeed happening and something is always better than nothing.
 
4.) Accept from the get-go that you might not feel motivated sometimes. But this is okay. You don’t need to feel motivated to take action (although that certainly helps!). Until a habit is firmly established (and even on occasion after that!), you might feel a bit off. This is also okay. You’re still figuring out what works and what doesn’t. You’re still making tweaks. The key here is to go through the motions anyway. A new habit won’t feel like your other habits until later on. Keep going.
 
5.) If you can, make an attempt every single day. Try not to skip a single day. If you’re trying to eat more veggies, try to at least get one serving in each day. If you’re trying to start exercising, try to walk for at least 5 minutes. Do less if you have to, but do something. The period of habit formation that is most critical is in the beginning when the habit is just being formed.
 
Takeaway
Remember that once a habit becomes automated, you no longer have to rely as much on willpower. It will be ingrained not only into your daily routine but also into who you are. It will begin to just feel right. But to let this happen, be happy with the baby steps. Be content with not pushing yourself too hard in the beginning, before the habit is firmly established, else you risk demotivation reappearing. Push yourself harder only once you genuinely feel like pushing yourself harder. Until then, be content with what you can do right now, today.
 
Still struggling to make a healthy change or struggling to stick with it? There’s no need to struggle alone. With a little bit of inspiration and tools to get started, your healthy change can quickly be turned into a reality. Check out AndiamoFit’s new online course if you are ready to make a change to start exercising, once and for all!

ONLINE COURSE: LET'S GET MOVING!