Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle: Establishing Your “Why”, Triggers & Rituals

When I coach clients on health and nutrition, I often hear the same story over and over again. It goes a little something like this: “I find the motivation to eat healthily and then I sign up for the gym, but before I know it, life gets in the way, the holidays roll around and I am back to square one. ” Sound familiar? I totally get it! I love indulging too, even on a weekly basis, but these days, I have established the tools necessary to be able to get back on track ASAP once I fall off the wagon. Now, first things first, I do not believe diet and exercise is a one size fits all concept; however, I do find that with a few of the tools I will give you today, you can help yourself stay motivated and build a balanced lifestyle. Eating a well-rounded diet of whole foods that include: lean protein, whole grains and lots of fruits and vegetables combined with consistent exercise will set you up for success! You simply cannot have one without the other.

Is life ever going to be perfectly balanced? Heck no! Are you going to be able to turn down pizza and chocolate cake for the rest of your life? Probably not my friends. My biggest piece of advice is to enjoy it all! Enjoy your treats and sweets, enjoy sweating, enjoy the endorphin rush of a killer workout, but also enjoy a lazy day off and a few “missteps” here and there because life is always going to have its ebbs and flows and you simply should try your best to “live in the stream”. If you have been following me for a little while then you know my motto: “Eat the burger. Do the sit-ups and live the happy healthy life you love and deserve.” That is what TWF is all about!

Building a healthy lifestyle means starting from the ground up, and before you go spending hundreds of dollars on organic supplements and organic prepared food, we need to lay a bit of groundwork!

Establish your ‘WHY’.

Your WHY is the reason that propels you forward in your journey to healthier living day in and day out. Do you want to get healthy for your children? Do you want to feel more comfortable in your own skin? Are you at risk for diabetes or heart disease? Whatever your reason, make sure to really think about it. Write it down, print out photos and make sure that your WHY is truly your driving force. Place a reminder of your WHY somewhere where you see it every day. On your mirror, night table or on your desk at work. It will make you think twice before making unhealthy choices and should help you to stay on track. We all need motivation in our lives and YES, that motivation can change! What motivated me years ago was the start of my modeling career and what motivates me now to connect with my body and make healthy choices is the baby in my belly! Understand? Good! Now go write down your WHY! 

Moving on…

Define Your Triggers & Come Up With Food and Non-Food Solutions

A trigger is something that causes you to go “off the rails” in terms of your health and fitness. Do you binge watch episodes of “This is Us” at 9 P.M. while snacking on anything and everything to console you? Do you have a habit of skipping your workouts? How do you handle stress? Do you workout to let off steam or eat?

Take a week to define the things that trigger your unhealthy habits. Define “Healthy Controls” using two food options and two non-food options.  Instead of a bag of potato chips, how about a cup of carrots with a Tbsp. ranch dressing? That is a food control. A non-food control would be a warm bath with lavender or a 15-minute stretch session. Really think about what works for you. Repetitive triggers with no controls often lead to weight gain, unhealthy habits and spirals.

Create Morning and Evening Rituals

I think I can literally talk about the importance of establishing rituals on a daily basis. My morning rituals are a bit stronger than my evening rituals, but I find that no matter where I am, I stay true to my ritual practice. A ritual is a daily practice of healthy behaviors that help set you up for success! Your morning rituals help prepare you to take on the day in a healthy way while your evening rituals help you wind down and reap the benefits of a good nights sleep!

For example:

My morning routine goes a little something like this:

Wake up: Drink 8 oz plus of water with lemon, stretch, journal, functional coffee. This is a ritual I can do whether I am at home or on the road. It takes about 20 minutes, but It always helps me to feel ready to take on the day. Over time I have adjusted my ritual, and I know I will have to do so after baby, but this is one that works for me right now! If I hate to, I wake up a bit earlier than needed because I really enjoy having time to myself in the morning.

In the evening my ritual goes a little something like this:

Hot shower or bath with essential oils, stretch or legs up the wall pose, hypnobirthing or light reading and sleep. Cory sometimes throws a wrench in this plan by bringing his computer to bed, and that is something we are working on! If making these changes is really important to you, establish that with your partner. Have an open dialogue and try to do some of these things together. We love The 5 Minute Journal. It really helps you to develop more gratitude, spark conversation and is something fun to look back on.

If you are looking to turn over a new leaf in your own health and wellness journey, I want you to remember something: YOU NEED TO ENJOY LIFE! Try not to live in the extremes. I like to work on finding a happy medium with my clients where they hit their goals and feel in control of their journey! You must take accountability and utilize tools to help you get there. It is a process and if you trust in it, you will find that eating healthier, exercising and enjoying life’s abundance in moderation can be truly rewarding in mind, body and soul!

If you have any additional question or are interested in one on one coaching send an e-mail to: TaylorWalkerFit@gmail.com.