To make food and nutrition a priority in your life can be very difficult and time consuming, especially now more than ever. Sometimes the last thing you want to do after a long day of school and work is to set aside even more time in your day to cook a meal for yourself. With that being said, we will discuss ways to find motivation to make food and nutrition a priority in your life when your motivation is lacking the most.
For starters, it is important to write down 3-5 clear and specific food and nutrition related goals into an easily accessible journal that you look at weekly. Be sure to ask yourself these set of question when forming your goals:
What am I trying to achieve?
How am I going to achieve this?
Why do I want to achieve this?
Is this a realistic goal to attain within the time span I am giving myself?
*Avoid writing broad goals such as “I want to eat healthy" and replace this with a more specific goal such as “I want to incorporate healthier foods into my diet, so I will incorporate two cups of vegetables into my dinner three times a week this month.”
Once you have clearly defined your goals, it is important to schedule specific times to support these goals such as grocery shopping, searching for recipes, prepping, cooking, and eating your food, and cleaning your dishes. Set time aside in your schedule to prioritize food and nutrition like you set aside time in your schedule for doctor’s or dentist’s appointments.
Be mindful that successfully reaching you weekly goals and not successfully reaching your weekly goals both serve important roles in your food and nutrition journey. Be proud of yourself when you successfully reach your weekly goals and reward your success with doing things such as going to a football tailgate with your friends, visiting a new coffee shop, or buying a new pair of shoes. If you do not successfully reach your weekly goals, remember to be forgiving with yourself and that this will teach you just as much if not more if you did complete you weekly goals. Be mindful that you cannot change what you have eaten, but you can change your choices for what you will eat for your next meal.
If the weight of prioritizing food and nutrition becomes tiring and unmotivating, here are some helpful strategies combat this:
Search for new recipes to cook
Try shopping at a new grocery store
Team up with a friend to hold each other accountable
Create new goals
Remind yourself of the reasons you started to prioritize food and nutrition in your life in the first place
At the end of the day, you will not be motivated 100% of the time and this is completely okay. When motivation is lacking, lean into your self-discipline and habits you have formed over time and remind yourself of why you began your food and nutrition journey in the first place.
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