For their final challenge, the British Nutrition Foundation is encouraging us to ‘make one change’. Do keep reading to the end of this post (or scroll ahead) for some helpful resources).
I’m not keen on the word ‘change’. I don’t think anyone, aside from those who are a danger to society, should have to change who they are. Most people have so much ability within themselves; you don’t have to change in order to be amazing, because you already are!
What could you view or do differently to discover the possibilities available to you?
That said, it’s definitely possible to tweak specific actions we do and how we do them in order to gain new skills and explore new opportunities. After all, it’s often said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result. So, if you’re not experiencing the results you want from what you’re currently doing, perhaps it’s time to think about whether there’s something else you could do instead.
I’m very opposed to changing because someone says you should, or for the sake of a trend. Whatever you do should feel authentic for you. Remember that there is unlikely to be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to your problem. Just because something worked wonderfully well for someone else, it doesn’t mean it will work for you. Doing something different may involve a certain amount of discomfort, but if the change is brining you great unhappiness and little or no benefit, it’s not for you, no matter what conventional wisdom says. Don’t make the mistake I’ve made repeatedly. Be open to new things, but not so open that your brains fall out! Be strong and confident enough to say when something isn’t working and stand your ground. Maybe it can be fixed but you will never know unless you speak out.
Not happy with an aspect of your life? Time for an upgrade.
So, how do you decide whether something needs to be different, and what that should be? I’ve written down my whole process for doing this, but if you don’t want to read it all, scroll to the end, where I’ve made you a handy downloadable worksheet.
For those of you who like detailed instructions, here’s the 5-step process in full:
1. Start of by thinking about what isn’t currently working well for you. This could be in any area of your life, but let’s stick to wellbeing for now, as that’s my specialist subject. Then make a list of headings of key areas in your life, which could look something like this:
Feeling lost? Start making a list of simple upgrades that will move you forward. Use my handy worksheet to help you.
What I eat and drink
How I move
Relaxation
How I sleep
My relationships with others
My relationship with myself
2. Then put a star against the top 2-3 that you’d like to work on. Mine would look like:
*What I eat and drink
*How I move
Relaxation
How I sleep
*My relationships with others
My relationship with myself
3. For each area you have starred, write down at least 5 upgrades you could make in order to come closer to where you’d like to be in that area. For now, don’t worry how good an upgrade they are, just make a list. You can do more than 5 if you like. For example, my ‘eat’ one might look like:
Ready for a lifestyle upgrade? Which small change would make the most difference to you?
Drink 2 litres of fluid a day
Eat cruciferous vegetables at least once a day
Check that I’m eating a rainbow every day
Try a new healthy recipe every week
Print out a list of the ‘dirty dozen’ foods. Buy only organic versions of these foods
Have breakfast on every weekday
Make use of my new steamer
Clear out my spice cupboard to make sure all my spices are fresh
4. Now, for each of your lists, cross out the ones you’re already doing (you might be surprised), or the ones that aren’t useful, important or achievable at the moment (you can always come back to them when the time is right). Then decide on 2-3 things that you can do in the next week or fortnight that will make the biggest difference in getting you from where you are to where you want to be. Highlight those. My list now looks like:
Drink 2 litres of fluid a day
Eat cruciferous vegetables at least once a day
Check that I’m eating a rainbow every day
Try a new healthy recipe every week (I already do this)
Print out a list of the ‘dirty dozen’ foods. Buy only organic versions of these foods
Have breakfast on every weekday
Make use of my new steamer
Clear out my spice cupboard to make sure all my spices are fresh (I have other priorities in the next week)
You don’t have to do it alone! Who or what do you need to turn your upgrade idea into a reality?
5. One final step; what do you need to make these upgrades happen? Is it a resource or a person? Write it next to your ‘top 3’ and note what you will do to get it. For example:
Drink 2 litres of fluid a day (2 litre glass bottle for desk – Ikea?)
Eat cruciferous vegetables at least once a day (make checklist for fridge)
Check that I’m eating a rainbow every day (as above)
Now you’re ready to go.
If it’s important, be patient and persistent. You’ll never know where you’ll end up unless you take the first step.
I appreciate that this may take time initially, but it shouldn’t take hugely long – after all, it’s only taken me 30 minutes to write this whole article! Remember to come back at the end of the week and tick what you have done. See if it’s helped and decide whether you need to continue working on that upgrade, or whether you can move on to another one. Some upgrades will take longer to achieve a result than others, so do be patient and persist if you feel it’s worthwhile.
Remember that your life upgrades should be geared towards a particular objective; not just there because ‘they said’ it was a good idea. Who said it? Why? What qualified ‘them’ to say it? Were they talking to you personally?
Right-click on the worksheet to dowload it.
To give you a little help, I’ve made you a special ‘Make one Change’ activity sheet. Right-click
on the image to download it.
A lot of people tell me that their objective is to achieve more energy. Does that resonate with you? If so, my online course, ‘Stronger Without Sugar’ is here to help. In just 60 days, you can win back the energy you need to do the things you love. If you give this just 20 minutes a day maximum, you’ll more than make up for that time with the energy you gain. You may also find that your skin sparkles and your digestion improves. But above all, you’ll feel amazing.
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