You want to get healthy. That means making lots of changes to the way you eat, cook, move and sleep. It would be a lot easier with support from your husband, your 8-year old and your mother-in-law. Why can’t they be just a little bit more supportive? They love you and really want what is best for you. So why are they making everything so darn difficult?
It can be hard to stay committed to your fitness and lifestyle goals. It’s even harder when you are in a family or social network that does not share or even agree with your goals. It’s challenging when your coworker shows up with pastry from that amazing little bakery around the corner. It is exhausting when your 8-year old pitches a fit if there are less than 3 boxes of sugary cereal and a bag of chips in your grocery cart. To make matters even worse you sit across the dinner table from a husband who doesn’t “believe” in vegetables. He wrinkles he nose when you place a dish of roasted beets down on the dinner table. Even though he is loving and otherwise supportive, he likes things they way they are.
It is not realistic to ditch your family and friends for new and more cooperative ones and you can’t really make anyone else do anything, so what the heck are you supposed to do? Here are a three strategies that may reduce the friction and start to slowly swing the momentum in your favor.
Consider that you may not be right.
Even if you are 100% sure that, yes, vegetables are good for you and yes, smoking is bad for you, when you are coming across as the “right” one, it makes everyone else “wrong.” How often have you been judgmental, preachy, intolerant, impatient or even self-righteous, waving your Queen Kale tiara in everyone’s face? That approach really does not promote followers. There are lots of reasons people believe what they believe and do what they do. What if, instead of rolling your eyes, you were curious and interested, listened and tried to truly understand another perspective? Most people want to be heard. A genuine interest from you makes it more likely that your views will be heard as well. This kind of open dialogue can make the process of change easier for everyone.
Do not be pushy – be persistent.
Change is difficult. When someone is pushing something on us that we are not ready to accept, we tend to push back. Most people resist change out of fear. Maybe it is a fear that you will change and that your relationship with them will also change. Maybe they are afraid that they will not be able to keep up or that they will have to confront their own unhealthy habits. They may be afraid that if you get in shape and they do not change with you that they may lose you. Be persistent and continue to offer opportunities for your friends and family to join you on your journey to a healthier life. Take the emotional charge out of it as much as possible by being persistent without being pushy.
Be in charge of YOU.
Remember that you cannot make anyone do anything. You want your loved ones to choose to come along willingly. You want them to be healthy, to feel good and move well. Sharing your new lifestyle with them is important to you. Remember that influence goes both ways and you can be an important role model for change. Continue as a good example and do the behaviors you have chosen for yourself. Do not underestimate your power when you are persistent, loving, compassionate, and rocking a healthy body and a leader’s attitude!
Please share (with discretion)
We see a lot of families. We care for a lot of spouses. We see families 4 generations deep. We’d like you to share this with your friends and family members but do so in a respectful broadcast fashion. Click the ‘share’ button to your Facebook account but PLEASE don’t tag your significant other suggesting they need to eat better. Cool?
What’s Next?
We are hosting a FREE talk on permanent dietary changes Wednesday May 17th from 6 pm – 7 pm at the COOR Wellness building to reserve your spot, please email health@coorwellness.com to reserve your spot. There are only 9 seats left. Our Precision Nutrition certified nutrition coach thanks Precision Nutrition for providing the inspiration behind this content.
This blog was inspired by an article written by Alex Picot-Annand. Follow this link to read the entire original article. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/support-your-healthy-lifestyle-changes