Guest blogger Marie-Louise Farag is the Head Nutritionist at Cellnutrition.

Does sticking to your mental and physical goals seem to be difficult? Changing your lifestyle requires changing habits which is a process, involving several stages.  

Once you adopt new, healthier habits this helps to protect you from serious health problems, both physically and mentally. 

However, maintaining and sticking to your goals doesn’t have to be hard. Below we explain the four stages, when habit changing and explain the solutions, we provide to help you stick to your goals. 

1. Contemplation

Contemplation is when you are thinking about change and are motivated to get started. At this stage, you may feel that your energy levels, immunity, and overall well-being can improve if you develop new habits. 

The step between thinking about change to making it can be hard. Weighing up the pros and cons can help to make you see how making changes will improve your life.  

Some benefits of embarking on a new lifestyle include; 

• More energy 

• Improved health 

• Reduced risk for health problems 

2. Preparation

In this stage, you are making specific plans that will work for you. In this stage, you have set specific goals that you would like to meet.  

The list below shows some common roadblocks you may face and solutions to overcome these as you begin to change your habits. Think about these things as you make your plan. 

Roadblock:

“Being healthy is too expensive.”

Solution:

Your health should be your no.1 priority. If you are struggling to get started look at what you are already spending your money on and decide how you can cut back and swap unnecessary expenditure to supporting your health, starting with your cells. 

Roadblock:

“I don’t like physical activity.”

Solutions:

• Forget the idea that you must join the gym to exercise. Dancing, walking, and yoga contribute to your daily physical activity. 

• Make a list of options that appeal to you and even explore options you never thought about. Mixing it up and finding things you enjoy is the best way to maintain daily physical movement. 

• With the correct nutrition and hydration already in place, physical activity will be even more enjoyable as you will be more motivated to move and still feel good after without the cramps and muscle issues.

Roadblock:

“I don’t like healthy foods.”

Solutions:

• Having a negative mindset towards something will impact reaching your goal. Try making your favourite recipes but make them healthier by swapping certain ingredients, reducing the amount of sugar and salt or adding ingredients to make them healthier. 

•  Try adding an extra portion of vegetables to your main meals for extra fibre.

3. Action 

In this third stage, you are acting and making the changes you set out to achieve. You now know how it feels to be healthier. To stick with your new habits and stay motivated:

• Look at your goals and measure how well you are meeting them 

• Review your plan 

• Track your progress 

Tracking your progress helps you spot your strengths, find areas where you can improve, and stay on track. 87% is an app that records and tracks your progress so that you can stay focussed, catch setbacks and meet your goals. A setback does not mean failure. To feel fully supported use tools provided by us at Cellnutrition and 87% to keep you on track.

4. Maintenance:  

In this final stage, your habits have now become part of your routine and are making you a healthier you. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you have to continue with the new habits you have created and keep yourself motivated. Once you feel the benefits, it becomes easier.

Cellnutrition believes that everybody has the power to be the best version of themselves. For more details take a look at the website: Cellnutrition.

Happy cells create happy bodies and happy minds.