We recently bought my childhood home that my grandfather built in the 1950s and are now renovating it. It’s super exciting and something I have dreamed of my whole life. 

The house that’s been through many transformations over the years, and making the changes we want to do has uncovered some interesting stuff like the collection of mice nests in the oddest of places!

If you’ve ever decided to renovate a house or change something in your life, like getting healthy, there are always a few unexpected issues that come along.  

It’s best to have people help you build a plan, and that plan comes with a lot of choices. 

In her Ted Talk called “How to Make Hard Choices,” philosopher Ruth Chang says that when it comes to making hard choices, each of us has the power to create our reasons to either do or not do something. 

Ultimately the choices we end up making are influenced by the things we value.

I see this happen a lot when I’m coaching people. A client might not feel as capable of making a change on their own as they initially thought. 

They have the right intentions but no plan in place to make them stick. 

Every person I meet or work with feels like this about something.

They consider unsustainable “quick-fix” (or an “all-or-nothing” mindset) choices like eating fewer carbs, over-exercising, or hitting the “right” number on the scale without looking at the long term consequences.

They want to change, but they don’t want to trust the process. 

Does this sound familiar? 

If the basics are too hard, what can they expect from an approach that restricts even more foods or advises immediate and dramatic changes to what they’re doing now?⁣⁠

This year, 2020, brought on many unexpected changes to our lives because of a pandemic. Planning was hard.  

And maybe your health and wellness objectives got put on the back burner so that you could cope with the day-to-day challenges of life.  

While many would like to see 2020 in the rearview mirror, I encourage you to take time now to plan for the year ahead.

And to help you out, here are five ways (guidelines) to make healthy changes that stick:

1. Please have a plan (you wouldn’t do a house renovation without an architect or a builder) and a great support network and call on them.
2. Never stop learning what works for you. Once you figure that out, keep doing it.
3. Understand that optimal health and wellness is a life-long process.
4. Focus on behaviours, not outcomes. Rather than looking at your scale as the most significant way to win, or lose, concentrate on other progress indicators like better sleep, increased energy, and improved mood – and do more of that!
5. You don’t HAVE to change, but there are many tools to help you if you want to.

Once you start to understand what’s behind everything – what drives you to make your choices – only then can you experience a difference.

I am excited about the changes ahead and our move to the new (old) house.  

Remember:  Lifelong health and wellness starts with the right plan in place to make your habits sustainable – it’s never an all or nothing.

Play on!

Coach Jan xo

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:

1) Ready to improve your exercise, nutrition and sleep habits as you age? To apply for 1-1 coaching with me, reply to this email with the word COACHING.

2) I’ve just completed a brand new training called The Menopause Solution to help women find joy at midlife and beyond. This Masterclass reveals the simple steps and strategies that women can take for a lasting difference in their health.  Click here to watch, and feel free to share!

3) For all things health through play, Follow me on Instagram: @janetomstead