ADHERENCE IS KEY.

There are 405,000,000 results on Google when you search for fat loss. That’s information overload that won’t actually help you succeed. The real-world answer as to why people struggle to lose fat is adherence. Just as we discussed last week though, It’s tough to stick to a calorie deficit/lifestyle change! Unfortunately, there are 405,000,000 things to distract you from what you should be working on. The big key factor that’s often overlooked… How to actually adhere to your new diet/lifestyle changes for the long term.

This week is focused on a big part of that puzzle, environmental change. You’ve been given your nutrition pack with all the key information you need to improve your diet and lose fat. Let’s get to work on making it so easy you can actually stick to it.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE.

MAKING FAT LOSS EASY.

At this stage, you should have a clear idea of your identity-based goal. Now we need some strategies to optimize this and make it easy for you to succeed. One of the simplest ways to do this is to make the cues that trigger and prompt your habits as obvious and as visible as possible. Creating obvious visual cues can draw your attention toward your desired habit.

Unfortunately, our environments typically make it easy to not do certain actions because there is no obvious cue to trigger the behaviour we want. It’s easy to not eat fruits and vegetables when they are out of sight at the bottom of the fridge. It’s easy to not go to the gym when you can’t find your gym kit as it’s hidden at the back of the wardrobe.

For this reason, redesigning your environment can be one of the most effective steps you can take to finally stick to your nutrition.

Here’s an example of my own:

I wanted to make protein smoothies to help bump up my protein and omega 3 (milled flaxseed) intake. Tidying up the blender and putting it away in the cupboard each day was enough for me to forget. It also added resistance, another step for doing something. I moved about some other bits to fit the blender in its own space and it stays there, with a fresh shaker ready to make a smoothie. It’s right in my face and the ingredients are on the shelf above it. Now it’s an engrained habit I barely think about doing.

Design your environment to make your fat loss journey an easy one or you will lose that battle.

Your willpower will not beat your environment.

Here are a few more ideas and make the cues for your good habits more obvious:

If you want to remember to drink water when you wake up, add a Post-It note to the shower door.

If you want to remember to refill your water bottle every time it’s more than half empty, use a marker to draw a small line at the halfway mark on the water bottle.

If you want to remember to take some fruit to work, have a fruit bowl stocked on the kitchen table so you see it when you sit down for breakfast every morning.

If you want to remember to log your food, put the shortcut to your tracking app on the first home screen.

If you want to remember to go for a run every morning, lay out your workout clothes and shoes the night before.

You can alter the spaces where you live and work to increase your exposure to positive cues.

Making a better decision is easy, and natural even, when the cues for good habits are right in your face.

TASK 1

Create an environment that helps you with your goals instead of working against you! Create blatantly obvious cues in your environment to improve your adherence. Reduce the friction for a positive habit you’re trying to do (e.g. leaving the blender out). Increase the friction for negative habits you have (e.g. throw away the chocolate in the house and force yourself to go to the shops to get more). Track these actions you are taking. This is to help you understand/track your actions that will lead to the outcome you desire (more on this next week).

I like to print a tracker sheet and fill it out with a pen when starting a new action task. Feel free to use my tracker sheet here or use your phone. You need to keep making these small changes consistently until they become part of your lifestyle/identity. If you hit your targets on Monday, great. But what about Tuesday? What about Friday when you’re tired and super busy? This will help you see what actions you are taking not just what you think you are.

TASK 2

Continue aiming to hit your calorie target within your current lifestyle. Make small changes rather than unsustainable big ones.

p.s if you’re feeling a bit lost or have started to drop off. Message me right now and we’ll sort it out. We’re not leaving anyone behind!

RESOURCES

Environmental Design Infographic

How to Use “Environment Design” to Accomplish Your Goals Easier and Faster