How to Change Behaviour Patterns

A very warm hello to everyone. I hope this article finds you keeping well.

Winter seems to have gone on forever which makes it so hard to make any long term health changes. However, as we’ve seen with the sunny days of the last week or so, spring is inching its way here and even one blue-sky day can make us feel so much more motivated.

Simple swaps

I’ve been talking to patients and clients about the simple swaps we have implemented over the last year and what has worked in terms of lifestyle change. They all told me that even with the best intentions they find themselves “off the wagon” very quickly and they don’t know why. Making any alterations in our stressful 24/7 lives is really challenging and we often feel set up to fail. We all want those long term results but often fall short of our goals, and oddly it’s not all about willpower.

There is some strong science around the issues of implementing daily changes and how best to achieve lifelong healthy goals. Here are the top five steps to help you on your way to change your behaviour patterns:

1. Start small. If we want behaviours to become habits they need to take minimal physical or mental effort so you don’t need huge amounts of motivation.
2. Bolt a change onto a habit you already do on a daily basis. That could be putting the kettle on, cleaning your teeth, showering, sitting at your desk or armchair, for instance. These daily tasks and rituals are often done on automatic pilot, so it’s a really good idea to add a change to something you already do without really thinking, for example, doing squats when cleaning your teeth, doing a mindfulness technique in the shower, doing ankle raises and rotations when sitting.
3. Respect your personality. You might be an owl or a lark, better at night or in the morning, and both is fine but that means behaviour changes can take place when, where and at the time of your choosing. Just because your friends are up exercising at 5am, this doesn’t necessarily mean that would suit you! I am an owl and do my weights, yoga and stretching between 4pm and 7pm.
4. Make sure your environment is helping you. I leave two 2kg dumbbells lying around and often finding myself doing some arm lifts whilst watching the television. For a better sleep environment get rid of LED lights, put a blue filter on your phone, invest in blackout blinds, an eye mask or earplugs if you are having sleep issues. I also suggest clearing the kitchen and freezer of processed food. Draw a line in the sand and start again, making sure you have lots of protein type snacks to hand; nuts or hummus for example.
5. Give yourself a pat on the back with each behaviour change. It’s very natural to reward ourselves with sugar or alcohol, but try a different approach by using an app, keeping a wall chart or buy some flowers instead of chocolate. Many of my clients are using wall charts for motivation just as they would do for their children!

It’s all very well telling you what the science says, though what about the realities of daily life? Here are what my clients and patients are doing one year on:

• Swapping milk chocolate for dark chocolate
• Doing a few squats while brushing their teeth
• Stretching before bed or first in the morning
• For every glass of alcohol, drinking a glass of water
• Spending one hour a day off social media and phones
• Swapping white rice for brown rice
• Instead of binge-watching a series – taking 20 mins to read a book, walk or meditate
• Eating before food shopping
• Asking ‘am I hungry?’ before reaching for a sugar fix, or ‘am I actually stressed/angry/overwhelmed?’ in which case I need to combat those issues
• Find one thing to be grateful for each day
• Swapping the mobile phone alarm with an old fashioned alarm clock
• Keeping the fridge stocked with protein snacks
• For ‘yes’ people, try saying ‘no’ every now and then to see how it feels

Is it time for an MOT?

These behaviour changes are one of the subjects discussed in my MOT Consultation. I’ve been doing these now for ten years and they are the most successful consultations in terms of patient response. This is mainly due to the time allowed which gives you loads of space to discuss all your health issues in one go. Some of the points covered:

• NUTRITION – what is the right way to eat for you?
• THE GUT – how the gut microbiome impacts your entire body
• STRESS – we talk through your triggers and work-life balance
• SLEEP – how to get a better nights sleep?
• BEHAVIOUR CHANGES – learn some small lifestyle changes that can change your life
• EXERCISE – personalised suggestions for your health issues
• BLOOD TESTS – a full MOT if needed to assess any underlying symptoms
• HOMEWORK – suggested reading material/food diaries and self-monitoring

I am offering consultations via Skype, Facetime, Zoom, and Messenger. If you would like to ask any questions about the consultation or book please call me on 01323 310532 / 737814.

Offer

For April only we have a Spring offer if you quote SPRING20 (15% off normal consultation price of £199 = £170). *consultations need to be booked and paid for the period of 1st to 30th April 2020 inclusive.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kate Arnold, BA (Hons), PG Cert Personalised Nutrition, Dip ION

KateArnoldNutrition