As an editor at a newspaper, 46-year-old Evelyn found herself working long 12-hour days trying to stay on top of the neverending deadlines and projects.
On a good day she got enough sleep, ate well and squeezed in some exercise. She got up early to chop raw veggies to include as part of her lunch, ate healthy snacks and pulled out a frozen meal she cooked in advance to heat up when she got home.
On a bad day she worked too much, didn't fit in exercise and didn't have any time for herself. She didn't pack much food and didn't have time to leave work to get a proper lunch.
Having sub-optimal nutrition on these days meant it was hard for Evelyn to talk herself out of buying takeout on the way home or overindulging in comfort foods in the evening.
Chain reactions
Think about times in your life where your health was better. What specifically made a difference? Often there may be one key thing to focus on that causes a chain reaction for positive changes. For Evelyn this was holding a firm time she needed to leave the office.
This single area of focus created a chain reaction of good things: time to fit in fitness, the energy to make a healthy supper and the motivation to prepare meals for the day ahead. It also meant she was less prone to vending machine quick fixes and stress eating in the evening.
Analogies to live by
At times when things started to get off track and she began putting other people's needs ahead of her own, Evelyn found it useful to think of the oxygen mask analogy. First put your own mask on, or you won't be able to help others.
You may also find it helpful to think of your body as a high performance sports car. If you abuse it by forgetting to put gas into it or fuel up with unclean gas instead of premium gas, expect your car to break down sooner or later.
Even coaches need coaches
One of the things successful people do to speed learning and achieve success is find a coach.
A coach can help you see the blind spots getting in the way of your goals and provide you with accountability and motivation.
Coaches can come in many forms. It might be a clinical psychologist, certified coach, registered dietitian or fitness trainer, but it could also be a motivating friend or colleague.
