As we finish a long hard day’s work, we look forward to a delicious full bodied Cabernet, paired with a wholesome full course meal. A fresh garden salad for appetizer, a nice juicy barbecued steak with a side of sweet potato fries (baked!), and asparagus garlic mushroom medley pouched in tin foil from the barbecue as well. Finally, to top it off, a scoop of frozen yogurt and some fresh berries. Sounds amazing AND pretty healthy. As some would assume, trainers all around the world would pick it apart and count all the unnecessary calories, then make you feel like a goofball for thinking this was “healthy”. BUT, that’s just a bit insane and extreme, even for me, a trainer!
A book I recently finished called “Switch” by Dan and Chip Heath say in order to take the right steps towards a goal (summer hot body), you’ve got to be realistic so that your goal doesn’t seem overwhelming, and “SHRINK THE CHANGE”.
The meal that I described above is a health conscious foodie’s favorite go-to dinner, an “eat this all day” fantasy, but can you eat this every night of the week? Is it feasible to eat this every night of the week? Maybe two times a week, maybe three. A bit of balance throughout the week seems to be the answer. Realistically, this meal will not help you achieve that summer body you so desperately want. Shrinking the change is a tactic that will help you enjoy the best of both worlds.
The salad in the photo that I have so graciously chowed down on comprises of: Kale, pea shoots, cucumbers, tomatoes, tuna, died cranberries, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, homemade dressing (garlic olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, pineapple juice from the pre-cut pineapples, smoked maple mustard, salt). Just like the fantasy meal I mentioned, this salad isn’t something you can eat day in day out, but maybe realistically once, twice, maybe three times a week.
So in order to achieve that super slamin’ summer body, you don’t have to force yourself to go to extremes with dieting. You simply have to balance out your fantasy meals with your summer body salad meals. To some, the change can be extreme; eating salads for dinner every night of the week. But for most, shrinking the change can be the key to building positive habits more easily; by eating salads twice a week, and your fantasy twice a week. Eventually, the notion that: salad for dinner just doesn’t seem to cut it, will turn into: salad for dinner literally cuts it (aka body fat), and seeing your results may be enough as a tipping point to continue on with salad for dinner.
With any goal you take on, make it as realistic as possible, and if it seems too overwhelming at the start, “shrink the change”, and find ways to change within your means, because ultimately, you are still on that path to achieving your goal, it might just be the one less traveled….with no short cuts.