Finding Your Why
A huge part of making a life change is getting clear on why a change is needed. In order to truly make a lasting alteration in our behaviors, we need not only the intellectual knowledge of how a change would be beneficial, we need to have a larger clarity of purpose.
We need to find our WHY.
Why is changing our eating habits important? We’ve talked a great deal about the health benefits of a plant-centered diet, including the advantages of specific foods, like whole grains and legumes, the importance of plant fiber for our microbiome, and the over-arching health outcomes that come with eating more plants. I think we all know intellectually that consuming fewer highly processed foods and eating a diet centered around whole plant foods is the right choice for optimal health. www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/plant-centered-diets-and-health
But, why is eating for optimal health important to you on a personal level?
For me, my personal overarching why is my ladies, my mother and my daughter. Of course, I’d like to be symptom free for myself, and I’d like to be healthy to travel and enjoy time with my husband and son, but my mother and daughter need me in a more tangible way. My mother has advanced Parkinson’s and my daughter has a lifelong medical condition. Although in very different ways, both need longterm care, support, and advocacy. I need to be optimally healthy and well for them for as long as possible. They are my why.
When I need a reason to stay motivated to eat for health, especially when faced with more tempting options, I remember that I need to stay healthy for them. I access my why, so that I can stay true to an optimally healthy eating pattern.
What is your Why?
Are you trying to avoid an illness that runs in your family?
Are you trying to stay healthy to engage in some particular activity?
Do you have health markers or symptoms that you’d like to change (high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, chronic fatigue, pain, etc.)?
Do you want a stable weight in a healthy BMI range without having to diet?
Do you have goals for how you would like to age?
Like me, do you have someone you need to stay healthy for or people who rely on you?
Once you find your why and truly internalize that motivation to make changes for your health, the how is just learning a new skill set. The how is the easy part. Finding and holding the truth of why you want to change is the larger part of the battle.
Find your Why.
🌱💕