At Champ City, we have a strong belief in making small changes over time to create bigger change that is sustainable. One way to help build new habits and changes that are successful is to ensure your environment is set up to assist those changes.
Minimize Distractions
This one seems pretty obvious, but often we do not take the time to remove distractions from our environment. Removing distractions is a great way to ensure that you can give your full attention to the task at hand. When you can accomplish a given task more efficiently, you open up more time in your day to do the things you want!
There are a few ways to minimize distractions in your environment. One is to remove the distraction from your space completely. Let’s say you work from home and a big distraction for you is access to a gaming console. Move the gaming console to another room, or work in a different room. If access to another room is unavailable for you, setting up a specific workstation is another way to create some separation between you and the distraction.
Another way to help reduce the time you are focusing on a distraction is to give yourself a time limit. For example, if you check social media a little too often, set a 5-minute timer and allow yourself that time to check your socials. This allows you to scratch this itch without going overboard. There are a few time management methods out there that you can use. One is the Promodoro Technique, where you break your focus time into 25-minute chunks with 5-minute breaks in between. Here is a timer that you can use on your web browser to help you visualize and keep track of your working time and break times.
Accessibility
People are far more likely to do things that are easier than to choose the more difficult option. So to put it simply, make the things that will help you reach your goals easier to do and the things that hinder your goals harder to do.
If you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet and eat more fruits and veggies, move the cookies to a higher shelf and in the back, and put your fruits in veg in plain sight on the counter or at eye level in the refrigerator. By making access to the cookies harder, you are likely to reduce how often you grab them. Putting the fruits and vegetables in spots where you will see them often will remind you of your goal and increase the likelihood of you adding them to your meals.
Accessibility applies to more than just the environment in your home and office. Finding the gym that meets all your needs and is closest to you will help you get there more often; looking up restaurants with healthier options before traveling to a new city can help reduce last-minute fast food trips. There are so many small ways to adjust accessibility in your life; as you go throughout your day, take note of one or two you can change and test it out!
Surround Yourself With People Who Support You
This one might take a little longer than the others but is truly beneficial to reaching your goals. Now, this is not to say you need to ghost everyone already in your life and start making new friends.
Do the people in your life know about the goals and changes you are implementing? If no one knows, how can they support you? When you are comfortable, share your goals and new habits with the people you trust. You will quickly learn who you can lean on in your health and wellness journey.
If you are someone who thrives when you have a community of people surrounding you, seek out that community! You can look for groups in your local area or find an online space to get that support. At Champ City, we have a group chat for all our custom clients and challenge participants. This is a safe space where we can cheer each other on, share recipes, and ask questions. Seeing other people going through a similar journey is often that extra little push we need to stay on track.