There are many theories out there that habits take 21 days to solidify; however, according to research on average, habits take 66 days to build. Some take as few as 18 days, and some may take 200+ days.

Why is that?

Training yourself to build new habits isn’t always as simple as “I’m just going to do this every single day”. It would be nice if it was that easy, wouldn’t it?

There are many different ways to add that habit into your day-to-day routine, depending on what that habit is.

For those habits that are not as easy to rotate in (for example: building new eating habits), I encourage my clients to use my Best Self Method.

1. Research
2. Adjust
3. Heal

Today I’m going to take you through each step of the method as it can apply to building new eating habits. Specifically, we will work through the Best Self Method to build the habit of adding vegetables into your meals and the steps that come with it.

Ready to dive in?

Research: Learning More About Your Relationship With Vegetables

The first step is research. Research doesn’t have to be complicated research through science books, etc. It’s simply getting a better idea of what vegetables you like to eat, what recipes you want to try, and how your body reacts to those vegetables. This can be done by simply keeping a notes doc on your phone, writing in a notebook, or using a food journal.

Building new habits will have up and down days. There are going to be days where you are all in and there are going to be days when you just don’t want to do the work to make it a habit. Having the research can help you avoid giving up when things get hard.

When you are working to add vegetables into each meal of the day, and you decide to REALLY go all in on Brussels spouts… and your stomach doesn’t react well… instead of saying “Vegetables made me feel awful, I’m not doing this again,” you know that it was a very specific vegetable and going forward to avoid it until you’ve adjusted your body to that much fiber.

Continuing with the vegetable example, having the research can help you find what vegetables you actually like and how you like to eat them.

Maybe you find that eating spinach in salads isn’t for you, but you don’t mind throwing it into a smoothie, making it a good vegetable to eat with breakfast instead of lunch or dinner.

Adjust: Adding Vegetables Into Your Meals

Then we move onto the adjustment phase. That phase is where you are actually working to implement the habits you are building. This is where the bulk of the work is being done.

Buying the vegetables AND actually eating them.
Taking the recipes you are finding that you want to try AND actually cook them.
Making plans week after week to continue working on that habit.

How does this phase work?

Take your research, and make a plan. First, I highly encourage you to schedule 15 minutes and sit down and write your plan out each week. Over time this will just become a habit… but at first, it will take time and effort to think through what your plan is for the week.

• What recipes are you going to make this week?
• What vegetables do you need to buy at the store?
• Do you need fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables?

After you get back from the grocery store, my biggest eat more vegetable hack is to prepare as much as you can.

• Wash your vegetables.
• Cut up your vegetables.
• Organize them in your fridge.

This takes some of the effort and thinking out of them when you are ready to eat them. They’re washed and ready to go and you just have to add them to what you are cooking.

Then comes the effort of actually eating the vegetables 😉 This is the easy part after you’ve gone through the effort of preparing the vegetables.

Heal: Feeling The Effects of Eating More Vegetables

The last step in the Best Self Method is healing. Which can mean a variety of different things. However, in this instance, it means settling in with that habit.

Over time planning and eating your vegetables for the week becomes a habit, and your body is healing with that new habit.

Healing means seeing the effects of that new habit, such as more energy, weight loss, better health, feeling better, and a clearer mind.

When it comes to the long-term success of adding vegetables into your life, taking the time to work through each of these steps will help you figure out how vegetables fit within your lifestyle, instead of trying to force something in that will set you up to fail.

We are all about long-term habits here, not quick hacks for your health.

There is a cycle of nutrition, and it isn’t just about food. As a nutrition coach, I often find that when someone comes to me to “eat healthier” they are surprised to find that I won’t just write up a meal plan.

To be fair, I’m not a registered dietician so I can’t legally write meal plans… but that’s beside the point. As a nutrition coach, I work with people on the nutrition ON their plate and their habits OFF their plate.

There’s a saying “Abs are made in the kitchen” and I’m going to call BS on that this week on the podcast.

When your sleep is off, you’re less likely to aim for healthier foods (hello cravings). When you are reaching for less healthy foods, you are less likely to move your body. When you don’t move your body, sleep can be harder. When your stress levels are high, all three of them suffer…

Let’s break them all down individually.

Sleep

Sleep is one of the most overlooked aspects of health. One of the biggest things you can do for your health is figure out your sleeping sweet spot. 8 hours is the recommended sweet spot but not for everyone. Some people function better on 7, and some function better on 9. However, unless you’re unusual circumstances, you don’t want more than 10.

In order to get better sleep, avoid using things like sleeping pills, alcohol, etc. to help you sleep. They can actually DISRUPT your sleep because your body has to spend the night fighting off the foreign invaders instead of resting.

Instead, focus on building a bedtime routine that works for you.

Movement

Many people think of exercise and immediately respond “I don’t run”. Guess what! It doesn’t have to be running or cardio. In fact, a mix of different workouts may be the best for your body.

We are all individuals, with individual goals, finding what WORKS FOR YOU is the most important part of moving your body. By finding something you enjoy, you are more likely to become more consistent at moving your body.

Stress Levels

When your stress levels are high, your body is operating in a fight or flight mode. When it is constantly in that mode, we are unable to truly relax or RECOVER. Not only is it preventing you from sleeping, but it’s also preventing you from making better decisions about the food on your plate.

There are many, many ways to approach bringing down your stress levels but acknowledging what is causing the problem is a good place to start! You can’t control every situation, but taking time to step back from the situation using meditation, exercise, therapy, or even coaching can help you start to bring those stress levels down.

Food on Your Plate

While this podcast is about the cycle of nutrition, the food on your plate is an area we aren’t going to dive into too much. The key of the nutrition on your plate is making sure it is best supporting your body.

We will not eliminate fast food or processed foods completely from our diet, but finding the right balance of processed and whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. will be key to your long-term health.

The most important thing about the cycle of nutrition is recognizing when it is off… chances are your body is telling you somehow… are you listening?