In this video, and the blog below, I share with you three tips to help to ensure that the changes you make for a healthier life are long lasting and don’t fall away if you hit a bump in the road.

Whenever you try something new, particularly in the realm of healthy living, it can be tempting to get excited and make lots of changes. And you might get some results, but then it might drop off a bit and things creep back to where they were, and you need to do something else to make some changes to get a bit healthier. I’m passionate about changes that you make, and healthier steps becoming long lasting and lasting for life. Therefore below I share with you 3 tips to ensure lasting change.

My first tip is to get the foundations right. It’s no use building something on top of soil if there aren’t any foundations below. We all know what will happen: it will crumble, and it won’t last for long. It’s really important, as Christians, to get those foundations right and dig into God; to make sure God is our motivation. We need an open and honest relationship with God, so we can work things through in this area and get healthier with the right motivation.

These foundations can also be other people in your life, such as people who are alongside you encouraging you; people holding you to account and people who inspire you and motivate you. These can be really good foundations to pull you forward and help you to remove any obvious barriers or hurdles so that there is room for something to grow.

Number two is don’t just focus on the physical. Don’t just focus on your exercise and your nutrition; trying to move more; trying to do some wacky new exercise programme; trying to eat better, because unless other things are right and balanced in your life then they may not last long either. Make sure you are balanced in all areas otherwise things may be harder to keep going.

So, how’s your relationship with God? How’s your relationship with others? With your friends and your family?

Do you spending enough time looking after yourself? Are you making sure that you get recharged, whatever that means for you?! Whether that’s rest or whether that’s spending time with others or doing something that energises you and fills you up, make sure that you are not just giving out. What about your connection with other people and your connection with God?  And your satisfaction with your life, your hobbies and your career? If you are unhappy in other areas of your life or things are out of balance, then you won’t be able to get the best out of your exercise and nutrition. Because when something goes wrong in other areas, then that’s also likely to give way, crumble and be one of the first things that you decide to let go and not bother with because things have gone a bit wrong. So, make sure you are focusing on all areas of your life, including God in them all and getting a really good balance.

The third point is to make sure it’s you. Make sure the changes are ‘you’. This is going to be your lifestyle, your life. There’s no point picking a wacky diet or exercise plan off the shelf if it just doesn’t feel like ‘you’, it doesn’t sit well with you and it’s going to take a lot of effort, and challenge, and motivation to do it. Make sure that it’s realistic, that you know that if you try and attempt it and have the right support; that it can work. It should be attainable and fit into your lifestyle. And that you can see this going on and being the way that you live the rest of your life. Not just for 5 days, 7 days, 40 days, or whatever it says on the packet. Make sure that it’s the lifestyle that you want. And this might mean making really small changes. You might not be able to think: “Oh yes I can do all that now, that’s fine”. You might think: “I can see myself getting there but it’s just going to take some small lasting changes”. And in most cases with lifestyle change it is those small changes that add up to becoming your new default and your new normal.

I hope that these tips propel you forward to a healthier you!