Mini Lesson: Motivation

Video Transcript

Nutritional Realities

So far, our mini-lessons have focused on getting to know the types nutrients and what our body does with them. But there is this whole other reality that often gets overlooked when we talk about nutrition. It's one thing to be able to calculate out how many nutrients we need, but it's a whole other thing entirely when we consider the realities of what we may have to change in our lives to make sure that we are getting those nutrients in our body in a way that our body can use.

This is where we see a significant overlap with lifestyle and nutrition. Maybe my body really needs 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning, but what really has to happen so I can get that 30 grams of protein while I also have to be getting ready for work, making sure my children get breakfast and their school lunches and our dog gets fed...oh, and the bus times have changed so we have to get all of that done 15 minutes earlier than we usually do. Most days, it feels like I'll be lucky to get any protein before lunch, let alone eat breakfast. Does that sound familiar?

Often the logistics of making dietary changes is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome, and how successfully I manage that hurdle is greatly affected by my motivation for making that change. Typically something has to happen to motivate us to consider making a change to our habits and behaviors. When it comes to dietary changes, these motivating factors can be grouped into three general categories.

Motivator - Increased Knowledge

The first is acquiring knowledge. Whether you learned it from a friend, in a class, or right here with one of Balanced Belly Nutrition's many educational options, learning something new about nutrition can be a motivator for change. In general, people who acquire more knowledge about nutrition and health usually take a more gradual and organized approach to change. So even though I know that eating that 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning might help to stabilize blood sugar for the day, that may not be enough for me to start doing that tomorrow and for the rest of my life. It may take some time to figure out what I can eat that provides 30 grams of protein, how much time do I need to prepare it, can I make it ahead of time, or do I need to purchase something that has already been made.

So just knowing that something might be good for me may not be enough, I have to believe that the benefits of making that change will be worth the effort it takes. Maybe I'm not ready for that effort now, but I decide it will be worth it over summer break when I have a little less pressure with kids schedules and I can work through the logistics. Or maybe, it feels too overwhelming and I just keep it on my someday list and someday never seems to come. 

Motivator - Health Concerns

And if just knowing what I should be doing is not enough, the second common motivator for change is a health concern of some sort. Let's say I should be eating that 30 grams of protein for breakfast to help stabilize my blood sugar because my A1C is creeping up and my doctor is saying I am borderline diabetic. So now this isn't just about some article I read or some Tik Tok fad, there is real evidence that my body is struggling to manage the types and balance of nutrients that I am eating. Chances are I might be a bit more motivated to make that change, but it still might take me some time to work through the logistics. After all, I'm only borderline diabetic at this point, right?

Motivator - Memorable Experience

Truth be told, the most common motivator for immediate behavior change is a memorable experience--a moment or event that made it impossible to deny that changes must be made or the consequences will be unbearable.  That type of experience will look differently for everyone. For one person, it may be the day they were playing with their child at the park and they couldn't go down the slide like their child wanted them to because they didn't fit, and in that moment they knew they want to be able to do more with their child and their weight was getting in the way of that. For another person, it may be the moment they couldn't catch their breath climbing the stairs at work and they were embarrassed by how all their co-workers looked at them with pity. Maybe I justified putting off addressing my blood sugar to the point that my vision was getting blurry and I got into a car accident before I was finally motivated enough to figure out how to change my behavior and get that 30 grams of protein every breakfast, no matter what. 

Find Your Motivation!

If you know that something needs to change, I implore you to figure out what will motivate you to make that change so that you can experience all the wonderful benefits that come with improving your health!