Creating our environment to be a safe zone eliminates our temptations to indulge! Willpower is very difficult to grow if we keep setting it up for failure. Putting temptations right in front of us time and time again weakens our willpower, so here are simple strategies to set your home up for success! Which one will you implement today?
- Enter your house through another door, not the kitchen. There is no doubt we are all hungry when we get home from work. If the kitchen is the first place we enter, we are more likely to mindless snack. Unfortunately, the first thing we see is what we typically do. So when we walk into the kitchen and see food on the counter we are more likely to eat it!
- Remove snack foods from the counter. Without a bag of chips sitting on the counter, you won’t be tempted to grab a handful every time you enter the kitchen. Instead set a vegetable and fruit bowl up on the counter to entice those taste buds!
- Choose contrasting plates. Using a plate that is opposite of the color of the food you’re consuming will help you place less food on the plate. The more color the more nutrients.
- Check ingredients and nutrition facts. While bags & boxes say they contain healthy factors (like vitamins and minerals), processing is full of additives and chemicals. Skip the marketing gimmicks to see what really is in the product. The less ingredients the less processing.
- Stock your kitchen with healthy foods. If your kitchen is empty, you’re more likely to eat out often. Have healthy foods ready to grab and go. As soon as you get home from the grocery prep veggies and fruits to be ready to grab and go. I love to have apples and carrots sliced in baggies and peanut butter measured in little containers. I never leave the house without an emergency meal–there have been to many occasions I have been gone longer than expected and gone way past my hunger point!
Grab and Go–prepped and ready for when you least expect needing it! - Make your kitchen as uncomfortable as possible. That’s right, no comfort for you! The more you are able to lounge in your kitchen, the more you’ll consume. When we put televisions or comfy seating in the kitchen we surround ourselves with temptations! So move these comfy things into another part of your house to relax.
- Put exercise equipment where you will see it and use it! Where we hang out in our home is the best place to put exercise items so they will be seen and then utilized.
Set out your tennis shoes so you will be more likely to put them on and get moving! - Attempt not to purchase food in bulk. When you buy larger quantities of food, you are tempted to consume more and consume it faster. Buying just enough to get you until your next grocery store trip will encourage you to portion better.
- When arranging your refrigerator put vegetables, fruits, & water at eye level. This will help you automatically grab healthier choices.
Buy just enough for you and the family that will stay fresh and be eaten for the week! Set it at eye level in the fridge.
Setting your home up for success actually makes you stress less! Yes, it is true. When we have our healthy items planned and ready to go, we are actually more organized and utilize our time more effectively. So test out one of these tips to see if you breathe a little easier this week.
Send me a picture of your before & after of a safer home environment!