2 years ago, I told myself "less sugar, more walks" in order to slowly get back in shape. Since then, I rephrased and repeated it several times including "reduce calories, increase reps" and "0 ultra-processed food, tons of activity". I think I cracked the code recently and will soon be back on the path toward a nice physique!
The willingness to change
Each new habit you want to implement in your life comes at the expense of an existing one, it will cause change and requires to be mindful about it for a while. However, sometimes it is not enough and you’ll stay where you’re at, even if it means nowhere. The stronger the will, the more likely the change.
The repeated willingness to change
Each time I tried to stick to a ‘few sweets, many steps‘ routine, I recalled the x previous times I failed to do so. It felt shameful not to be able to stick to a goal, yet it slowly but surely built a deeper need for that change occur. By looking at the bigger picture, the situation is more positive: despite having periods with the old habit, you have periods with the new habit too.
The transition we call change
You can’t be different in one day, changing takes time because we resist it naturally. Part of why I failed was because I tried making too many things different at once instead of over the course of a year. A good rule of thumb would be to modify one thing per month as it is just enough distraction you need to not be discouraged.