The standards we hold for ourselves reflect those behaviors to which we are willing to hold ourselves accountable. Ask yourself: "What are my current standards for my health and lifestyle?" You should be able to move easily into the level you hold yourself accountable to. This ease signals that you are ready for this level and the standard is ready for you. If the health behavior turns into a "should" they you likely raised your standard too soon. Let me share an example with you. Diet soda! Not too long ago it occurred to me that I was drinking four diet sodas a day. I was getting occassional pains in my hands and wondered if this was the cause? It gave me a wake up call. Whether or not this new pain was caused from diet soda did not really matter at that point. I was ready to hold myself accountable to cutting way, way back and substituting water. It was not difficult at that point to succeed. I had in the past tried without success.
Raise you standards for your health behavior but make sure that they reflect who you are at the moment. What would it look like for you to raise your standards?
