How to Make Good Habits Stick (Part 1)

Last week I wrapped up Kris Carr’s 21 Day Adventure Cleanse! I think I did pretty well (if I don’t say so myself), and I got so much more out of it than just a spruced-up diet. In fact, I learned how to make big changes with little effort, and how to make those changes stick.

But before I share my strategies with you, in case you’re curious, here’s what a day of “cleanse food” looked like. (Actually a sampling from different days, because I wasn’t great about taking pictures):

Breakfast: tasty green smoothie (as much as 32 ounces!), loaded with fresh fruits and veggies like cucumber, kale, spinach, honeydew, and mango.

Lunch: Salad, beans, whole grains, and fruit. (This one was from Whole Foods, although I usually made my own).

Snack: Fruit or a couple of pouches of squeezy peas (not pictured).

Dinner: A big salad and vegan entree like Low-Fat Vegetable Pot Pie. (With some fruit for dessert, also not shown.)

Great results

Post-cleanse, my breast pain is better and my GI tract is humming along! I feel more in control of my food (which is great because I have a tendency towards emotional eating). I’m even managing my stress better, no doubt thanks to meditating for 5-10 minutes every morning.

In fact, I so enjoy my new way of eating—and being—that I plan to keep up with parts of the cleanse indefinitely. For example, having a green smoothie for breakfast has become second nature. I’m also going to continue eating more raw foods while keeping caffeine to a minimum. And I love my new mindfulness meditation habit, so I’ll be staying the course there, too.

How to make big changes (no cleanse needed)

Yet despite all the amazing things the adventure cleanse did for me, perhaps most importantly it taught me three key steps for making a change—and making it easy. Without further ado, here they are:
1. Choose a specific change. (For example, drink a green smoothie for breakfast every day.)
2. Decide how long you want to try out your change. (21 days? 30 days?)
3. Commit to the change—publicly.

Did that last one freak you out? Me too! Because I’ve always wanted to leave myself an “out,” a loophole when it comes to my food. A place to “cheat,” you know? After all, being “strict” sounded so goshdarned hard.

But here’s the thing: Take away your loophole and, paradoxically, it can be a whole lot easier to make a healthy change.

Click here to read part 2 and find out how.