Accountability

“Accountability” is when you take responsibility for your actions. When you “own” them.

And it’s absolutely key to improving your health + wellness.

Have you ever bought a book or program with the absolute best intentions of following it to a “T?” Have you ever not followed it completely? Life gets in the way. You get too tired or too busy and let a day or two slide. Then, sometimes, completely fall off the bandwagon.

This happens to the best of us - Yes, even to me! You can have all the right information, but the implementation is the hard part.

Accountability is more of the “doing” than the “knowing.” It’s when you already know what you should be doing; but, doing it doesn’t always happen. And accountability, when you know someone is measuring or checking your actions, makes you more likely to do them.

What are some options for accountability?

1.) Start a Food + Mood Journal - Just writing down what you eat and how you feel each day can increase your health accountability. You can use a calendar or a blank notebook. For each day record:

• What you ate and drank + when

• How you feel and when you feel it

• Amount of activity/movement

• Quality of sleep + BMs could be included also

• Notes or comments (what improvements you can make for next time)

If you like to log online, I like the MyFitnessPal or Cronometer app for this, but there are plenty of others. My clients us the Better app by Practice Better which allows me to comment or leave feedback.

The FMJ really is one of the most powerful tools you have. It helps you to build intuition with your body and what you eat. You can discover what foods fuel you and what foods deplete you. You can tweak macros so that you can feel your best (not everyone needs low carb or keto!). And just the act of having to log helps to be mindful about what you are eating.

2.) Use a Fitness Tracker - Would you believe that a study of fitness habits in postmenopausal women showed that a fitness tracker increased the amount of exercise they did? Two groups of women were advised to walk 10,000 steps each day and get 150 minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity each week. One group was given a pedometer. The other was given a pedometer plus a fitness tracker. Guess how much more activity the fitness tracker group increased each week? Thirty-eight minutes! Yes, just having a fitness tracker increased activity, while the pedometer-only group had no change.

The conclusion? Having the tracker increased their accountability, measurement of the activities, and motivation to do them.

Many people like using a Fitbit, the Oura ring is another popular option, but there are now a ton of options out there, so find one that fits your needs and budget. 

3.) Use a Habit Tracker - these are great for those who like the little dopamine hit that comes from checking off boxes (me!). The goal is to not break the chain. If you do break the chain, hey life happens sometimes, then aim to never have 2 in a row. It’s super simple yet highly motivating.

4.) Get an “Accountability Buddy” - Find a workout buddy. Someone who you can go for walks or to the gym with. If not, ask someone you trust to follow up with you every few days on your tracked activities. Make sure they know your “why” and can remind you of it when you need it. Have them spend a few minutes reviewing your journal/tracker and give you some “tough love” from time to time.  

5.) Hire a Nutritionist and/or Health Coach (no this isn’t a shameless plug!) - Nutritionists and HCs really can make a big difference in your health. They:

• Can see how different systems in the body interact with one another to support health and help you to determine priorities for support

• Can see your health from a different perspective

• Can give you direction for your goals along with achievable benchmarks along the way

• Can help track your progress and see how far you have come, motivating you when needed

• Can help you trouble shoot when you have hit a plateau

• Can supply you with the proper education when necessary

• Some can use testing such as labs and/or muscle testing to get really specific to your body’s needs

• And much more

I LOVE supporting people who are on a path to better health and aim to give people the tools I never had on my own health journey. I help people who struggle with exhaustion and brain fog balance their hormones for more energy and clarity, so they can thrive, not just survive.

Where to start?

You don’t need to eat perfect and exercise like crazy to improve your health + lose weight. You just need to make good choices on the regular. Here are my recommended steps:

• Consult a professional before undergoing significant dietary changes, especially with detoxes and cleanses

• Start from where you are and add a bit more every few days or weeks. Small sustainable habits are ones that actually stick

• Always remember your “why.”

• If you need accountability, decide whether you’d prefer a Nutrition Journal or a Fitness Tracker. Whatever you choose, use it daily.

• If you need an accountability buddy, ask a trusted friend or family member; or contact me and we can have a free strategy session to see how I can support your health goals.