How to Make Lasting Lifestyle Changes

Kara Martin Snyder is the Owner/Strategist at vital corps, a health + lifestyle studio located at the 3-way intersection of functional health, self-care and strategic action. Additionally, she’s the host of Le vital corps Salon podcast and the creator of the 33K Task List Project. She joined the Clever Cookstr to talk about her job helping high-achieving women build healthier habits and happier lives. Food and nutrition are an important piece of that puzzle, along with things like sleep, exercise, time off, stress management, and social relationships. Here are a few of Kara's tips and tricks for making successful changes to your lifestyle.

1) Dissect why you want to make a change. When it comes to diet and exercise, understanding your motivation and goals will allow you to come up with a feasible, sustainable plan rather than an overwhelming "after" picture in your head that feels a million miles away.

2) Carve out the space to plan and research the changes you want to make. Lifestyle changes are a psychological process as well as a logistical one, and the first step is setting the intention for something about your life to be different. Positive and lasting changes can often come from a place of feeling deserving of something better, rather from a place of self-deprecation. 

3) Health doesn't mean just one thing. Different people have vastly different health and lifestyle goals, and very different nutritional needs. Looking to others' routines and focusing on what you "should be" doing is probably not the most ideal or self-compassionate place to start from in understanding your goals and the best way to enact them. 

4) Locate your pain points. Cooking at home more can be a huge part of a healthier diet and lifestyle, but for many people, the kitchen is another source of stress and obligation. If that's you, figuring out why is a great first step. Is it going to the grocery store after a long work day that causes dread? (Delivery groceries can be a great option). Is it all that cutting and chopping? (A knife skills class or a YouTube video can help, or a shortcut like pre-cut vegetables can be the answer, if it's the difference between cooking and not cooking).

5) You don't need expensive gadgets and tools to be a great cook. A reliable chef's knife and cutting board go a long way. Cooking in bulk using a slow cooker or pressure cooker is another useful strategy or meal planning during the week. 

To hear the full interview with Kara, listen in the top right hand player, or on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify. And check out her website for more info on her projects!