People who regard themselves as highly efficacious act, think, and feel differently from those who perceive themselves as inefficacious. They produce their own future, rather than simply foretell it. -Albert Bandura
Yes You Can
Are you finding it hard to resist adding a few Splenda to your morning coffee? Do the sugar demons still call to you as your drive past the gelato shop on the way home from work? Does the evening just not feel the same without a little red wine to wind things down? That’s understandable — temptation is everywhere, and even experienced healthy eaters fall back into old patterns now and again.
There is a term in the health-behavior-change world called self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is your belief in your ability to succeed in specific situations. Don’t confuse self-efficacy with self-esteem–where self-esteem is about feeling good about yourself, self-efficacy is about your own belief in your ability to effect change on your circumstances and behaviors. To put it plainly, in order to complete all 45 days of your 45 Day challenge with no slips or cheats, you need to BELIEVE that you can complete all 45 days of your challenge with no slips or cheats.
Self-Efficacy
During your 45 Day challenge it is likely that you have certain goals you want to accomplish, behaviors you want to change, and tasks you want to achieve. Putting these plans into action is going to require strong self-efficacy.
People with a strong sense of self-efficacy have several things in common:
First, they see challenges as difficult undertakings that can be overcome. For example, let’s say you are hosting Book Club this month. Usually Book Club is an excuse to get together with friends, drink, eat finger food, and mingle. This situation is rife with temptations that could set you back or get you off track. But instead of lamenting over the fact that you won’t get to indulge in tasty but nutrient-poor appetizers, you choose to see this as an opportunity to find creative ways to introduce delicious new recipes into your Good Food recipe repertoire.
Next, people with greater self-efficacy purposely develop a deeper interest in the healthy activities in which they choose to participate. Or maybe you decide to read up on everything you can get your hands on that has to do with eating healthy, nutritious food. You might even want to start your own blog documenting your experience from start to finish. It is also incredibly helpful to put yourself in situations where you witness others’ success since this can increase your own belief in your ability to be successful.
People with strong self-efficacy form a solid commitment to their chosen actions. They set themselves up for success from day one. They surround themselves with people and situations that only increase their chance of positive outcomes. Guess what? YOU already have strong self-efficacy because you not only decided to take on the challenge in the first place, but you are back here on the blog, reading this post, and continuing to educate yourself. This action in and of itself shows your commitment to your health today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.
Finally, people with strong self-efficacy recuperate quickly from setbacks and disappointments. This is also known as resiliency. People who are resilient bounce-back from hard times more quickly and easily. They roll with the punches and find creative ways to problem solve. Resilience won’t make that tempting cupcake your wife just ordered during your coffee outing disappear, but it can give you the ability to see past it and better handle the situation.
Start strengthening your self-efficacy today. Right this minute. Start seeing obstacles as opportunities. Increase your interest in all things Whole30. Commit right now to be successful. And practice bouncing back. Because consciously strengthening your self-efficacy can make all the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment