In my Be Well Behavior Facebook group, I recently did a challenge to increase veggie intake. I selfishly chose that because I personally struggle getting those veggies in as often as I should! I was very excited to see so many people participate and find delicious and creative ways to increase their daily veggie intake. Throughout the challenge I suggested behavioral strategies to help increase this behavior (I mean this is Be Well BEHAVIOR after all!)
When it comes to any habit/behavior change you want to make, one of the most important things you need to look at is environmental manipulation (antecedent strategy for my educator friends!). Are you setting up your environment for success? You want to increase veggie intake. Do you have veggies available? Easily accessible? When you are doing your grocery shopping for the upcoming week, make sure to think about both fresh and frozen veggies. That way, when you go to the fridge and realize your partner or kids ate the last of your carrot sticks you were hoping to add to your plate (good job on them for getting veggies in but darn them for leaving you in a bind while you are focusing on increasing your veggies), you can remember that YOU planned ahead and set yourself up for success!! Environmental manipulation for the win in operation habit change: eat more veggies!!
The next strategy is positive reinforcement. Pay attention to how you feel fueling your body with those amazing nutrient dense veggies! When we are seeking to change behaviors, proper reinforcement is key. Unfortunately, when it comes to big health changes, reinforcement like weight loss and body composition changes are so far removed from the food choices we make on a daily basis that we tend to gravitate more towards foods that have immediate gratification (positive reinforcement) like highly palatable foods (aka not usually the veggies!). But, fear not! Being more mindful in the moment and paying attention to biofeedback like our energy levels, digestion, sleep, etc. can help create a more immediate connection to those whole food healthy choices. So, fuel your body, chew slowly, be mindful in the moment and the moments that follow
Behavior change tip/strategy #3… Let’s talk response effort. We tend to engage in behaviors that are easier/ less effortful. So, when looking to change any behavior it is important we make the behavior we want to see more of (increase) require LESS effort and behaviors we want to see less of (decrease) require MORE effort. What does that look like when it comes to nutrition? I want to INCREASE veggies, so I am going to make veggie intake easy by having my veggies pre cut up (either by the store – more money but less effort, or by taking some time to cut them up ahead of time). That means when it’s breakfast time I just open my bag and have my veggies already ready to drop in the pan. No knife or cutting board required. Easy peasy= more veggie intake! A behavior I want to decrease is consuming processed foods. To make it less likely I will eat them I need to make sure response effort is high (not in the house ideally! So, if I really want some ice cream, I can absolutely have some because really, who wants to live in a world without ice cream?! But… if I want it, I need to get my shoes in, grab my purse, get in the car and drive to get some!) Added bonus of increased response effort is it creates a pause between the craving and the choice whether to engage in a certain behavior. It’s not telling me I can’t, it’s giving me the moment to ask myself “Do I really want it and is it worth the effort!”
One final behavioral strategy I want to talk about for behavior change is self-monitoring. Physically tracking your habits makes it much more likely you will actually stick to the habit you are trying to create. There are a plethora of habit trackers out there both high tech and low tech. Do you have a favorite you want to share?
As always, Take Care. Be Well. (And eat those veggies!!)
