“I just purchased a new tupperware set that’s BPA-free.”

This statement from my friend Anna took me by surprise. Anna is a skilled legal professional known for her sharp critical thinking and ability to cut through nonsense. Yet, the Anna I was familiar with seemed to be falling victim to some difficult pitfalls that appeared to be sidestepping her inner skeptic.

She has been wanting to shed about 15lbs for a while and reached out to express how trapped she felt regarding this objective. She mentioned a path she was considering: the newly acquired BPA-free tupperware set.

“Interesting. What led you to concentrate on that?” I inquired.

“Well, I’ve been reading about how microplastics in food containers can disrupt our hormones and lead to weight gain,” she replied.

I narrowed my eyes.

To clarify, this was right after she described her difficulty in maintaining consistency at the gym, how often she was relying on takeout, and the sacrifices she was making in terms of sleep due to adrenaline-fueled scrolling.

So I posed the question:

“How about focusing on being more consistent with your workouts, or preparing more home-cooked meals during the week?”

And Anna responded:

“Yeah, but I’ve attempted that countless times. If it were that easy, I would have succeeded by now.”

We’ve all been there.

We’ve overlooked or postponed those challenging yet beneficial habit changes in favor of some ultra-specific, niche solution that claims to “fix everything.”

Spent countless hours researching the best and ultimate workout instead of utilizing that time to simply do the fundamental workout you’re already familiar with. Waited to feel more inspired, motivated, or just less busy.

Why do we do this?

Purchasing new equipment or a trendy supplement feels like progress. Watching YouTube videos or reading articles on things you can modify feels like you’re being proactive. And postponing until the “right time” feels—well, appropriate.

But, nothing truly changes until we engage in genuine, consistent action.

We’re clever, we humans. We’ve devised many clever methods to evade the essential, unexciting, challenging actions we must undertake to instigate change.

In this article, we’ll delve into how to take a truthful and kind look at why you may be sidetracked from making significant moves. You’ll discover:

• What the most significant health habits truly are
• Three common obstacles that hinder sustainable advancement
• A 4-step procedure you can implement to begin taking affirmative, productive action
• How to maintain your consistency—and reach your goals

The actions you know you should take (but likely aren’t doing regularly)

<pWe’re all aware of those essential, foundational health habits:

▶ Engaging in physical activity for ideally 30 minutes a day, expending moderate-to-vigorous effort, with a blend of aerobic and resistance exercises.

▶Consuming mostly nutritious, minimally-processed foods. If 80 percent of what you eat is from whole or minimally-processed sources, you’re doing exceptionally well. (In other words: “Perfection” isn’t necessary; pizza can fit into a healthy diet.)

▶ Getting sufficient protein to support muscle mass, regulate appetite, and aid body recomposition goals, if that’s your aim. Target approximately 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (for most individuals, this is around 4-6 palm-sized servings of lean protein daily).

▶ Prioritizing seven to eight hours of restorative sleep. You can’t always dictate the quality of your sleep, but having a wind-down routine before sleep can help, as can waking up consistently at the same time each day.

▶ Evading or at least