Decision Fatigue

One of the first things I try to instil in my clients is to make their health and fitness journey as simple as possible. I like to set up to 3 goals that they can easily achieve every week (for the rest of their life, hopefully!). I want to keep the decisions they have to make to a minimum.

No matter how high your motivation is at some point if you have to make decision after decision day in and day out their is a biological response.

The more decisions you have to make the harder it becomes and your brain starts looking for easier options.

You might act impulsively instead of thinking the decision through properly or you might just give up!

Whilst these strategies can ease the immediate stress of decision making they usually lead to longer term problems.

It can lead to resistance to any change and for your health and fitness goals that can be the end of the story.

Where situations in my clients lives are stressful we work to find ways to ease that stress so there are less decisions to make.

If it's being consistent with exercise, have a plan and make sure you plan the time and day you are going to workout.

With nutrition sometimes it's a simple A4 sheet of paper with a plan for each day. Just a rough idea of what you are going to eat, that is adaptable. Keep it super simple, no decision to make. The plan for one day could be as simple as:

Breakfast - Toast with Peanut Butter and banana
Lunch - Prawn sandwich with salad, yogurt and fruit
Dinner - Chicken stir fry with veg
Snacks - If you need them make sure you have something to hand at work/home

Planning like this as well as removing the decision making process allows you to buy the food you need for the week so all you have to do is cook it and eat it!

Good luck and try not to have to make too many decisions each day with your health and fitness goals x