Sprout’s Soapbox Series: Why I Don’t Shut Up About Sustainable Habits
If You’re New Here…
Sprout’s Soapbox Series was created because I have a big mouth and a lot of opinions.
Many of the pieces I write for these blog posts are informational and deal with science, research, and evidence. Breaking down myths and misconceptions preached by the fitness industry is important, but there’s more to Sprout than that. The Soapbox Series is about expressing my opinions as a fitness professional, which includes discussing wellness-related topics that don’t necessarily have a science-backed “wrong” or “right.”
I won’t be throwing out random bits that are clearly unsupported by science. This is more about going against the grain and supporting ideas that don’t get enough attention or aren’t mainstream, but are coming into focus, often with supportive research.
A perfect example of this is today’s topic: the importance of sustainable habits!
What Are Sustainable Habits?
When I mention sustainable habits, I’m referring to permanent changes a person can make to improve their wellness and reach their goals. Drinking more water, working out, and going to bed earlier are adjustments most people can make and stick with.
Sometimes, discovering the habits that work for each individual takes trial and error. Maybe you thought you could go to the gym seven days a week, but you never seem to make it more than five. So, switching to five days a week creates a sustainable habit you can stick to!
It’s Not Just About Motivation
The sustainability of a practice or habit isn’t determined solely by how motivated you are, or if you can stick to it. It’s important to also consider if, for health and wellness reasons, it is safe to adopt the habit.
Going no/low carb is an example of a generally unsustainable habit. Not only are carbs essential to nourish the human body, but avoiding them 24/7 for a prolonged period of time is pretty difficult.
An extremely low-calorie diet isn't sustainable. Exercising for 2+ hours every day when you’re not a trained athlete or professional isn’t sustainable.
None of these habits are physically impossible. You could stick to them for weeks, or possibly months, with no issues. However, your body could still be experiencing negative effects. Muscle strains from overtraining and health issues due to a poor diet go hand-in-hand with unsustainable practices.
Another consideration to make is how reaching and maintaining your goals could be affected.
The Hard Work Never Ends
This is a bit of a hard truth that I don’t believe everyone realizes: sustainability matters because your work never ends. Weight loss, health improvements, and other changes you experience to your wellbeing aren’t permanent. These things happened because of changes you made to your old habits. This means that in order to keep these positive changes and maintain the goals you’ve reached, you have to continue working.
No, the work might not be as difficult as it was getting to where you are, but you can’t go back to the way you were before you decided to take action.
Weight loss is a good example of this concept. This article cites a meta-analysis of 29 weight-loss studies, finding that more than 80% of the weight lost was regained within five years. There are many biological factors related to weight regain, but that only makes adopting sustainable habits more important. Relying on appetite suppressants to lose weight, without creating any method of regulating hunger and food intake, often leads to weight regain once the use of suppressants is discontinued.
The Takeaway
We’re often so focused on how to quickly and easily reach our goals, we never stop to consider how to keep ourselves there. Doing things sustainably might take more time and effort, but that can often lead to more lasting results than quick fixes and shortcuts.
As you seek positive lifestyle changes, be realistic about what you’re capable of long-term. It’s okay to make mistakes, do things differently, and fail a few times before discovering what sticks. I sometimes encourage my clients to start small and build on their goals and habits as they feel more confident about their abilities.
It might seem a little bleak and overwhelming to think that the work never ends, but we should always be putting effort into our health and well-being! If we’re patient and willing, we can find activities that are good for us and that we actually enjoy.
If you have any questions or want to discuss sustainable habits, email me or sign up for your free consultation!