How to go Vegan — “Become Motivated and Stay Stoked!” (Part 2 of 5)
Sometimes I wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go trail running. I love running, I know that it’s good for my brain and my body and that I’ll have an awesome time in the mountains. I never get back from a run and say, “Oh I wish I hadn’t done that”. Yet, even though I know all of these things and have all of these great reasons to go run, leaving my warm cozy bed is ALWAYS a battle; no exceptions. It’s crazy that after so many times, it’s still a struggle that I have to work through every morning. That’s why it’s so important to find something that will motivate me. If not, I’m going to hit the snooze button and catch some more ZZZZ’s every time. For me with running, my motivations in the morning are a running partner who’s counting on me, a Youtube video of North Face athletes running across a rugged landscape, or maybe goals I have for an upcoming race.
It’s the same way with eating a plant based diet. If you don’t have motivation, it’s going to be really hard to stick with it. Here are some tips on how to stay motivated and thrive like a pro!
Pick One
There are so many reasons to start eating a plant based diet but you just need to pick one. Why just one? Because science says so. Research on human motivation from Yale (http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/06/25/1405298111) showed that one strong intrinsic motivator can be more effective than many. It seems counterintuitive but it’s true. In this study, West Point Army cadets were examined, and it was determined that multiple motivations “complicat[ed] the task of staying focused on the task at hand”.
Maybe you already have a reason to eat plant based, or maybe you’re still looking for motivations. Wherever you might be along your journey, find something that resonates deeply within you. A reason that is stronger and bigger than anything that could sabotage your goal of eating healthier. It needs to be a specific, clear, concise, and powerful reason. For example, mine right now is that eating plant based will help me run faster in my upcoming 50 mile trail race. Marilyn is often motivated by wanting to reduce her impact on the enviornment. Yours could be something about your health, the environment, animals, or whatever else gets you going!
Whatever reason you choose, focus on it and stick with it.
Community
One of the best things you can do if you are trying to eat a plant based diet, is surround yourself with other people who think like you. One of our goals at Thriving on Greens is to create a community where people can ask questions, give encouragement, and support each other. If your spouse or family isn’t on board the vegan train, you can always reach out to online communities. Besides Thriving on Greens, there are plenty of other facebook groups, instagram and blog accounts, and online forums that you can turn to for daily inspiration or to answer your questions. If you are meeting lots of opposition from family and friends, stay tuned, we’ll address that later in this series.
Addiction
I would say that food addiction is the number one killer of people’s plant based dreams. It’s real and it’s powerful. Most of us are addicted to unhealthy foods, primarily salt, sugar and fat. Food addictions have even been compared to drug addictions because the chemical reactions in our brains are almost identical. Once you have eaten certain kinds of foods for years and years, you become accustomed to them. Your body craves those foods, so when you eat them, it tastes and feels good. You’ll choose string cheese over a carrot and hummus every time because your brain will get a little kick from the salt and the fat in the cheese, whereas the carrot will seem bland and boring to you (when really it’s delicious and healthy…put that cheese stick down!).
So how do you break your food addictions? Replace the addictive foods in your house with healthy and TASTY (they have to be tasty) alternatives. There are SO MANY healthy and delicious options available that you won’t even miss your old junk food. Just like any other addiction though, it will require hard work, time, and dedication. You gotta be tough, but you can do it! Eventually, this won’t be a struggle, and you’ll start to love the food that loves you back.
Constant Nourishment
In over ten years of eating plant based, I’ve learned that one of the things that has helped me stay motivated is a constant ingestion of plant based related information. This could be subscribing to newsletters, reading books about it, listening to podcasts or following inspirational social media accounts. I have found that on the days I’ve read some interesting article or scientific study on plant based nutrition I’m WAY more stoked about eating this way. You would think that after so many years, it would just be automatic, and most of the time it is, but it’s still nice to have that extra kick of inspiration.
So if you haven’t done it yet, make sure you’re proactive in filling up your noggin and your feed with plant based inspiration including Thriving on Greens! Join us on Instagram and facebook at:
That concludes part 2 of 5 in our “How to go Vegan” mini series.
