Last week I offered three simple nutrition strategies that produce a variety of benefits and that could be implemented along with most other eating strategies you might practice. They were:
- Don’t drink sugar.
- Eat real food.
- Install an eating sunset.
I also mentioned that I’d offer a bonus strategy this week, along with how I put the strategy into practice. So without further ado…
Create a daily target and make hitting it a game
You’re probably not surprised about the suggestion to have a target. After all, I’ve previously discussed plenty of goal-related ideas and benefits, target creation is a primary feature in any type of tracking app, and it’s just plain common sense that we’re more likely to do, well, anything when we have a specific target at which to aim.
You may also be equally unimpressed by the idea of making a game out of hitting the target, thinking that discipline is the main characteristic that will cause you to adhere to the actions you’ve decided to take. But while I agree that discipline is an important trait to develop, I also encourage you to elevate play, fun, and games to an equal status for two reasons.
On a more scientific level, I’ll repeat an idea from this tip: Stuart Brown, M.D., a researcher of play and author of a book by the same name, points out that the fun experienced during play is a major factor for maintaining the discipline required to master challenging skills.
So even if you think that discipline is the primary trait that keeps you on track, adopting a playful attitude is likely to make staying disciplined easier.
On a more observational/anecdotal level, I’ll ask a simple question: In general, do you more look forward to doing a chore or having fun?
Assuming you answered the latter, it should be a little more obvious why making games out of hitting a nutrition target is important. All things being equal, you’re more likely to put in more effort to hit your target if you consider it fun as opposed to a chore (i.e. something you—enter the sigh and rolling eyes emojis—”have to do” in order to get what you actually want).
My playful nutrition target
To set the stage, I have to say that I’m a bit of a math nerd who also appreciates shorthand. So I giggle a little to myself whenever I hit my daily nutrition target, which is:
Consume 23 + 5!
Obviously, that’s a bit obtuse, so here’s a more detailed explanation.
23: This has two meanings. First, the product of two cubed (i.e. 23 or 2 x 2 x 2, for any math non-fans out there) is eight. Which is my minimum water consumption target in cups. Second, each of the three 2s signifies two servings of something: fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats (e.g. nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil).
5!: Yes, the exclamation point is part of the equation as opposed to general punctuation. If it’s been awhile since you took high school math, “!” means “factorial”. Basically, it’s just the product (i.e. multiplication result) of all of the greater-than-zero whole numbers that are less than or equal to the number preceding the “!”. In other words, 5! means 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1, or 120. Which is my minimum protein target in grams.
(I told you I was a math nerd. 🤷♂️)
Before I close, I want to make three additional comments about this target.
First, it’s silly. But that’s exactly the point. Because I find it entertaining (i.e. fun), it occupies a small spot in my consciousness each day until I achieve it. And that, along with aiming to implement the three strategies from last week, helps to keep me on track with my nutrition.
Second, these are my minimum targets. I typically consume more, although that day’s activity level determines how much more and from which category.
And third, sometimes I miss the mark on something (usually veggies or protein). It doesn’t happen often. But when it does happen, I don’t beat myself up about it. Instead I remember that it’s my own personal game and that, because it’s fun, I can easily recommit to getting back on track the following day.
Putting it into practice
I can’t emphasize enough that the silly equation above is practical and fun for me. Of course, you can totally steal it if it also resonates with you.
But if it doesn’t, just let it serve as both an example and inspiration to develop a target that does make sense for you.
In any case, remember to approach your target as a fun objective as opposed to a chore. You’ll not only be more likely to successfully hit it most days but also actually enjoy what can otherwise be a boring process.