Like me, are you tired of everything being so complicated?

As anyone knows who has ever tried a new diet, it is easier to commit to a healthy-eating plan and even easier to lose steam or willpower and ditch your resolve after a few weeks or even days. That is because most of us have not been empowered and informed in the ways that work for our individual needs and styles of living.

When researchers surveyed people who were trying to embrace a new habit over a 12 week period, they found that, on average, it took 66 days for a new behavior to stick. Of course, everyone is different and some formed their new habit in 18 days, but most needed 254 days.

The long and short of it is that it doesn’t happen overnight for anyone.

So many of us give up on new commitments we are trying to establish because we are looking for instant gratification. The hard truth is that creating new, healthy behaviors can take just as much time, energy and effort as breaking bad ones. The work doesn’t have to feel like drudgery. In fact, a mindful approach can help you enjoy the process of forming a healthy eating ritual, whether your goal is to choose veggies over refined carbs to lose weight, slow down to enjoy mealtime, or eliminate meat to align with your ethics.

If you have ever struggled with creating a new healthy commitment in your diet, nutrition coaching might be for you.