Creating Healthy Habits with Personal Trainer Becca Mitchell

Becca Mitchell is a self-love advocate, personal trainer, wife, and mother of 2 - and one of our Eat Well ambassadors! She coaches women toward living healthier lives, through a balanced, holistic approach. She documents her journey - the good, the bad, and the stretch marks - on Instagram, inspiring others to treat their bodies with kindness while developing lasting healthy habits. Becca knows how to totally transform her lifestyle because she’s done it herself - just a few years ago, she was living on mostly Velveeta shells and cheese. When she became pregnant with her son, she decided to start making some changes, learning from health and fitness influencers on Instagram. A few years later, she’s an ACE-certified personal trainer, coaching others to embrace health and self-love everyday. We asked Becca to share about the fitness setbacks that most commonly derail progress towards people’s health goals - and how to overcome them with a balanced perspective. Here’s what she had to say! Changing Everything at Once → Establishing Healthy Habits One at a Time "I know a lot of people who always seem to want to improve their health, but can’t seem to make a lasting change. Often, people want to jump into living a healthy lifestyle with both feet. They try to change everything at once - and it’s just not sustainable. At some point they get tired, and they feel like if they can’t do all of it, they shouldn’t do any of it." "I’ve found that it’s much easier to establish healthy habits for good when you focus on developing them a few at a time. Maybe you decide to walk more, sleep more, stare at screens less, meditate daily, or exercise a few times a week. Either way, work on establishing one habit and building it into your life. Set a specific, actionable goal, such as 10,000 steps a day, then when you’re consistently doing that, raise the bar a little more. Focusing on developing habits intentionally will help you incorporate them sustainably into your lifestyle."   Lack of (the Right) Accountability System → Figure Out What Works for You "When people decide to start living healthier, they focus on food and exercise. That’s already a lot to transform, but it really requires more than that. In order to have healthy food available, you might have to start cooking every day, or block out a chunk of time to meal prep each week. In order to make time for the gym, you might have to make some serious changes to your family’s weekly schedule (or start waking up early - which means you need to get to bed earlier!)." "All these changes can be hard, and it’s easy to give up on them, especially if you don’t have a plan in place for when things get stressful. I’ve found that having an accountability system is so important - and it’s also important to find an accountability system that works for you and your goals." "When you’re choosing an accountability system, think about what usually motivates you. If you’re social by nature and do well when people are counting on you, a tight-knit social gym or bootcamp might be a great way to find accountability. If you’re more private by nature, but are super motivated by metrics, a fitness tracker is a great way to set and achieve specific qualitative goals. If you want a partner in crime to join you on your journey, find a friend, neighbor, or coworker who is similarly motivated to get healthy, and work together to establish healthy habits, such as morning walks, helping each other make healthy lunch choices, or going to yoga together a few times a week. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something that works for you. That’s the key to sustainability!"   Lack of Self-Love → Reframe Your Thinking "So many of my clients are moms, who are so focused on taking care of everyone around them that they struggle to take care of themselves. They feel guilty taking time to workout, meal prep, or even sleep. They feel guilty for shifting their family’s schedule around their needs." "To those who feel selfish for taking time for themselves, if you can’t do it for yourself right now, do it for them! Do it so that your partner, children, and friends have access to your best you - the one who has the energy and stamina to take whatever life throws at you. Eating well, exercise, and sleep all promote a healthier stress response and immunity - allowing you to be better prepared for the beautiful chaos and unpredictability of mom life. Once my clients begin to shift their mentality and truly embrace self-care as a form of love for their families - that’s when they really start to shine in all areas of their life."   Get inspired with Becca! For more inspiration, follow Becca on Instagram. Visit her website to learn more about her coaching services - and you can even use the code EATWELL for 10% off all of her online training programs! She offers personal training, online fitness courses, as well as bootcamp-style classes in the Nolensville area.