Many of my patients think that getting healthy is just one more item to cross off their to-do list.

Buy groceries… finish yard work… improve your health?

Even worse, they tend to think of “getting healthy” as something that comes with an end date.

It’s not their fault. We see false advertising every day, whether it’s a 60-day diet or 21-day detox, conditioning us to think of health as a goal you can check off a list.

 They don’t worry about achieving a result by an arbitrary end date. Instead, they’ve accepted healthy habits as their new way of living.

Think about vegetarians, or people who have specific food allergies.

Does a vegetarian struggle to decide not to eat meat at each meal?

Or does a person with a seafood allergy debate whether or not they should try some shrimp with lunch?

No— their choices are already part of their identity, so the decision is effortless.

That’s how you need to think about your health if you want to make a permanent change.

Don’t see your health as another goal, outcome, or item on your to-do list.

Instead, work on changing your identity to that of a healthy person, and the rest will take care of itself.

It takes practice, but I promise that changing your identity to that of a healthy person is the most powerful way to make a change for life.