If you are thinking about making a change to improve your health, keep these three simple points in mind.

First, you are not in a race. No one is standing at the finish line with a stopwatch waiting to see how quickly you reach the goal. For example, if your goal is to eat healthier, great! But do not do too much too quickly. Remember, you have been eating the way you eat for a long time, so a radical change may not be right for you. Give yourself and your body time to adjust to your new way of eating. You may even want to start by changing one thing at a time, like halving the amount of sugar you put in your morning tea. After you have accomplished that, move on to the next healthy change. Small changes add up over time.

Second, change is not easy, especially when you have been doing something the same way for years, so be patient with yourself. Rome was not built in a day. Likewise, your change will not happen in a day, but if you remain consistent, overtime, change will happen. When I first started my change-for-health journey, I was not always consistent. Sometimes I reverted to old habits. Every now and then, I would grab something from the pantry or the fridge instead of cooking. The fact of the matter is, I had been accustomed to a life of convenience and suddenly deciding to bid convenience farewell was definitely a challenge because this meant I had to prepare everything I ate. I had to give myself time to adjust to the change.

Third, do not give up. When I considered what I had to give up—convenience, cakes, cookies, ice cream, bread, etc., and that I had to spend almost half of one day cooking for the entire week, my decision to make a change to improve my health seemed like I had bitten off more than I could chew. I did not realize what went into making a change to improve your health. There were times when I did not want to cook for 5 hours nevertheless, I stuck with my decision. I did not give up, and because of that, I am now in control of what I put into my body. My point is, it is okay to struggle but do not use that as an excuse to give up. Focus on your goal and keep going. You can do this!