Football Fan's Diet: Halftime Adjustments Are The Keys To Achieving Your Health Goals

If your playbook isn’t working during a football game, it’d be pretty silly to keep calling the same plays, right? Well, in this week’s edition of The Football Fan's Diet, we totally agree! If what you’re doing isn’t leading to success, it’s time to make an adjustment. Since we love using football metaphors for health, let’s call this the halftime adjustment. So, how does this relate to your health goals? How does this halftime adjustment impact your journey with The Football Fan's Diet?

Here’s the scoop: The Football Fan's Diet is all about your daily gameday objective – that one thing you can do each day to get a bit healthier. But picking the right DGO takes some thought, self-reflection, and a good look at what you think you can realistically achieve. 

You can take two different approaches to your DGO. Is your DGO a mode, something you want to do every day because you know it’ll help you get healthier or closer to your goals? Or is your DGO a desired result, meaning you hit your DGO when something specific happens, like the scale goes down?

Each approach has its own pros and cons!

A "Mode" Option As A DGO

The cool thing about the mode option is that your DGO feels more like a lifestyle. It’s like saying, "Hey, I want to act in a balanced way to be healthier." But here’s the downside: sometimes a mode can feel like it has no light at the end of the tunnel. For example, if your DGO is to eat low carb or do intermittent fasting, you might feel great about hitting that goal. But what if, despite meeting your DGO, the scale starts going up? 

I’ve faced this issue myself when I made my DGO about completing intermittent fasts. Sure, I could nail the fasting, but if I ended up drinking too much beer or eating like crazy during my non-fasting hours, that wasn’t really part of my DGO. So even though I was hitting my target, I was actually becoming less healthy.

A "Result" Option As A DGO

 You can totally end up in the same situation with a results-driven DGO. For example, if you want to drop a few pounds, you might think starving yourself is the way to go. Sure, the scale goes down, but you’re left malnourished. 

So, what’s the solution? Which type of DGO is best? The answer is simple: it’s the one that works for you and helps you stay healthy. 

Each week, take a moment to check in on your DGO. If you’re hitting it every day but feeling worse, then it’s time to step it up because your DGO might be too easy. You know how football coaches make halftime adjustments? It’s kind of like that!

The Art of The Halftime Adjustment

What happens is they go into the locker room and say hey we suck. Our plan isn't working. The other team is ramming the ball down our through. We need to make a half time adjustment. We need to shift our plan and make changes so we can win this game. The same goes for your health goals. If what you’re doing isn’t working, it’s time to make a halftime adjustment.

But don't worry, making adjustments doesn't mean completely abandoning your DGO. It just means finding a way to make it more effective for you and your body. Maybe instead of focusing on completing intermittent fasts, focus on eating balanced meals with plenty of nutrients during non-fasting hours. Or instead of trying to starve yourself to lose weight, focus on incorporating healthy habits like exercise and portion control into your routine.

The key is to be flexible and open to change in order to find the right balance that supports your overall well-being. Flexibility in health is about being adaptive to what your body and mind need at any given time. It means not being rigidly tied to a single plan but rather being willing to adjust as you learn more about what works and doesn't work for you. Perhaps one week, your focus is on physical activity; the next, it might be on stress reduction or better sleep. By keeping an open mind and regularly assessing your progress, you can make informed decisions that align with your long-term health goals. Remember, this journey is personal, and the path isn't always straight. Embrace flexibility, and you'll be better equipped to navigate the inevitable ups and downs, ensuring you're consistently working towards a healthier you.

The Wisdom of Flexibility and Coaching Is The Key To Your Health

Just as a seasoned football coach knows the value of adapting the playbook mid-game, applying flexibility to your health journey requires intuition and experience. A coach doesn't stubbornly stick to a failing strategy; instead, they trust their instincts and pivot when necessary to lead the team towards victory. Similarly, embracing flexibility in your health goals—your DGO—means listening to your body, assessing the effectiveness of your strategy, and being ready to modify plans as needed. This wisdom of adaptability ensures you're responsive to the ebb and flow of life, equipping you to handle challenges, savor victories, and ultimately reach your health aspirations with confidence and resilience. So, take a cue from the best football coaches: be open to change, trust your judgment, and steer your journey toward success.