Notice all the noise we hear on social media about macros and micro management is at the top and last one to occur in your development.

Notice that the base of the pyramid is what surrounds you: your social environment, your kitchen, your grocery habits, your day-to-day routine.

Changing your thinking eventually is essential. But in the meantime, it is much easier to change your environment than it is to change your mind.

Here are some ideas to set you up for success in your fitness journey of 2023:

• Use smaller plates and cups. We’re often used to just filling the dish and eating till the food is done.

• If there’s a food you don’t want to eat, get it away from you. Don’t keep it in the house. Make it hard to get.

• Conversely, if there’s a food you should be eating, make it easier to get.

• If you have more money than time, consider getting yourself a cook.

• Park your car farther away from where you’re going so you have to walk.

• Find a workout buddy. Surround yourself with people who are also working on their health, fitness, and nutrition.

• Get a dog that needs walking

• Don’t be hungry and in the grocery store at the same time.

• Keep chopped, ready-to-eat vegetables in the fridge. Put them front-and-center so you see them and can get to them easily.

• Make the fridge door a “vision board” with post-it notes reminding you of your goals, inspiring pictures, and cool looking magnets.

• Keep workout gear in your face. Just put on your sneakers.

  Having them on your feet often just makes you feel like getting active.

• Pack your “mobile gym” when you travel. Book hotels with gyms and/or pools. Toss a jump rope or resistance bands into your suitcase along with a list of bodyweight-only exercises that you can do anywhere. One of the Good Vibes issue has a list and videos compiled for easy reference.

• Schedule workouts like you schedule meetings. Put them on your calendar and treat them like any other appointment.

• Combine walking and working. Moving while you brainstorm or take a work call helps you focus and avoid the I-sat-at-a-desk-all-day guilt.

• Turn family and friends into coaches. To create a supportive environment, be explicit with loved ones that you’re trying to eat better and get fit — and why. They don’t have to participate, but ask them to help.

In the battle between knowledge and environment, environment wins most often. If you think it is time to switch up your environment, do
it. Indeed, it may be one of the best ways for you to stimulate new progress.