YOU ARE A
quick fixer
RIDING A WAVE OF GOOD RESULTS ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH LINE.
When it comes to turning over a new leaf overnight, you’re an all-star, so long as there are parameters, rules and accountability. You excel at short-term sprints like taking on an elimination diet, training for a marathon, or participating in an online caffeine-free challenge.
As a quick fixer, you’ve probably experienced impressive health transformations. The key is learning how to maintain them and not swinging to the other side of the pendulum the second the finish line is crossed.
Like some of the other personality types, you’re no stranger to hedonism. But your relationship to your cravings may make indulging a slippery slope. Do you ever marvel at home someone could allow themselves just one piece of chocolate a night without inhaling the whole bar? Don’t worry, I feel you.
Quick fixers are much better at going cold turkey than moderating. But they are also not cut out for long-term deprivation. Unlike wellness warriors, you aren’t able to find as much joy in being healthy all than time as you do in treating yourself to the occasional comfort food.
Luckily, with the right rules and boundaries, you can have your gluten-free cake and eat it too.
The quick fixer’s biggest strengths:
- Thrives with accountability and rules
- An excellent sprinter who’s able to accomplish a lot of progress in a short amount of time
- Appreciates the value of treating yoself
Biggest growth edges for quick fixers:
- Frustration when moderation doesn’t come as easily as 30-day deprivations
- Moralizing of food, wallowing in “shoulds”
- Loss of stamina after finish lines are crossed
How do you use your personality to your advantage?
As much as you love short-term challenges, you have to remember that getting on board with your health is a marathon, not a sprint. You may not see extreme progress as quickly, but if you can embrace the slow and steady process of updating your health little by little, you will finally be able to embrace that moderation you’ve been after.
Unlike healthy hedonists, quick fixers need some strict rules in order to make first steps towards change. Programs like Whole30 or The Clean Program, are a great initial introduction to eating better. But you have to remember not to jump ship once you cross the finish line. Start by changing your goals. Instead of going after radical transformation, pay your first intention to pay attention. Take the proper time to learn from the experience. Make sure to reintegrate foods you removed in a structured way so that you get new information. For this reason, working with an ongoing nutritionist, health coach or physical trainer is a much better option for you than doing one of these 30 day challenges alone.
Life for you is filled with a lot of should’s. When you talk about “cheating” or being so “good” or “bad” around food, it moralizes your health in a way that isn’t productive for your sanity. You need to learn to let yourself off the hook if progress doesn’t come fast enough and there are a few bumps in the road.
Three things to try this week:
1. Find an accountability buddy.
One of the things that may have attracted you (without knowing it) to short term challenges is the accountability. Quick Fixers do far better with a buddy at their side than all alone. Regardless of what you want to accomplish in the next days, weeks, or months, find someone who can accompany you on the journey to self-betterment. Even if your partner is virtual, create a system for check-ins, discuss joint goals, and help each other by assigning homework.
2. Choose one baby step.
Since quick fixers want to go straight up the mountain rather than taking the scenic route, let’s try to make sure you find some easier footing. Your best path forward will be breaking down your new health goals into baby steps. For instance, if this month you want to take better care of your teeth, a baby step might be to floss every night for a week. Another might be to invest in a new natural toothpaste. Come up with four and add to your calendar. Again, you may not experience change overnight with these. But the idea is to build habits that are actually sustainable and won’t make you feel burnt out after a few weeks of doing them.
3. Set yourself up for success at home.
This is one of the tenets of my wellness project, and a great strategy for those who struggle with moderation. If you can create rules and boundaries in your home environment, where you have more control, you can let yourself have more flexibility out in the world. If you’re not someone who can eat just one piece of chocolate, get the chocolate out of your house! That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a special occasion dessert out on the town. Go through your cabinets this week and remove your triggers. Replace them with healthier items (which don’t even have to be food!) so that you still get the feeling of giving yourself a treat.
