One Change You Can Make Today!

One Change you can make today… no salad required

Want to know one of the easiest ways to improve your health, something you can start doing straight away, without changing what’s on your plate?

Change the way you speak!

Over the years, I’ve supported hundreds of people through retreats, the Healthy, Whole & Free programme, Fitfish for a Fiver, and personal coaching, and one thing I’ve noticed time and again is this:

The words we speak about ourselves really do shape our health journey.

Here are four common patterns I hear, and gentle ways to shift them:

1. “I can’t…” becomes “I can!”

It’s easy to fall into a habit of saying “I can’t stop eating chocolate” or “I can’t exercise in the mornings.”

But most of us are in the position of being able to choose how we eat, drink, move, and even think.

Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, start with what you can:

* Can you pour a glass of water right now?

* Can you snack on veggies while making dinner?

* Can you go for a walk or do a short stretch to worship music?

Focus on small positive steps, and you might find some of the unhelpful ones gently fade away.

2. “I’ll try…” becomes “I will.”

Saying “I’ll try to eat better” often gives us a bit of wiggle room. It’s non-committal.

But saying “I will make a veggie-packed soup this week” or “I will move my body today” feels completely different; it plants a seed of intention and action.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:37: “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’…”

Let your words carry commitment and confidence.

3. “I always…” becomes “I used to…”

If you often say, “I always snack at night” or “I can never say no to dessert,” try gently putting those phrases in the past:

“I used to snack in the evenings, but now I’m learning to unwind in other ways.”

“I used to find it hard to stop at one, but I’m growing in self-control.”

These shifts allow space for grace, growth, and God to work in you.

4. Speak kindly to yourself

Would you say to a friend, “You’ve ruined everything—you might as well give up”?

Of course not.

But sometimes we speak that way to ourselves, especially around food and health.

Let’s replace those words with ones of encouragement and truth:

“This is a new moment—I can start again.”

“God is with me in this—I don’t have to be perfect to make progress.”

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Your words carry power, power to heal, to shift habits, and to grow in wholeness.

To health, hope and freedom!