How to Make a Healthy Life a Habit
The gyms are packed at the start of the new year but do you know what happens? After a few weeks the rush is over and most people have given up. Why is this so short lived? Weren’t all these people determined to make this year the best year ever? Well change is hard and doing it by yourself is even harder. Here are a few tips to keep you on track to maintain your healthy changes and to sustain you throughout the year!
1. Set Goals- Your goals have to be something that is actually possible for you to achieve and it needs to be clear. Make a list of things that you want to change about your diet and your body and then begin to plan your diet around those goals. So many people tackle too many changes at one time. They do well for a few days, or a few weeks then give up. It is too hard and way overwhelming. Take it one step at a time, one goal at at time, one day at a time. This is a journey. Your goal is the end. Small changes repeated over time result in a huge difference. If you quit you will not get there but if you continue moving forward, one step at a time- no matter how small- you still get there.
2. Write Down the Reasons You Want This Change- This is your why. You why has to be so great that even though your favorite dessert is sitting in front of you you can refrain from eating the whole thing. When you want to quit this WHY will be the one thing that keeps you on track. When you fall off your journey, and we all do, this why will get you right back on it. Write down your why. My why is my kids and hopefully their kids. I want to be healthy to see my kids grow and healthy enough as I age to actually be able to play with my grandkids. What is your why?
3. Share Your Goals with Others- When others know what your goal is than it holds you more accountable They can help keep you on track and you can continue to show them the progress you are making. Shout it out and let others know! Get others involved with you and have them be part of your new routine.
4. Congratulate Yourself- As you start to achieve your goals check them off and congratulate yourself. Every accomplishment no matter how big or small needs to be celebrated. Don’t wait for the big goal to celebrate. When you reach one of your smaller goals- the 5 pound- 15 pound- 2 dress size- type goals- celebrate those too! You will be excited to achieve the small goal and excited to continue on towards the bigger ones!
5. Have Realistic Expectations- If you want your new diet plan and lifestyle to be sustainable then it needs to be realistic. A diet too restrictive will never be maintained. It needs to be able to fit into your schedule (that may mean giving up a tv show or a ½ hour of sleep) and it needs to fit into your budget. Budget it in. Need help eating on a budget? I am a mom of 4 trying to feed her kids whole foods. Email me and we can talk! Schedule in time to prep and prepare your food. If you don’t than you will be scrambling to find dinner and it often won’t be a healthy choice. Also realize that obstacles are a part of this journey and will derail you and your progress, so don’t think that everything will be easy and will just happen. This takes work.
6. Be Proactive- Make a list of healthy foods you actually like, what foods you can take with you on the go, to work, in the car etc. Never give yourself an excuse to not have something available for you to eat, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Eating healthy requires planning ahead and it totally helps to always keep healthy foods on hand. If you don’t you will probably eat something quick and easy- fast food, office treats, your kids snacks, etc. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
7. Be flexible- As you know even the best laid plans fall short from time to time. Life always has a curve ball every now and again. It is always good to have a bag of unsalted almonds, an all natural protein bar, or fresh fruit on hand so you don’t get stuck in a hard spot. Don’t take my word for it. Start to educate yourself on nutrition through the internet and books. You can use this knowledge to help you create healthy versions of your favorite foods, or good choices when you are out.
8. Don’t be so hard on yourself- Nobody is perfect. If you mess up, eat a whole bag or chips, a sleeve of Oreos, miss a few meals, have a bad couple of days, or even weeks, just pick yourself up and get back on track. You’re doing this for you. Every step towards your goal is better than no step at all. Being healthy and eating healthy does not mean you can’t enjoy foods not on your meal plan. It is what you do the MAJORITY of the time that matters. So don’t be so hard on yourself. YOU CAN DO IT!
9. Stick with your plan- Give it a month. It takes time to develop healthy behaviors and to have them become a habit, a part of what you just do. One month of consistently eating healthy you will start to develop this habit and you will find that things you initially thought were very difficult are now becoming more and more effortless. In fact, just a part of your everyday life.
Y10. Focus on the Positive- You have the power to change any negative though into a positive one. You have the choice how your respond and what outlook you have in regards to any situation you are in.
11. Surround Yourself with Motivation- If you surround yourself with people who are on a healthy journey. Trying to make it work in their busy lives, passing on the office treats and fast food then you are more likely to do so as well. Start to include others also on that healthy journey in your life. You will find they motivate you as much as you do them!
12. Focus on the Journey & Not the Destination- Healthy living is a constant journey of ups and downs, reaching goals and then reaching higher. Enjoy the process and the journey on the way to the destination. Take pride in small victories along the way, and every once in awhile look back at how far you have come.
Are you ready to go out and make a difference in your life today?! Did you enjoy this blog and want more accountability? Ask me about my next challenge group! Together we can set goals and achieve them!!