Creating healthy habits can be the basis of a better quality of life for you and your family. But how do you create habits that stick? 🤔
Here is our guide to getting you on the path to simpler, better health.
Make it simple 🙆
Pick one small thing you’d like to focus on and start implementing it daily. It’s not sustainable to change everything at once, so think about which habit would create a lasting impact on your health and start there. You can’t change your whole life overnight, but you can create a life change with even one small change.
Make a commitment 💪
Habits also take time, as habits are, by definition, the things we do consistently. So, make a commitment to one better habit over thirty days – you need at least a month of consistency to start to entrench a new habit for life! It will be tough at first, but you’ll find your habit becomes more and more automatic each day.
Make it daily 🌞
And speaking of consistency, make sure it is something you can commit to doing daily. A few times a week is much harder to stick to – brief daily sessions are a great way to get into the habit without overloading yourself. This means committing to at least a little time (e.g. 10 or 15 minutes) but ensuring you are taking action daily.
Think specifics ☝️
While it can be amazing to choose impactful actions, remember that you have to be specific, and this doesn’t mean you need to choose your hardest goal first. Keep it clear, not a vague or overwhelming goal. Choose a direction you want to go in instead and let that be your guide. How do you want to feel? Start by answering this question and let that lead the way.
Create reminders 📝
The two-week mark can be when things start to get tricky – you can forget, feel tired, or just get distracted. Create reminders for yourself, so that you maintain that consistency. It might be as simple as an alarm on your phone or a well-placed post-it note!
Find a friend 👥
Maybe you’ve got a friend who also wants to create a habit. Buddy up! This is a great opportunity to make sure you are accountable to someone else. Declaring your new intention is a powerful way to start, and your buddy can check in with you (and vice versa!).
Be kind to yourself 🤗
Not every habit is going to be successful, and we all have bad days. Be kind and gentle with yourself. You don’t have to execute everything perfectly right away! The great thing to remember is that with every attempt at starting a particular habit, it will get easier. So even if you fall off the wagon, get back on – don’t think ‘that’s it, I failed’. Get a good rest and approach the next day as a fresh chance. Try again, and you’ll find it will get easier.
Creating habits asks you to be vulnerable and sincere with yourself. Don’t worry about what you “should” or “should not” do – concentrate on taking the steps to becoming the best version of yourself possible!
