We all have that vision in our heads of who we would like to be: a fit, active person, free from pain and chronic health conditions, surrounded by caring and loving people, engaged in rewarding and purposeful work. But building healthy habits isn’t easy , and you may feel like you’ve tried almost everything to get there with no results.
There are many reasons why your success can be hampered: Maybe you don’t have much time, you’re too hard on yourself, or you’re just not ready or sure how to take that first step . You may have given up on your goals too soon, or you just didn’t have a well-developed plan for how to commit to healthy habits.
Acquiring healthy habits requires planning, effort and, above all, patience.
Fortunately, there is a way to overcome obstacles and create a plan that works. Here are some strategies to keep those healthy habits going.
Start to internalize your goals
When people set out to improve their health, they think about action: eat better, meditate, run more. But the truth is, health begins in your head. If you don’t feel ready to step up, don’t worry. Just focus on internalizing your goals, gathering information, thinking about your options, considering the benefits of change rather than staying stuck, and planning how you could better integrate the new healthy behaviors into your life. In due course, you will feel ready to step forward.
Shift your focus to long-term solutions
Short-term solutions, such as a seven-day detox or 21-day fitness, are designed to fuel a healthy life and produce quick results. But they are often not feasible in the long term. The key to healthy habits is not to live a healthy life for a few weeks and then go back to old ways. It’s about creating sustainable change . Consider behaviors you can adopt that are more likely to stick over time. This way, your efforts will not be wasted and you will feel the true benefits of the change.
Keep in mind that small steps allow you to achieve big victories
Contrary to everything you can see and hear in advertising and marketing, the race for healthy habits is slow and steady. Small, incremental steps are the best way to successfully move towards your goals. If you want to be more physically active, start with a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood a few times a week. If you want to reduce your stress, try meditating for 5 minutes once a week. You may think this seems too easy, but that’s the idea: Over time, you can increase your efforts and enjoy the benefit of these healthy activities without feeling like the road was a difficult struggle full of ups and downs.
Choose actions that matter
All efforts to be healthy are significant, but some actions help pave the way to a healthy lifestyle more directly. A simple strategy is to identify a long-term goal that you want to work towards, such as spending 1 hour in the gym 5 times a week. You have to identify the steps you can take to reach that goal: A first step can be to join the gym, then work out in the gym for 10 minutes once a week, then 15 minutes twice a week, and so on. . These first action steps are not just wasted attempts. They are building blocks to get you closer to your bigger goal.
Don’t trust their motivation
Motivation is essential when it comes to acquiring healthy habits, but we also know that it can increase and decrease. You can’t always depend on it because some of that initial motivation will disappear and you will need other systems to stay on track. The key to weathering the storm of low motivation is to anticipate and strategize in advance to help you cope. Post reminders, request welfare, and create backup plans. The motivation will return, especially when you start to feel the benefits of your new behaviors.
Be responsible to yourself
People work harder when they feel responsible to someone. Whether you’re a coach, mentor, friend, family member, or coworker, having others to report to can provide the necessary boost you need to get it right. But ultimately, you are responsible for your behavior. Rather than relying solely on others, establish a system by which you regularly track your own progress . Ask yourself what helped you succeed compared to what could have caused you to lose your way.
