Nowadays, more often than ever we all want to be healthier. Gym memberships have soared. Health food shops are enjoying record business. Online fitness sensations are becoming household names. Being healthier means we look and feel better. We may significantly improve our quality of life and even increase our lifespan. At the very least, we feel better about ourselves for shedding unhealthy habits that make us feel bad.
We often have healthy intentions and find ourselves in the same position time and again. It is the New Year, or we’ve put on a few extra pounds, we have a special occasion coming up or we just want to feel better. Whatever the reason, we often begin with a strong resolve to become healthier but it quickly fades. We may have made promises to ourselves that sounded great in our heads or on paper. But in reality they just fail to work out.
We feel bad about ourselves so we make a change, but then forget the change and feel worse about ourselves! The longer this vicious cycle continues, the more likely we are to give up for good. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Healthy changes can be here to stay if we change our attitude and approach to them. If you want to make a few healthy changes but are worried that you won’t be able to stick to them, get inspired by the tips below.
Get Sociable
Healthy changes can sometimes be far easier to stick to if we tell others about them. This shouldn’t be in the form of judgement or bragging. But it helps to hold us accountable for our healthy changes if other people have become involved with them. It’s much harder to sneak that unhealthy lunch from the kitchen if we’ve told our family we’re making changes, for example. We’re less likely to socially smoke on nights out if we’ve told our friends we’re quitting.
It may seem daunting to tell others, but it doesn’t have to be a judgement thing. Others can encourage and support us, or even join our journey. Being sociable about health keeps us more motivated and supported. Most habits trail off when we’re not receiving any positive reinforcement or encouragement. Sometimes connecting with like-minded people can be a great way to stay on track, so investigate any meetings or groups and get involved. If we find that we’re losing motivation or have a concern, there are probably several people who have been in our position. Get advice and encouragement, stay motivated, and keep the habit!
The Every Day
When we are trying to make healthy choice, we must aim to see it as a lifestyle rather than simply diet or exercise. We are less likely to consider habits a temporary thing if we consider them a change in our lifestyle. We should aim to make the changes that we will use every day.
Consider your daily routine in detail. If you’re a coffee or tea lover, a healthy change to this habit could be wonderful. You’ll be doing it every day! Perhaps try a low acid coffee or herbal tea as a change. Reduce the number of sugars you have or try almond milk for added nutrition. If you are trying to drink more water, make it easier for you to do so. Try installing a ukf8001 filter on your fridge, and you will have fresh, pure water right at your fingertips.
If you have a daily commute on the bus that you do twice a day, for example, then a change to walking can bring quick results. Walking to work may not be possible, but hopping off the bus a few stations before your stop can give you an exercise boost. You’ll have the fresh air and vigor to clear your head before and after work.
Some healthy habits have to be added from scratch to our routine. But most are just small tweaks to things we already do every day. If we are already in the habit of doing something, making it that little bit healthier will benefit us enormously.
Set Your Watch By It
Many studies have shown that our bodies have a kind of internal “clock”. We may especially notice this if our sleep pattern is disrupted. If we usually go to bed at 10pm but have to stay up late for several days, we may still find that we are always tired at 10, for example. We may often find that we wake up at the same time each day even without an alarm! We can use this internal clock to our advantage. Setting healthy habits to a time can be a great way to make them a permanent part of our routine.
Perhaps we have made the resolution to drink more water. It is not enough to wait until we are thirsty. By then we have already become dehydrated. So try setting times for when to drink, and soon it will become a force of habit. If you want to take an evening walk every day, try setting a time. That way, you are less likely to find that hours pass you by and the opportunity has gone. You will know when to expect the walk and gradually it will become habit.
We are trying to eat healthier. Sometimes we mess up. Thank you for sharing.
It is SO DARN HARD to eat healthy sometimes but one thing I’ve learned is that if you stick with the game plan and slowly change everyone’s eating habits and do away with the junk food a little at a time, over the course of a few weeks you’ll have much healthier options available in the fridge and the cupboards that the kids will actually eat and won’t even realize that the other junk is no longer there. Keep at it!