3 Tips to Maintain Healthy Habits

I just finished the book “The Power of Habits” by Charles Duhigg it got me thinking about the things we do everyday. Our days are filled with things that we do out of ‘habit’; from the time we wake up and check our phones to the time we go to sleep at night. Some of them productive and others not exactly conducive to meeting our goals. In his book, Charles Duhigg says “What you do everyday matters more than what you do every once in a while”.

How many of us have tried to establish healthy habits only to give up on them after a few days?

“What you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a while”

Charles Duhigg

We all know that we should eat healthy and exercise regularly and yet the majority of people don’t. Why? Habits.

I’m going to share with you a few tips that I have used to not only establish healthy habits in my daily life but also, maintain them.

1. Find someone to hold you accountable

A major reason that most people fail when they set out to establish a new exercise or nutrition program is a lack of accountability. It’s much harder to hit that snooze button if you know that your friend Bob is waiting on you at the gym. Or if you have someone tracking what you eat every week it makes it much easier to say ‘no’ to that extra piece of pie.

So, recruit a friend, family member or co-worker to help keep you accountable. Ask them to check in with you. Or better yet, reach out to that one crazy friend you have that seems to be in the gym every day and ask them if you can come workout with them. I promise, they will be happy you did!

2. Make a plan

Make a plan and write it down. Your plan should include small, reasonable goals and the specific actions that you’re going to take to meet those goals. For instance, if you get junk out of the vending machine in the break room every day, try avoiding the break room and instead pack your own healthy snacks from home to keep at your desk. Plan for the obstacles. What typically derails you and what can you do to stay on track and not default to those old habits? If you need help setting goals and formulating a plan, reach out to me or Coach Scott. We are here to help.  Once you set some goals and make a plan, post it in our group! We have an extremely encouraging and friendly group to help support you!

3. Be patient

Sometimes when we start pursuing healthy habits it seems like more roadblocks pop up. You need to remember that you’re never too out of shape, too overweight, or too old to make healthy changes.  Sometimes you have to make small changes in strategy along the way. Be patient with yourself and your progress. Change is a process and what’s most important is that you continue to move forward.

We are here to help.

Stay naughty, friends.

In health,

Coach April