What person hasn’t wished at some point to be healthier, fitter, or more energetic? It’s a goal many of us fail to meet for many reasons. Maybe work keeps you too busy to eat right and exercise. Or perhaps you’re the procrastinating type that finds it difficult to get motivated. Whatever the case, implementing healthy habits and sticking with them can be challenging for most people.
The good news is, however, that it’s easier than you think to start living a healthier lifestyle. If you want to start forming good habits to replace the bad ones, try the following tips:
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Choose Actions that Make a Difference
Actions speak louder than words, and even the tiniest move in the right direction makes a difference. If your goal is to eat healthier, for example, begin by committing to buying fewer take-out meals. Purchase the best non-toxic cookware you can afford, and pick a few new recipes to try cooking at home.
If you eat out multiple times a week, start by cutting out one night the first week and cooking at home instead. Continue to cut one more night per week from eating out until you’re firmly in the habit of cooking for yourself at home.
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Educate Yourself
Sometimes, it’s challenging to get started forming healthy habits. You’ve had your bad habits for so long that it’s almost sad to let them go. If you’re not quite ready to take action, try educating yourself first about the benefits of forming the healthy habits you desire most.
Begin by gathering information about and planning for how you’ll reach your goal. Think about the benefit of change versus remaining the same, and weigh your options. The more informed and prepared you are, the better you’ll be able to execute your plan of attack and form healthy habits you can stick with long-term.
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Focus on the Long-Term
There are a lot of short-term health habits designed to jump-start a healthy lifestyle and produce quick results. These health crazes (think 7-Day Cleanses and 21-Day Fitness) work well, but they aren’t sustainable in the long run. Most people enjoy their new-found health for a short time only to revert to their old ways.
When choosing good habits, think about behaviors you can adopt that won’t be difficult to sustain over the long term. This way, you’ll be more likely to make them a lifestyle rather than a fad.
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Baby Steps
The tortoise had it right: slow and steady wins the race. Don’t think you have to jump in with both feet to begin a new healthy habit. If your goal is to get more active, start by taking a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood once a week. It sounds too easy, but that’s the point. If it’s easy, you’ll do it more often. If you have to struggle to get through, you’ll want to quit before you even see improvement. So, start slow and work your way up to where you want to be.
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Find Your Joy
Being healthy shouldn’t be a struggle. If it is, you won’t stay with it. Find healthy activities that make you happy. Doing so will make forming healthy habits feel less like work and more like fun!
We all have a vision of ourselves that is healthy, fit, and energetic. For one reason or another, though, most of us find it difficult to live up to that vision. Fortunately, by following the tips above, you can begin forming healthy habits that stick.