Healthy activities, such as regular exercise, good sleep, running habit, and a well-balanced diet, improve your well-being and significantly increase your happiness level. Bad habits, on the other hand, usually lead to growing stress and anxiety.
The journey towards building healthy habits requires a focus on the long-term goal, as small actions and consistent healthy behaviors contribute to overall well-being.
In this article, we will talk about the ways to develop new healthy habits to help you improve your physical and mental health.
Why having healthy habits is important
A healthy lifestyle is an excellent way to prevent certain common health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. On top of that, this may help you become stronger, have more energy, maintain a healthy weight, feel better about yourself, and even become a role model for others.
Why is it so struggling to follow new habits?
It’s typical when we know what to do but don’t do it. For example, you know that I want a weight loss (twenty pounds), but a cake in a bakery on the corner of Lilac street is so tempting. There are many other roadblocks you may face. For instance, “I don’t have time,” “I can’t make it alone,” “I have no money for healthy food,” “I don’t like sports,” “Healthy diet is tasteless,” and so on.
To overcome these roadblocks, you need to have a good reason for adopting this new habit.
The change will likely never stick if you’re learning just to like vegetables or hate junk food. However, if you’re losing weight to fit into your dream wedding dress, this may help you start enjoying vegetables. So find a reason. Think of what you will get in return for your effort.
What else can you do to gain healthy habits?
Take one habit at a time
Sometimes we try to bite off more than we can chew. Then we get overwhelmed too quickly and lose the fire. Research showed that people who tried to master multiple things at a time were less committed and less likely to succeed than those focused on a single goal.
So, how to stick to healthy habits? Don’t try to change too many habits too soon. Remember that small steps make for big victories.
Set a plan
Once you’ve chosen what habit you want to adopt or get rid of old habits, make a plan (or guide on habit) and set goals for taking action. For instance, if you’re going to lose weight, start with the following simple strategy:
- Learn more about healthy eating and food portions;
- Look for bloggers who promote physical activity and share the best tips;
- Make a list of healthy foods and running shoes, get a water tracker and a workout plan. You can find free checklist templates and habit trackers here.
Gradually start habit-stacking and making small changes to your lifestyle.
Start a habit tracker
To create a healthier lifestyle and break free from unhealthy habits, it’s crucial to establish a consistent exercise routine and leverage the power of habit. The study found that the habit formation process takes about sixty-six days. After that, it becomes automatic.
Incorporating a habit tracker into your daily life can greatly aid in achieving your fitness goals and making lasting changes. By monitoring your progress and holding yourself accountable, you can identify areas for improvement and celebrate milestones along the way. Whether it’s staying committed to regular workouts, managing stress levels, or maintaining adequate water intake, habit trackers provide a visual representation of your efforts to create healthy habits. With time and dedication, these habits will stick, transforming your lifestyle for the better.
To stick with your new habits, try to keep a record of what you’re doing. You can use a regular notebook and a pen, but well-designed habits checklists can make the process more fun. You can stay on track with your diet, workouts, stress levels, water intake, and many more.
Change your environment
It’s easy NOT to practice yoga when you hide your mat in the closet. It’s also easy NOT to take your vitamins when they’re out of sight in the pantry. However, it’s easy to buy a cake when you walk home from a bakery and eat it while watching your favorite Netflix series. You do not have to be the victim of your environment. You’re the architect who can create it.
Below are a few ways to redesign your environment for creatures of habit more effectively.
If you want to start drinking more water, put a glass or a bottle near your bed or directly next to the faucet on the bathroom counter (and in any other common locations around the house to drink water throughout the day).
If you buy a cake and buns every evening when you go home after work, try a different route with no tempting sweet stores on your way.
Be patient and reward yourself
Be prepared that results may not come quickly. On top of that, things may not go as you planned them, and that’s totally okay. Change is a process. Just keep moving forward and reward yourself after reaching a goal or milestone. For example, if you lost the first ten pounds, buy yourself new workout clothes or devices. You may also want to post a message on social media to share your success with your followers.
Read How to Motivate Yourself When You Can’t Pull Yourself Up.
Examples of healthy habits
If you’re seeking to cultivate new healthy habits, consider these five ones to get you started:
- Exercising at least three times a week;
- Eating four to five servings each of veggies and fruits every day;
- Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily;
- Having at least seven hours of proper sleep every night;
- Learning to reduce stress and relax.
And don’t forget to use a free checklist maker tool to form new habits easier.
Choose what resonates with YOU
When choosing a new good habit to adopt, keep in mind YOURSELF. Matching your personality with your new activities will increase the likelihood that you’ll stick with them. Don’t wait for social support from your friends or family in choosing a hobby for yourself. For example, if you’re an extrovert, you’ll likely enjoy sports like water polo, football, volleyball, basketball, and handball because they involve a high level of cooperation within a team. For introverts, it’s best to choose something that will provide relative autonomy. For example, swimming, skating, weightlifting, and hiking.
Try to discover what really motivates you and what you want from life. Adopt new habits because you want to and NOT because you’re trying to please someone by changing things in your life. Plan an exercise walk with a friend because it makes both of you feel great, or choose healthy meals because you enjoy trying new dishes. Remember that nothing good comes from pushing or punishing.
Conclusion
Most of us want to live long and happy lives, but unfortunately, we’re always too busy, old, overwhelmed, and unmotivated to make healthy changes. So we often take shortcuts with our health and start disease control.
Developing effective habits is essential for maintaining good mental health and achieving long-term wellness goals. For example, meditations can be a key to habit change, as they provide the necessary motivation and energy boost to sustain new behaviors over a period of time. Whether it’s about daily routines, such as a morning walk or replacing unhealthy food with nutritious alternatives, having a habit milestone can serve as a maker in building healthy habits. By creating a future habit of walking and substituting that morning coffee with a healthier option, one can start exercising and gradually build a wellness routine.
Hopefully, this article will help you start implementing new important habits step by step and implement new behaviors into your life making healthy choices.
