Want to adopt a healthy habit? You aren’t alone.
September, according to Gretchen Rubin, is the other January. And, I couldn’t agree more. After a long summer, September can be the perfect time to reset your lifestyle and think about healthy habits. But, where do you get started?
In this post, we’ll talk about five steps to adopting a healthy habit. They seem simple, but I hope that after you explore each one, you will achieve success!
Healthy Habit Step 1:
Make a list of all the goals you’d like to get back on track. Writing down a goal (especially if it’s a smart goal) can help you define what you are really after.
Healthy Habit Step 2:
Identify the goals that will give you the space to set yourself up for other health habits. This will help you set your compass routine – the routine that gives you more time or energy to do other healthy things. For me, this is preparing for the week on Sunday afternoon. This helps me eat healthy throughout the week, and frees up time that I would be taking in the morning to pack lunches and in the evening planning dinners and cleaning the house.
Healthy Habit Step 3:
Narrow down your focus to just one goal. Gary Keller argues in his book The One Thing that doing this will help you cut through the clutter, prioritize what really matters, and help you achieve success.
Healthy Habit Step 4:
Commit to that habit on a daily (or weekly) basis, without fail, at least for a little while. This will help establish your expectations around your goal. To get that commitment, you might need to take steps to keep going. For example, maybe you can find an accountability buddy. Or, you might need to list your own values and how this goal achieves those values. Or, you might need to take time to reflect, research the goal, and rearrange your schedule. Or, you might simply need to set a reminder on your phone. Whatever works for you, do that to be consistent.
Healthy Habit Step 5:
When you carry out the practice to achieve your goal, give yourself the space and time to feel good. Practice gratitude. Tell yourself that you feel good because you are working toward your goal. Enjoying the activities to get to your goal, and feeling good about them, will reinforce your new, healthy habit.
How do you adopt a healthy habit? let me know in the comments!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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