In this post we outline easy ways of introducing - and maintaining healthy habits.
With COVID winding down, like us, you might have found that your pants have become a little bit tighter or that you find yourself indulging in treats more often than you might have allowed.
Getting back on track need not mean turning your life upside-down. Try these seven strategies to keep it real.
1) Make Realistic Goals: It might not be possible to have that perfect beach bod for your vacation starting Thursday! Telling yourself that you're never going to eat out might not be possible when you travel for work or have upcoming holidays.
Aim for realistic goals like changing what you order at a restaurant or what kind of restaurant you choose. Focus on making healthy choices that fit your current lifestyle.
2) Work on Small Changes: For example, committing to reading food labels and understanding how sodium intake can affect blood pressure can help achieve a larger health objective.
3) Avoid Overwhelm: It's recommended that you focus on one to three goals at a time. Once a small number of goals become easy to follow or second nature, you can add new goals.
4) Be Specific: Write down your goal. A goal like "exercise more this week" should be "exercise 2 times this week" or "one arm workout and one leg workout plus four 30-minute walks."
5) Celebrate Small Accomplishments: Your health journey is not only reflected on the scale. Noticing and acknowledging how your new healthy habits have contributed to better sleep, feeling more confident, or having more energy is super important.
6) Be Patient: It's taken your whole life to form your current habits, so remember that lifestyle changes don't happen overnight. There will be bumps in the road, but that doesn't mean you've failed!
7) Track: Finding an easy way to track what you eat and drink as well as exercise can show you patterns and habits that you might not realize are developing. When looking at what you have consumed, focus on what foods you would like to add to your diet instead of what you want to take away.