HOW TO CREATE HEALTHY HABITS AND KEEP THEM?

 

      We all want to be the one who we would love to be. In our vision, we have created a perfect, fit, and active person free from any chronic health problems surrounded by loving and rewarding people.

We know that once we make better choices we will live happier and longer.

Each one of us is a creature of habit. Every one of us wakes up, brushes teeth have breakfast, and yes a common life pattern too.

“We first make our habits and then our habits make us” by John Dryden.

Then why it gets too difficult to create a healthy habit?

It is frustrating when many try to adopt a better lifestyle of healthy habits such as going to a gym, sleeping more, quit smoking, or managing emotion and stress but you experience setbacks on your mission of adopting healthy changes.

The good news is that according to research some strategies strengthen your capability of maintaining healthy habits.

Even any change is possible in the world and some steps take you towards success. People who study habit formation tell that most of us try to develop healthy habits in a wrong way which means that we make big resolutions without even taking the starting steps needed for it or even without making our body ready for it.

What goes wrong so wrong with us?

Even after spending our time or money, the majority of us do not see a greater improvement in our health and comfort level.

The reason behind such a situation is that many among us are handling so much stuff one alongside the other which puts us in mismanagement that we get confused in taking the first step and eventually procrastinate or quit the idea of being better.

My dear friends remember that getting healthy requires good planning along with some effort and of course patience.

Now let me share some of the great strategies that will help you in developing healthy habits for a lifetime.

Know your habits

The very first and most important step is to be aware of your habits and behavior. It is an important step because without studying yourself clearly how would you know what needs to be improved and what you require to develop.

Therefore think of all those things you do every day. Study the pattern of your behavior and find out the unhealthy habits you want to change.

Formulate a Plan

After that, you have accomplished the task of knowing yourself make a plan including small reasonable goals and specific actions required for achieving them.

Think about your passion and proceed towards the path that makes you crazy about itself. Then think about all the requirements and available sources that would be needed to move closer towards your goal.

Formulate a plan that supports you. For this purpose, it is important to think about all the obstacles that could come your way like adopting healthy choices in an unexpected situation or time. Make your mind prepared for everything. It will also require you to buy healthy food and quit readymade or canned food, you will need to control yourself from temptations and unnecessary wastage of time on social media.

Make a fine, little pleasant corner in your room where you could relax and feel special about it. It will help you in feeling better.

Begin with cognitive goals

While on a mission to improve ourselves most of us think about all those actions required to make one’s ourselves better but being healthy starts from your brain.

Your brain needs to make itself ready for it. If you feel unmotivated no need to worry concentrate on your cognitive goals, map out all the possibilities and options, and try to find out a way of integrating healthy habits and behavior in your life. This way your mind and body will be ready to make their first step.

Focus on a long-term solution

An example of short-term is like using a face cleanser for 14 days joining the gym for 21 days. These are just like a start towards faster results and habits like these are not feasible for a lifetime.

Here what you need to do is create lasting changes. Focus on adopting sustainable habits that you would love to stick with them over your entire life. This way the efforts and time you are putting in yourself will not be wasted and trust me you will feel good.

“Small daily improvements are the key to long-term staggering results” by Anonymous.

Do it every day 

Whatever plans you have formulated organize them. Your plans may consist of some workout, daily tasks, and habits too. Practice every day all those habits you want to develop in yourself. One day you will become used to them and will be practicing them without even a thought.

Some of the healthy habits that can be practiced everyday include:

• Drinking plenty of water
• Having daily breakfast and planning meals
• Taking exercise as a break
• Going offline
• Learning a new skill
• Stop smoking
• Meditating
• Going for a walk
• Taking maximum sleep

Make small steps

To improve your habits never burden yourself. Instead take slow, small, and incremental steps is the best way of improving yourself alongside moving closer towards your goals.

“Small healthy habits add up and compound into a better quality of life” by Michael D’Aulerio.

Stick to your path

Practicing positive habits would result in positive outcomes but remember that there will be tough times when it gets difficult and you wonder if you can stick to your plan or not.

At this stage, the best idea is to note down the changes in yourself like the change in your sleep pattern, diet, skills, stress levels, accomplished tasks, etc. You will get to know about your improvements that will motivate you to stay on track.

Pick actions that matter

Making effort to have healthy habits is good but it becomes even more better and meaningful when you do actions that make your success easier. Let me give you an example of leaving your car or bike at home if your workplace is within walking distance from your home. A daily walk will keep you physically active and mentally relaxed. Secondly, you can save some of the money you spend on fuel. Therefore always pick the actions and find out alternative better ways that bring in benefits for you.

Be patient

On your way to achieving your goals, one of the most important things is to be patient.

Sometimes on your journey to adopt healthy habits other issues can come your way. Sometimes things do not work out the way we plan them. It is completely okay.

This is the time where you need to struggle and manage your stress. Instead of worrying be creative and find out other strategies that go best with your daily plan.

You need to be patient as the best result comes out slowly.  

“Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones through patience”  by Wayne Dyer.

Keep in mind that change is a process and processes do take time all you require is to keep moving forward.

Find joy in everything you do because a healthy lifestyle should not feel like a burden. Design your daily routine and activities with things you love it will make you happier and easier to adopt a new lifestyle.