Fall is coming. Whether you’re ready of not, the seasons are changing and so are you. If you’ve been thinking about making healthy changes, you’re not alone. Most people want to change and actually plan to make changes, but doing it is a whole different matter.
You probably already know what to do, how to do it, and why you need to incorporate a healthier way of living, but you haven’t done it yet. Why is that?
Change is hard; hard to anticipate and even harder to actually do. But here are some simple ways you can jumpstart incorporating healthy habits into your daily regimen.
- Decide what you WANT and Don’t Want to do
In order for any changes to take place, and stay consistent, they have to be things that you can become accustomed to doing. Not only that, but you have to want to do them and keep doing them. If not, you’re only fooling yourself and you will drop those new, healthy habits just as quickly as you started them.
- Choose a BIG Overall Goal
Wanting to lose weight and get healthy is good, but it’s generic and not the type of thing that will keep you going once the going gets tough. Try something like running a Half Marathon, competing in a dance competition or body building show. Or if you want something a bit more tame, how about running a 5k or joining a long-distance walk for a cause. The bigger the goal, the better, because you’ll have to make incremental steps to reach the end. Plus, you’ll have to give yourself time to achieve the endgame. Which will make the experience of achieving your goal that much better.
- Really Commit to doing this
The best way to ensure that you will complete your goal and accomplish your mission is to do a REAL commitment. Write your goal out as a pledge, then sign it and hang it where you can see it everyday. Tell your family and friends your endgame and enlist their support to help you stay on track. Or start a Facebook group. Either way, getting the goal out of your head and into a place where its in your face all the time, is the constant reminder you’ll need so you don’t fall off the wagon.
- Expect Obstacles and Delays
It’s inevitable that any well laid out plan will experience delays, bumps in the road, setbacks, and/or down-time. But that doesn’t have to derail your plans and it certainly doesn’t need to stop anything you’re doing. Consider those delays as the time to be creative and come up with alternate solutions. Actually, the best way to prevent down-time and slipups is to anticipate all the obstacles that can and may well cross your path on this journey. That way, if you’re prepared, you’re more likely to be able to regroup and restart quickly.
- Reward Yourself
Getting healthy and staying healthy takes time and planning. You will most likely hit stumbling blocks along the way, even if you’re prepared. So, when you hit a goal, you should be prepared with a reward. Do something that makes you feel great that you made it to this point or achieved this milestone. Just don’t’ make it a food reward, that will set you up for failure down the line.
You’re now privy to the secrets other successful change agents have used to get healthy for a long time. You can do this and we’re here to help you. If you feel that making healthy changes is overwhelming or you’re not sure what to tackle first, schedule a consultation with Dr. Susan Stukes. It’s FREE and you’ll walk away with a strategy and a plan to move forward with your healthy lifestyle changes.
