How to Create (and Keep) Good Habits
Are you looking to form good habits to help you stay fit and healthy? We all know that staying fit is essential for a long and healthy life, and the best way to achieve that is by forming good habits that you can practice regularly. In this blog post, I will discuss some simple habits you can start doing today to stay fit and reach your goals.
Everyone has goals they want to achieve as we enter the new year. It is an excellent time to re-set only habits that you no longer want in your life. Regarding fitness goals, keeping the motivation at the beginning is difficult. So creating small habits to build on is key to creating (and keeping) new good fitness habits.
In my previous post, I discussed setting fitness goals and creating small goals to work toward the big goals you want to achieve for fitness. When it comes to creating habits, I find the same strategy super helpful. Starting small to work your way to changing/creating the significant habit changes you wish to see. Below are my biggest tips to create (and keep) new habits. These are not specific to fitness habits and can be applied to any area of your life.
Make small changes
Start with thinking about your current life. What are your current habits? What habits do you want to change or create?
If there are some significant changes, I highly recommend choosing a small number of changes you would like to change and starting there. Changing everything all at once will increase the likelihood of burnout, dropping everything, and reverting to the old habits you want to change.
This is why I recommend choosing 2-4 habits you can realistically change at first. Then build on those habits after some time with more habits that you want to change from there.
Example:
I have always been a fitness nerd, but I have found that I go all in, then suddenly all of it. I know that to achieve my goals, I must do the work. I am working on less intense workouts to create a foundation for my muscles and the habit of workout daily. Regarding nutrition, I am working toward a balance of high protein to promote muscle growth and repair and indulging (in moderation) in sweets, especially since I am working on these changes right in the middle of the holiday season. After the holidays, I will build on the habits that I am working to change to achieve further the goals that I am working towards.
Break it down
Building on the previous tips, start at the goal or habit you want to create or change and then work backward, creating small habits you can build on to achieve the big goal or habit. What I mean by this is, what is your end goal or habit? Then think about how you can break it down to create small changes you can build upon over time.
Example:
My big goal is to build muscle and have healthy habits that last my whole life. The habits I want to change to achieve those goals include working out as part of my daily routine, nutrition as a priority according to my current fitness goals, and drinking more water.
As I said above, the small habit I am working on creating is working out daily, even if it is simply a walk. I want to add more movement to my daily activity. At this point, this is a habit. Life happens, and sometimes I cannot work out, so I aim not to have more than two days in a row where I do not work out. My next step will be to work on increasing my workout intensity.
Regarding nutrition, I have loosely tracked my calories in vs. out. Since it is still in the middle of the holiday season, as I write this, I know that I WILL NOT sustain a strict diet the entire time. So, of course, I am allowing some of the indulging foods that come along with the holiday season. But, I know that I still need to enjoy these foods in moderation so as not to derail all of my current progress. The next step will be to track more closely. I will still allow myself the indulging in foods, especially my coffee with creamer and flavors, as it is my favorite daily treat.
When drinking more water, I always have a water bottle with me. In a stainless steel bottle to keep it cold at a large capacity, having water nearby helps significantly. Not only does it help me track how much water I am drinking, I am more likely to drink what I need as I won’t need to get up to refill a smaller glass many times during the day. I already have good habits of drinking a good amount of water, so I am trying to be more mindful about how much I am drinking and starting my day with water rather than coffee. That one is a hard one for me.
By breaking down habits into smaller ones you can build on, you are more likely to stick to them and become second nature.
Remember why
Lastly, remember why you wanted to create these new habits when you feel yourself slipping back into old habits or losing the ones you are trying to create. This will help apart the initial motivation you had when you got started to begin with.
My current motivation is getting ready for the cruise I am going on in a month. It may be a little more superficial than creating daily habits that are sustainable for life, but it is helping me work on the changes I aim to make. There is nothing wrong with using an event to get you motivated. What does matter is how you proceed after the event. I know that even after the cruise, I will continue my current routine as it is already a habit to work out daily. I already see results and have fitness goals beyond what I am working toward for the cruise. So I can work on the next steps.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Should you purchase using my links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! Check Out my AMAZON IDEA LIST for my Favorites!
If you are here and reading this, you are interested in your health and fitness. That is so good; I am so excited for you! Taking care of your body is the best thing you can do for yourself in the present and the long term.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”
— unknown
I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you also have to live in the moment, and I feel like taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now as well as for your future self.
If you are interested in learning more about health and fitness, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram @myactivelife_stacey. I am now offering nutrition and personal training online coaching programs. These six-week programs are designed to help you create lifelong healthy habits with nutrition and fitness. Click here to learn more!
Subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page to get tips on health and fitness-related things, along with some tips on outdoor activities sprinkled here and there. Thank you all for the support, and I’ll see you in the next post!
