4 Tips for Sticking to a New Habit
Many of us can probably relate to an instance where we wholeheartedly set out to make a change for the betterment of our health, like establishing an exercise routine, and subsequently falling flat on our face to the fact that six months later and we are still in the same position without an exercise routine. It certainly feels very discouraging when this happens and makes us not want to try and pursue the adoption of other healthy habits for fear of going down the same rabbit hole. This week, we would like to urge you to revisit a healthy habit that fell through or think about a new goal you have been meaning to jump on because we have several tips to help you establish solid grounding on new healthy habits.
The first step in developing a plan to implement a new habit or goal should be to assess your readiness to take it on. Think back to a time, like previously mentioned, when your new goal fell to the wayside. Was it because you did not have time for it? Or because you had to go out of your way for it? There was likely a barrier that prevented you from achieving successful implementation of your goal. It is important to assess your readiness and any barriers to success prior to taking action on implementing a new goal or habit. When doing this, think in terms of meeting yourself where you are at. Consider things like your values, energy level, schedule, and commitments to others. By doing this in the planning process, you can take steps to avoid obvious pitfalls awaiting for you during implementation, or abandon that goal and find one that better suites your current needs.
Once you’ve established that you are ready to take on your new goal or habit, it is time to devise a plan of implementation. While your plan will be specific to your own needs for helping you best stick successfully to the goal, we have complied general tips that may give you ideas and help you stay accountable to your new healthy habit.
Determine your motivation: reminding yourself of your WHY for keeping your goal will help you stay on track in the face of temptation to stray. For example, if you are trying to go sugar free for 30 days to improve gut health, and are offered a delectable dessert at a picnic, you are more likely to politely say no if you remind yourself that you are avoiding sugar to improve your gut health. You may even think of how good you will feel when your gut is healed, or how painful it was to endure the symptoms of an unhealthy gut.
Set reminders: one of the perks of modern day technology is automation. You can set reminders on your phone to remind you of your goal. This works great for goals that require you to add something into your routine, such as drinking more water, or eating more vegetables. You could set a reminder for each meal time to eat a serving of veggies at that meal so you don’t forget. The great thing is, you have to dismiss the reminder to make it go away, which helps in taking action. Going back to tip #1, you could also set reminders of your motivations for your goal.
Make it short term: starting small can make implementing a goal less intimidating. Making a goal to exercise at least three times a week for one month, is way less daunting than telling yourself you are going to exercise 3x a week forever. Keeping yourself accountable to that one month helps you keep the goal to bite-size pieces that are easier to manage. At the end of that month, you should then evaluate your goal and continue forward with the habit or re-construct your plan if things went awry during the shorter time-frame. Think of it like a free-trial!
Check in on how you’re doing and adjust your plan as needed: it is never wise to go along in life without checking in on yourself every now and then. If you are in the midst of implementing a new habit, you should periodically check in on yourself to evaluate how your progress is coming along. Are you meeting your original plan? Is something preventing you from meeting your goals? Does it not feel right? It is important to ask yourself these questions so you are not getting frustrated with yourself or becoming miserable doing something that just doesn’t fit. All of that is ok. It is ok to give up and work on something else that feels better for you. It helps if you have times to evaluate your progress pre-scheduled into your plan.
PIM wants to hear from you! Do you have tips for achieving goals? Do you find this article helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook and Instagram!
Join the PIM team for our next FREE group class webinar, Stabilize your Blood Sugar for Mood Balance & Longevity: Identify and Reverse Insulin Resistance on Wednesday, November 11th at 7:30 PM. Register at: https://philly-im.com/event/blood-sugar
If you or your loved one needs help, perhaps you are suffering from the effects of ongoing stress, mood or hormone imbalance, including thyroid imbalance, or you or they are already working with a doctor to address a condition but want a more comprehensive, empowering approach schedule your a 20 minute free consultation or an appointment with Zoie Phillips, MSPA, PA-C or Lynda Sherland, CRNP, FNP-C today! Not quite ready to schedule and have questions, quickly get in touch with us today!