How to turn a positive change into a habit that sticks
“One thing’s for sure. If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting. One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
How many times have you made the decision to get fit, lose weight, eat well, sleep more? And how many times have you started to make that positive change only to find that after only a few days or weeks you have fallen right back into your old pattern? You won’t be surprised to hear that you are not alone, but there are some simple things you can do to create new healthy habits and make them stick.
Create a framework using the Pillars of Health
The Pillars of Health are: 1). exercise, 2). nutrition, 3). rest and recovery, and 4). mental or spiritual health. These 4 factors underpin every area of our health and fitness journey. There is no point exercising every day and then eating processed food and drinking soft drinks, or training hard and getting no sleep. It’s essential you focus on all 4 pillars of health in order to keep your health and fitness journey aligned.
By choosing a new healthy habit for each of the 4 pillars, you are more likely to keep balance in your health and fitness journey. For example:
1. Exercise - move your body for 30 minutes 3 times a week or join a group fitness class
2. Nutrition - eat a handful of healthy nuts once a day or remove sugar from your coffee
3. Rest and recovery - be in bed by 10pm at least 4 nights a week or have a massage once a week
4. Mental or spiritual health - spend 30 minutes outside in quiet each day or listen to your favourite music for 10 minutes a day
Before you decide on your health and fitness goals, here are three important things to note about goal setting:
Set goals that are Measurable
Goals that are general, such as “I’m going to lose weight” or “I will get fit”, are hard to measure because the results are not completely in your control. However, you can control what you eat and drink and what exercise you do. So set goals that are measurable and specific, such as “I’m going to have 5 alcohol-free nights a week” or “I will walk for 10 minutes every day.”
Write your goals down and track them daily
There is a lot of power in having things written down in black and white. Saying, “I’m going to aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night” is fine, but if you write the goal down and then record how much sleep you actually get per night, you‘ll find you are more disciplined and determined to keep on track.
Find support
Any health and fitness journey is easier when you have support from people around you. Once you’ve set your goals, share them with your friends and family so they can help you along the way. Tell them what you need from them and get everyone on board. You may even find that people around you are encouraged by your journey and influenced to make their own improvements to their health and fitness. And the perfect time to start is now.
By Angie Black
ANGIE BLACK
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