How to Create Healthy Habits

It can be easy to fall out of good habits around the holidays. With all of the social obligations and delicious foods, who can stay on top of meal prep and workout routines? The good news is that the new year is a fabulous time to start new routines and stick to them.

Without healthy habits, it’s hard to maintain a daily structure and self care. If you’re feeling lost, we’ve got you covered! Let’s look at some tips for creating realistic healthy habits. 

Look at your current habits

First, it’s important to look at your current habits. There may be some healthy ones, and some not-so-healthy ones in there. Knowing where you’re at currently is the best way to form a plan of attack for creating new healthy habits, or improving old ones. 

One of the best ways to form a new habit is to attach it to a habit you already have. For example, if you’re a coffee drinker try to find another healthy habit you can do while sipping in the morning. You could start reading a few pages in a book instead of staring at your phone, for instance. 

Take baby steps 

Remember, you don’t need to take giant leaps when it comes to forming healthy habits. Start small! If you want working out to be a new healthy habit, you don’t have to go into the gym on day one doing 100 push ups. Try taking a walk, doing yoga, and just getting moving. 

Not only is it unrealistic to expect to be going full speed ahead at the gym as a beginner, it’s not good for your body. Take it slow, and make sure you’re introducing your new healthy habits safely. 

Make it easy

Along with starting small, your new healthy habits should be easy to fit into your current routine. Otherwise, you’re not going to be able to make it a habit. Something you need to go out of your way to do and hinders other aspects of your life will not be a healthy habit, and is unrealistic. 

Let’s look back at the exercise example. If the gym is 45 minutes away and changes the rest of your day negatively, try going on a walk around the neighborhood instead. Or, getting home gym equipment. Don’t make it harder on yourself than it has to be. 

Try something new 

As you get the ball rolling with healthy habits, why not try something new? Introducing a new routine is a great way to keep yourself invested in your health journey. If you’re planning on trying new habits, do one at a time so as not to overwhelm yourself. 

Reward yourself! 

The best way to make sure you’re sticking to your new healthy habits is with motivation. Rewarding yourself is a great way to do this! You’ve got to make your habits enjoyable, otherwise it’s never going to work. For example, treat yourself to something you wouldn’t normally after you’ve done your new habit for a week. Such as taking yourself out to a movie after not spending money on takeout all week. Get creative with it! You deserve it.