Learn how to form healthy habits and stick with them in 2023. In the past few years, the world has experienced a lot of change. With consistent instability, it has been hard to form habits toward a healthier lifestyle. As the world starts to settle into its new normal, many people are getting back on track to setting goals and forming new, healthy habits. This guide will help you to form healthy habits and stick to them throughout the year to contribute to a healthier, more productive lifestyle.
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Habits vs. Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle can mean many things. Most people would say a healthy habit cycle consists of drinking enough water, eating foods that are good for you, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. Living a healthy lifestyle means consistently doing things that make you feel good, contributing to a better quality of life. Although this may sound easy, many people struggle to consistently practice good habits over time. Forming habits that persist over time turn into overall lifestyle changes. This guide will provide examples of how to form healthy habits and stay consistent to contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
How long does it take to form a habit?
Someone once said doing an activity for 21 days forms a habit. This statement has not been proven, and studies show it can take much longer to form a good habit, and less time to form a bad habit. The reason bad habits form faster is because bad habits are easier to practice. Bad habits may be characterized as smoking, or eating unhealthy foods. It is much easier to go to the drive-thru instead of cooking a healthy meal. It is easier to smoke when you’re bored or stressed instead of putting effort into a hobby. There is no clear time frame when a habit is formed. Discipline and self-awareness are the best ways to make or break a habit, no matter the time frame.
Statistics will only give you a general idea about building habits, because everyone is different. Building a habit isn’t linear. There will be times that you don’t follow the guideline you set. That does not mean all of your progress is gone, it just means tomorrow is a new day to get back on track. It is important to give yourself slack during lifestyle changes. A cheat day here and there won’t ruin your progress, and may actually keep you from losing control.
Set Clear Objectives
There is a difference between saying you’re going to live a healthier lifestyle and choosing a specific goal to work toward. For example, if you say, “I’m going to be healthier”, there is no way to measure this progress. Eventually this idea will dwindle into the same lifestyle you were living before. Instead, say “I am going to drink a gallon of water every day”. If your goals are specific, they are much easier to measure and follow over the long term.
Discipline
After setting clear goals, the only way to achieve them is through self discipline. Being strict with yourself makes you stronger and more likely to achieve greater goals throughout life. Being disciplined is not easy, and can take time to perfect. There are techniques to improve your self awareness and discipline to become better at holding yourself accountable. The discipline that you implement within yourself will carry out to other aspects of your life. I wrote a whole post about practicing self discipline and ways to improve your routines. Read more here.
Healthy Habits
Hydration
Drinking enough water is important to your overall well being. Dehydration can affect your mental and physical health including your organs, skin, muscles and more. Drinking enough water is a key element in building a healthier lifestyle. To improve your daily hydration habits, it is important to have easy access to water. Carrying an adequate water bottle makes it easy to expand your intake each day. Another way to increase your water intake is to add fruit or flavoring to create an incentive to drink more water. You can also add drinking water into your daily habits to turn it into a habit. Drinking water before or after brushing your teeth is a great way to create a routine of hydrating.
Eating
Eating healthy food regulates your weight, reduces risk of disease, and elevates energy levels in the body. Healthy eating may look different for everyone. Some people have specific goals in mind that require them to eat differently. Meals can contain various different ingredients while still being healthy. Overall, eating balanced meals with more nutrients and less processed ingredients will contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Using a grocery and meal planner helps you prioritize healthy eating. A way to eat better is planning out groceries and meals in advance to reduce the feeling of being hungry but not knowing what to eat.
Exercise
Regular exercise is a healthy habit that contributes to longevity in the muscles, heart, and overall brain health. Specific to your goals, your exercise plan can be different than others but still beneficial to you. Creating an exercise goal is important for consistency. Establishing a goal like walking every day, running a mile, or just moving your body for 10 minutes a day will provide structure to encourage you to get active and stay active. Keeping a written activity log in your journal will allow you to document your progress over time.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is a very important habit that leads to a healthy lifestyle. Sleep contributes to a healthier mind, body, and immune system. Again, everyone is different. The amount of sleep you require to feel your best may be different than others, but overall, 7-9 hours is the average range of sleep humans ultimately need each day. To form a healthy sleeping habit, create a schedule for the day that gives you plenty of time to get that much needed rest. Block out time to read or put your phone away to relax your mind before sleep. Planning out your day is a great way to keep healthy habits, and will separate your time to keep you on track.
Have an Outlet
Changing your lifestyle isn’t easy. It is much easier to drown your fears and failures in bad habits like drinking and smoking than facing them and working on yourself. Forming good habits may leave room where bad habits once were. If you cut bad habits out of your life, you’ll find extra time in the day. Having an outlet to relax or blow off steam is important to turn healthy habits into a lifestyle. Finding hobbies, spending time with friends, or learning new things are great ways to replace time spent negatively. Be sure to give yourself time to have fun because fun is beneficial to everyone.
Improve your Self Talk
Working on yourself is a difficult path, but ultimately the best path for your growth and development. Sometimes you are your own biggest obstacle in life, and recognizing that will help you to push forward into a better lifestyle. If you lose progress or have a cheat day, I promise it’s not the end of the world. Being nice to yourself and engaging in positive self talk is an important way to stay consistent in your journey. Avoid negative self sabotaging thoughts as they can be detrimental to your progress.
These habits will not turn into a lifestyle all at once. Creating healthy habits takes time and effort to achieve. Over time of practicing healthy habits, you’ll notice your life becoming healthier overall. Eventually you will reach your original goals and set new, larger goals to work toward.
Comment your goals for 2023 below!
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