Create A Lifestyle With Sustainability

Creating a healthy lifestyle that truly works for you means incorporating habits and action steps that not only allow you to reach your goals but allow you to enjoy the journey at the same time. Developing a set of habits that you can always rely on means you have a system to fall back on no matter the situation. In order to create this lifestyle system of habits, it’s important to consider what you’re ready, willing, and able to do. That means focusing on the action steps that you truly can do vs what you think you “should” do.

What might that look like? Let’s say you know you can always drink enough water daily, you know you can get in a 30 minute walk 5x weekly and you rock your meal prep every Sunday without fail. Those are examples of daily habits that form a system because they fit into your schedule easily, you have the resources and they’re enjoyable for you.

If you were building (or naming) your system of habits, what are the 3-4 habits that you do regularly that can help you not only get results but also feel and function your best?

Think about the following when forming your system of habits:

Start small, start now. One thing at a time.
Small steps add up to big change over time.
Focus on what you know you CAN do vs what you think you SHOULD do.
Highlight and build on your strengths.
Habit bundle - Pair a habit that you want to do with one that you already do regularly. (Ex: brushing your teeth in the morning could be followed up with drinking 8 ounces of water to increase hydration.)

Most of us want meteor-like results. We want quick, explosive, and noticeable change. That's rarely how sustainable change works though. It's the impact of small steps, multiplied over time that lead to big steps which lead to leaps and bounds. A quote that comes to mind is one by James Clear who wrote the book, Atomic Habits. “A habit that is not yet established can not be improved.” It speaks to the importance of starting at the ground level and building slowly, consistently, and with intention.

Changing our health and fitness behaviors is relatively simple. That doesn't mean it's easy, but it can be a much more simple process than we make into. Rather than focusing on the big picture, why not break it down into easy, manageable steps?

Activity begets momentum. When we take action, we feel motivated to take more action. Do something, however small, TODAY. Take a 15-minute walk. Drink one more glass of water. Meditate for one minute. Replace your afternoon snack of chips with crisp veggies. The power isn't in the single action. It's the compound effect of small choices day after day, week after week that add up. Start small. Start now.