It’s already March, and a lot of people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get more active and eat better. Are you struggling to stick with your resolutions too? Don’t beat yourself over it. We all have a hard time making improvements in our lives. But if you’re ready to recommit and make some healthy lifestyle changes in 2020, follow these five simple steps.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Current Condition
A lot of people start out on a new health adventure by setting goals. That seems like a good place to start, but they’re actually getting ahead of themselves. In order to make positive changes in your life, you not only need to know where you want to go, but you’ve also got to get real about where you are right now.
One way to evaluate your current condition is to
take a healthy lifestyle test. This will help you understand your current lifestyle and immediately identify some changes that need to be made. You should also get a physical exam and checkup from your doctor and discuss with her that you want to make some healthy lifestyle changes.Step 2: Make a Plan of Action
Once you know where you are healthwise, you can set some new goals and come up with plans to achieve them. Be sure that your goals are specific and measurable, so that you can objectively see whether you are making progress toward them or not as the weeks go by.
If you’re new to living a healthy lifestyle and want some ideas, try some of these
17 health goals.Step 3: Get Some Accountability Partners
Having some support and encouragement from family and friends can make a difference in whether you stick with your plan or revert back to your old ways. Start by letting your family and friends know that you’re starting some new healthy habits and could use their support. Perhaps a spouse, sibling, roommate or friend will want to make some changes with you and will offer to be your workout buddy.
You could also join online groups for support on Facebook and share your health and fitness journey on a blog or on Youtube.
Step 4: Focus on Daily Habits
Experts in human behavior estimate that 40-95% of our
daily activity is habitual. We just do the same activities over and over without really thinking about what we’re doing.You don’t look in the mirror every morning and ask, "Should I brush my teeth and shower today?" No, you just do it without thinking. It’s a habit. It requires no motivation or decision.
Imagine how much easier it would be to reach your weight, health and fitness goals if you approached gym workouts and salad lunches the same way. It will take discipline and effort to turn these activities into habits, but reaching your goals this way is much easier than relying on pure motivation day in and day out.
Think about
investing in a personal trainer, or using your accountability partners to help you to both exercise and maintain a healthy diet. This could be as simple as texting you to see if you went to the gym, or having them plan workouts or even going to the gym with you. It could be meal-planning with you daily or simply reminding you of your food sensitivity. Regardless, turning these actions into habits will help you live a healthier and happier lifestyle.So if you can identify some unhealthy habits and replace them with healthier ones, then you can start moving closer to your goals on autopilot.
Step 5: Engineer Your Environment to Support Your Health Goals
When trying to install these new healthy habits, you should also set up your environment to make these transitions easier. Chances are good that your environment already reinforces unhealthy habits, so make some changes that are congruent with your new health goals.
Some Examples:
Keep a pair of dumbbells next to your couch so you can bang out a few quick sets of arm and shoulder exercises during commercials while watching TV after work.
Instead of restocking your fridge with soda and juice, drink filtered water at home and only have sugary drinks when you eat out.
Toss out that lumpy old mattress and get a latex mattress that helps you get more restful sleep every night.
Living a healthier lifestyle in 2020 doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these five simple steps, you can definitely make some real improvements in your health and experience a healthier, happier life.