How To Take A Healthy Lifestyle Journey More Seriously
Because real change starts long before the gym bag is packed.
Many of us have made the commitment to starting to live more healthily before, only to hit a stumbling block or simply run out of motivation along the way. It’s easy to backslide into bad habits, but it’s also just as doable to make a true commitment to your next healthy living push. Here, we’re going to look at how you can take it more seriously, reducing the chances of slipping back into your old ways.
Know Your “Why”
“Lasting wellness isn’t about discipline — it’s about clarity, consistency and forgiving the stumbles.”
First and foremost, you should understand what it is that you want to change, and why. Not only is it important to have measurable goals that you can track over your journey, but finding the motivation at the root of it can serve as an emotional anchor. Every time you get up in the morning, having a written statement of motivation can help remind you to make the right choices and to reaffirm your commitment to it. Looking honestly at your own “why” can make the goals and efforts associated with it much more meaningful.
Get Precise With Your Nutrition
Even if you don’t have super-specific nutrition goals, such as bulking up for fitness or trying to manage your calorie count, using a nutrition tracker to keep an eye on it can help you manage what you eat much more effectively. You can ensure that you’re getting enough, while being aware of when you’re eating too much, and can much more easily notice the bad habits in your diet. As you pick up on them more often, you may be more inclined to avoid them. In time, these apps can also help you learn more about how to get the macro and micro nutrients that lead to better overall health.
Use A Personal Trainer To Stay Accountable
When fitness is an insular pursuit, one that you do alone, without any help, it’s easy to ease back on it, to choose the lazier path more often. When you have the help of personal training, not only do you benefit from structure, motivation, and expertise in how to reach your fitness goals, but you’re also being held accountable, as well. Simply knowing that someone is there, expecting you to show up and give it your best for another day, can help you make the harder choice even when your motivation is at a low.
Forgive Your Setbacks
One of the easiest ways to sabotage your fitness goals is to treat yourself like a failure for every little hiccup along the way on your journey. Setbacks are a part of being human, and the true mark of resilience and serious effort is that you try again, even when you miss a day of exercise or eat worse than you wanted to. These are habits to gradually change, and to reflect on, but they’re just slip-ups, not failures.
Everyone stumbles along the way, and no one starts off as an expert. With the tips above, you can make sure that you’re putting yourself on the right track for long-term success.
