People who succeed at almost anything have learned and developed habits that lead to their success and living healthy is no exception. Most people struggle with various parts of a healthy lifestyle, but the one’s who manage to work through it are the ones who have developed healthy habits that have become part of their everyday life.
I’ve compiled 3 habits that I have observed in people who live healthy (some of which have even worked for me!).
People who live healthy are organized.
I firmly believe this is the number one habit you can develop. From planning your time to exercise to making sure you are eating healthy, keeping organized greatly improves the odds that you will accomplish everything you set out to do. Personally, I rely heavily on a calendar system that sends me email or text reminders as things are about to happen. I also use it as a task list. I used to be a very unorganized person and I struggled constantly remembering when to eat, missing exercise times, and forgetting to do numerous other things. If you don’t develop any other habit, getting organized will give you the most band for the buck by far.
People who live healthy are persistent.
Some mornings I get up feeling lousy and some nights I feel like eating a quart of ice cream. Over the years I’ve had my ups and downs, but I’ve always stuck with it. I never let a set back or injury or an unexpected event derail all my success. 1 bad day doesn’t need to lead to a bad month. 1 injury doesn’t need to end your exercise routine for years. People who live healthy keep finding ways to eat right, exercise, and to keep going no matter what road blocks they face. Develop a habit and a mindset of not giving in or giving up every time you suffer a setback. The more times you overcome an obstacle, the easier it becomes the next time.
People who are living healthy learn to adjust. Suffered a knee injury?
Then find other exercises to do while it heals. Traveling on business for a week? Find the hotel fitness center and pack healthy foods for the trip. Life is change and developing the habit of adapting to those changes will serve you well. Many things have changed for me over the years from my job to my kids to my house, and I’m always looking for ways to adjust. When I got a job further from the gym, I adjusted my schedule to include 1 weekend day in the gym. When my kids were very young I did most of my exercising at home before they got up or after they went to bed. Learn to adapt, adjust, and overcome whatever life throws at you.
Research shows that it takes about 21 days for a new habit to become permanent.
21 days doesn’t seem like a long time, but in my experience it can be a lifetime, especially if you are trying to develop a new habit related to your eating patterns. Several years ago I decided to stop eating butter of any kind. I didn’t necessarily love butter, but I was raised putting it on everything and cooking with it, so it was really just a habit, but boy was it a hard habit to break. At first I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but after a few weeks and a lot of set backs I finally stopped using any butter all, and that habit has stuck with me for several years to the point where I don’t even think about it anymore.
Building a new habit takes time and patience. Be gentle and forgiving with yourself. You will have setbacks, but don’t get discouraged. If you can make your habit stick for 21 days, you are in great shape.
People who live healthy are organized.
I firmly believe this is the number one habit you can develop. From planning your time to exercise to making sure you are eating healthy, keeping organized greatly improves the odds that you will accomplish everything you set out to do. Personally, I rely heavily on a calendar system that sends me email or text reminders as things are about to happen. I also use it as a task list. I used to be a very unorganized person and I struggled constantly remembering when to eat, missing exercise times, and forgetting to do numerous other things. If you don’t develop any other habit, getting organized will give you the most band for the buck by far.
People who live healthy are persistent.
Some mornings I get up feeling lousy and some nights I feel like eating a quart of ice cream. Over the years I’ve had my ups and downs, but I’ve always stuck with it. I never let a set back or injury or an unexpected event derail all my success. 1 bad day doesn’t need to lead to a bad month. 1 injury doesn’t need to end your exercise routine for years. People who live healthy keep finding ways to eat right, exercise, and to keep going no matter what road blocks they face. Develop a habit and a mindset of not giving in or giving up every time you suffer a setback. The more times you overcome an obstacle, the easier it becomes the next time.
People who are living healthy learn to adjust. Suffered a knee injury?
Then find other exercises to do while it heals. Traveling on business for a week? Find the hotel fitness center and pack healthy foods for the trip. Life is change and developing the habit of adapting to those changes will serve you well. Many things have changed for me over the years from my job to my kids to my house, and I’m always looking for ways to adjust. When I got a job further from the gym, I adjusted my schedule to include 1 weekend day in the gym. When my kids were very young I did most of my exercising at home before they got up or after they went to bed. Learn to adapt, adjust, and overcome whatever life throws at you.
Research shows that it takes about 21 days for a new habit to become permanent.
21 days doesn’t seem like a long time, but in my experience it can be a lifetime, especially if you are trying to develop a new habit related to your eating patterns. Several years ago I decided to stop eating butter of any kind. I didn’t necessarily love butter, but I was raised putting it on everything and cooking with it, so it was really just a habit, but boy was it a hard habit to break. At first I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but after a few weeks and a lot of set backs I finally stopped using any butter all, and that habit has stuck with me for several years to the point where I don’t even think about it anymore.
Building a new habit takes time and patience. Be gentle and forgiving with yourself. You will have setbacks, but don’t get discouraged. If you can make your habit stick for 21 days, you are in great shape.
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