Many of us know what we need to do to live a healthier lifestyle, but don’t know where to start. Others of us are so overwhelmed by all of the “to dos” on our health habits checklist that it’s difficult to stay on track. The rest of us have no idea what we’re doing, we just know we want to be healthier. No matter where you land on the spectrum of your health journey, just know that change is possible and you have everything you need to start living the life you want. As someone who is also on a journey to optimal health, I’ve created this blog post filled with a few tips and ideas that I’ve found helpful, in hopes that it will help others, too.
1. Keep It Simple
Meals, workouts, goals, recovery days, routines- keep it all simple! While social media tends to make healthy lifestyles look luxurious, just remember you don’t need extravagant recipes, expensive memberships or health coaches, or top-of-the-line clothes and equipment to be healthier. Small habit changes may not seem like a big deal, but if you do them consistently, big changes will happen! Here are a few easy ideas to incorporate:
- Make extra servings with your dinners, so you’ll have lunch at work the next day (this one also helps your wallet).
- Swap out your French fries for broccoli occasionally when you’re eating out.
- Ensure you keep a water bottle at work to hydrate throughout the day.
- People in jobs with repetitive motion, such as typing or assembly.
- People in strenuous labor roles.
- Individuals in the service industry.
- Headache sufferers.
2. Create Measurable Goals
Goals are important to help you identify exactly what you want to accomplish. However, a goal without a timeline or quantity to assess is just a dream! We need to measure goals to give direction, add greater clarity, and gauge progress. For example:
Goal: To lift more weights this year.
Measurable Goal: To lift weights 3-4 times a week for 3 consecutive months.
With the measurable goal, I now have a plan for how often I want to lift weights and I’ve given myself a reasonable amount of time for progress. After three months, I’ll do a self check-in: did I meet my goal? If I did reach my goal, awesome! Time to progress with another goal. If I didn’t, why not? I’ll either modify my original goal to fit my needs or change my actions to try to reach the same goal and check-in again in three months.
4. Know Your Why
I believe the most important aspect of changing your habits is knowing your why. Now that you have your goals in mind, give them purpose! Why is reaching this healthier goal important to you? We’ll use the same goal example as above:
Measurable Goal: To lift weights 3-4 times a week for 3 consecutive months.
Purpose: Tone my body, prepare for softball season and hiking, boost confidence for summer, and improve my cardiovascular health
Change can be difficult, especially when it comes to lifestyle and health, so give yourself space to have setbacks, make mistakes, and maybe not reach your goals how you intended. Health is a never-ending, ebbing and flowing journey; is there ever really a destination? From my experience, each health goal I’ve achieved has created a path for new health goals to be developed and conquered. No matter what happens during your journey, remember the changes you’re making will give you the quality of life you want and deserve. YOU GOT THIS!
Call us today to learn more about how Accelerate Health can help you return to your daily life without constant pain. We look forward to helping you heal!
