You already have the healthy habits and skills you need and don’t even realize that they will help you get in better shape.

What is a habit?

A habit is a routine or behavior that is regularly repeated and tends to occur subconsciously.

What triggers a habit?

We can establish a good habit just like a bad habit, and it can become part of our everyday routine. Thinking of how good it feels to walk outside and breathe in the fresh air can trigger your desire to go for a walk. The smell of a cookie can trigger the excitement of eating one (or the entire box).

How do habits work?

Well, we always hope it’ll be easy to establish a good habit and eliminate our bad habits. If we have a bad habit that we have developed over 30 years, it is tough to break that habit. Sometimes that pattern becomes part of our daily routine, and then we no longer see it as good or bad.

Many of us start the new year with a resolution to start exercising and eating better, hoping that this will form a lasting habit.

Every day we hear stories like these:

• The celebrity who lost 30 pounds on a juice diet and works with a personal trainer every day
• The reality TV show that has people losing hundreds of pounds within a few months
• The office worker who decided to use plastic surgery to change their body instead of changing their lifestyle

One of the myths we are told: “It takes a major lifestyle overhaul to get results.”

This myth is entirely and utterly wrong!

Who wants to be told to give up everything we love and stick to a strange, strict new diet?

Many of us feel so overwhelmed by those dramatic changes that we don’t finish, let alone even start! You know what? You don’t have to change every aspect of your life to get the results you deserve.

Changing your body and improving your health can be simple. You just have to do two things:

• Make small but strategic choices
• Be consistent

You probably are following some of the healthy strategies already and don’t even realize it. You can use those plans as building blocks for your success.

Many habits that we do are built into our lifestyle already. We may not give them the importance and focus they deserve, but when done consistently they make a big difference in improving our health.

Your Habit Toolbox:

– Cooking 101

– Walk more

– Exercise without meaning to

– Ask for help

– Set priorities

5 Healthy Habits That Can Change Your Life

Habit #1 – Cooking

If you say: “I can’t cook,” I bet you can still prepare some healthy meals.

If you can chop lettuce and cut vegetables, you know how to make a salad. If you can put oatmeal in the microwave or blend a “super shake,” then you know how to make breakfast. Or even if you’re a slow cooker expert, then you can make a healthy, cheap dinner.

Having these skills qualifies as cooking, and they are the building block of more advanced techniques.

Some may see vegetables and chicken and create a stir-fry. Or you can try out a new recipe a friend recommended.

The things you can cook may not be the healthiest yet, but you can change that as you learn more about nutrition and how to make better choices when preparing a meal.

Cooking is a game-changer because you can add or take away from the meals you prepare. Make them as healthy and nutritious as you want, and cook what you enjoy eating.

The strategies and recipe ideas in the Pursue Your Spark Blueprint will point you in the right direction. The planner also includes a “how-to” worksheet to help you create healthy meals and make meal planning easy.

Habit #2 – Walking

You may think you have no time to exercise, but you can always walk.

• You can walk around your house
• Walk to the train
• Walk the aisle in the grocery store

Walking is a form of exercise because all exercise is, is movement.

If you love to walk, you can challenge yourself to walk faster, pick a destination further away, or add stairs to your walking route. Walking is easy to do, and you can do it anywhere.

Habit #3 – Exercising without noticing

Many people think that to get fit; you have to hit the gym. You have to lift weights or take an aerobics class. Of course, that’s one way to “workout.”

But if you like to garden, play soccer with the kids, or crank up the tunes and dance in your kitchen, that’s all considered exercise.

The best activity is the one you love and you do consistently. It may seem like much in the beginning, but every movement you do adds up to more each day. It doesn’t have to be hard and “all or nothing.”

Habit #4 – Asking for help

You have tried to tackle new things by yourself, and the lack of confidence holds you back. Starting something new without the support of someone else can be pretty daunting.

Recognizing that you need help is half the battle. So if you know you will benefit from the support of others, maybe try some of these ideas:

• Ask a coworker, friend, or family member to walk with you
• Meet a trusted friend at the grocery store to show you how to make better food choices
• Hire a trainer, coach, or nutritionist to hold you accountable or a program like mine to guide you through the process and keep you accountable

Whatever your choice may be, reaching out and asking for help is a great start.

When it comes to making health and lifestyle choices having external support that holds you accountable is crucial to achieving your goals.

Habit #5 – Setting priorities

You may use your iPhone or other calendar and plan out your weeks with business appointments and family obligations, and you probably mostly keep those.

Setting reminders either with an alarm on your phone or your computer to help you arrive at the right place on time.

Fitting in fitness and nutrition strategies may still be a challenge, but with a clear plan of action, you can get in shape.

Most people wait for the perfect time to start their new habits, but there is never a “right time” to start anything, there is just now. Those new habits need to be in your planner like everything else in your life to become a reality. Look at your calendar and determine when you can add 1 or 2 more lifestyle-related times.

For example:

• Add cooking a healthy dinner on Sunday night to your organizer
• Schedule a workout with your friend on Thursday morning
• Set an alert on your electronic device at the same time each day to help you get in those ten lunges

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Little steps and consistency lead to lifestyle changes over time that get you the results you want to achieve.
First steps:

Shift your mindset from all or nothing to starting small and being consistent. This shift is not a one-week health overhaul but a lifelong habit change that you can do consistently.

Check out your toolbox, and don’t forget that you can start with doable steps and maybe move on to the harder ones later. Take inventory of the things you already are doing well and build on those.

What action steps can you take right away?

• Cut up extra vegetables when cooking Sunday night’s dinner. This way, you will have healthy snacks readily available
• Park further away from the grocery store next time you go shopping and walk a little more
• Schedule a yoga class with a friend instead of meeting for a glass of wine

Remember, you don’t have to do all these steps at once. Build on the things you are already doing and just do a little more over time.

Small changes will lead to significant results over time.
Ready for the next step?

If you want to get in better shape and improve your health, then I would love to help.