How many times have you wanted to implement a new healthy habit or change but struggled to make it stick?
It's easy to have a healthy, vibrant and energised vision of yourself but actually making that happen can be tough so I wanted to share with you my 5 best tips to making healthy habits stick and last for life.
Whether you want to implement a healthy eating, exercise or lifestyle habit, these tips will ensure you see any goal through.
1. Use SMART Goals
Goal setting is incredibly important because it provides you with a sense of direction, motivation and clear focus, while forming new healthy habits. I love using SMART Goals to guide goal setting and, I highly recommend them in my BARE Guide, because they set you up for success by making your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.
So instead of making a vague statement such as 'I want to eat healthier', make a clear statement about how, when and why you want to complete a goal such as 'Over the next 12 weeks, I will follow the BARE Guide and meal prep every Sunday so I can enjoy healthy meals everyday'.
2. Make yourself accountable
For me accountability is KEY for success! When you make other people aware of your goal, you're putting an accountability system in place that can support and motivate you and therefore you are more likely to see your goal through.
Find an accountability buddy or space that can help stick to your goal. This could be a friend, a family member or even a community. For instance, BARE Guide has an exclusive Facebook community, where every member can share their goal(s) and receive support, encouragement and inspiration from others - there is always power in numbers!
3. Remember that small steps lead to long-lasting changes
When wanting to make a healthy change, the cliche saying is true - slow and steady wins the race! Instead of focusing on fast results and quick changes, focus on steps that can help you to enjoy that healthy change for life.
When I first started to include more healthy foods into my life, I started with small incremental changes. I swapped soft drink for water and MacDonalds for homemade burgers, and then every week I'd try to make another small change, such as eating more veggies at dinner time, and this is what allowed me to build a long-lasting healthy relationship with food.
4. Identify your obstacles
While it may feel counter productive, it's important to acknowledge the obstacles and challenges you may face in regards to your new healthy habits or goals.
When you know identify a obstacle and can even understand what may trigger it, you can devise a plan to help move past this challenge. For instance, if you know you're likely to overeat when you're sad, then think of other things that can help you process your emotions effectively and feel better such as journaling or calling a friend.
5. Show yourself compassion
I believe one of the biggest things you can show yourself when implementing a new healthy habit is compassion. There will be days when things don't go to plan and that's ok! It's not the end of the world and you can always start again tomorrow.
Instead of beating yourself and completely giving up, learn from any hiccups and go again! This is how sustainable change is made.
Implement these tips today and eventually those healthy habits will become as normal as breathing!
Plus, if you haven't already, join the BARE Guide Community and start your healthy eating journey today!
With over 120 exclusive recipes, flexible weekly meal planners, shopping lists and an abundance of supportive resources, the BARE Guide makes healthy eating easy, sustainable and, most importantly, delicious.
Leah xx
