In our minds we all have a vision of who we would love to be. Healthy, active, free from pain & diseases, engaged in purposeful & rewarding work and surrounded by loving & supportive people. But sometimes getting from here to there can be tough and we might feel like we have tried just about everything without any results.
There are so many reasons why your goal is getting hampered. Perhaps may be you are doing too much at a time or not ready to take first step. You may have given up on your health goals or lacked a proper plan.
We offer you following strategies that will help you in developing and sticking to your healthy habits. Let’s take a look.
1. Initiate with cognitive goals
When we start to improve our health we usually think about action. But the truth is that getting healthy begins in our minds. It is important to gather information, thinking about our opinions and considering the advantages of change instead of remaining the same. In due time you will feel ready to take your first step forward.
2. Focus on long term goals
The basis of getting healthy isn’t just having a taste of your ideal self for a few days and then going back to the old ways, it is about creating long lasting change. Consider behavioural pattern that you can adopt for a long time instead of short term solutions like twenty one day fitness challenge or a seven day cleanse.
3. Small steps make for big victories
Little steps in forward direction are great way to move towards your goal with success. If you are aiming for good physical health, start with 15 minutes walk outside your home a few times a week. If you are aiming for stress-free life, try meditating for 5 mins at least once a week. This seems easy and that’s the point, over time you can increase your efforts and gain benefit for these healthy habits.
4. Select actions that matter
Each and every habit towards achieving your aim is important but some actions take us to our goals more rapidly than others. For example consider parking farther away from grocery store to increase you walking time in a day, but over time this benefit declines (You cannot get parking space in same distance always and you do not go for shopping daily). Better strategy would be identifying a long term goal like spending one hour in a gym four times a week and so on.
5. Do not rely on your motivation
Motivation is necessary when we try to form a new habit but we also know it can wax and wane, we can’t always depend on it. The key to overcome it is setting up plans in advance to help you cope. Motivation will return once we start to feel the benefits of our new habits.
6. Be accountable to yourself
People usually work harder when they feel they are accountable to someone, whether it is a mentor, family, friend or colleague. It can help but ultimately you are responsible for your own behaviours. Instead on depending on others, set up a system where you can regularly check your own progress. Question yourself and reward yourself when things go well. Understand that it is you who has most knowledge and experience to help you succeed.
The views and opinions expressed, and assumptions & analysis presented in this content piece are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
