Small Habits That Help You Stay On Top Of Health Goals
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The reason keeping goals is so difficult is that it requires us to re-wire our brains. Certain activities are just second nature to a person. After years of doing things one way—of keeping to this schedule or buying these items—those habits are burned into our subconscious. A lot of times, when someone doesn’t meet her goals, it has nothing to do with not wanting to—it has to do with muscle memory. And that muscle memory tells you to do things a certain way. Meeting goals usually means developing a new way of life, and that’s never easy. You’re not going to go from being someone who never exercises to someone who exercises every day, overnight. You’re not going to go from eating every meal out to making every meal at home at the snap of your fingers. These types of large leaps aren’t sustainable, because every fiber in your being is fighting against them. Luckily, there are some little things you can do to slowly make it easier to stay on top of health goals.
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Put it in the calendar
Whether it’s grocery shopping, chopping vegetables, or going for a walk, put the goal in your calendar. Actually set aside time for it and treat it like an appointment. You probably obey your calendar pretty well, right? And do all the other things in there that you don’t want to do, just because they’re in there, like mailing birthday cards to cousins or making conference calls with work. So put your fitness goals in your calendar.
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Get enough sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, sticking to your goals will become increasingly difficult. Not getting enough sleep leaves you exhausted and depressed—two feelings that don’t make goal-getting very easy.
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Don’t drink on weekdays
Stay away from alcohol on weekdays. It always makes it very hard to do the things you said you’d do the following day. If it’s very hard for your to abstain because you love unwinding with a glass of wine, then don’t have more than one drink on a weeknight and then drink plenty of water after. The slightest feeling of a hangover the next day will mean you kiss your goals goodbye.
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Make attainable goals
Don’t ask yourself what the best-case scenario is: ask yourself what the most likely scenario is. And don’t compare yourself to somebody else to decide what your goals should be. If you set goals that are too large, then if (or rather when) you fall short of them, you’ll lose faith in yourself and cut bait on even smaller goals. Set manageable goals so you can be energized by the fact that you meet them.
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Ask a friend to check in on you
It never hurts to have somebody hold you accountable. Ask a friend to text you at the end of the day to ask if you hit the gym or to ask what you’re making for dinner. Maybe you can find a friend who also needs this type of support, so you can be there for each other.
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Keep a journal
Write down, at the end of each day, what progress you made towards your goals—or what mistakes you made. Writing these things out can be either very inspirational (if you met your goals) or very frustrating (if you didn’t meet them). Either way, journaling is a powerful tool as you have to essentially face what you did that day.
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Perhaps a social media journal
Sometimes, a little bragging and some attention is just the motivation we need. If you respond well to these things, then start documenting your progress on social media. Take flattering selfies, explaining what you did towards your goals that day. The likes and the comments may keep you going.
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Ask others how they do it
Don’t be afraid to ask someone whom you admire how she reached her goals. If you know someone who lost a lot of weight, quit smoking, or completely changed her eating habits, ask her for tips. It takes a village to help you reach your goals.
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Appreciate improvements
When you see improvement, really take the time to appreciate it. If you can fit back into your size six jeans, then wear all your size six jeans for a few days to really rejoice in that. Tell anyone who will listen about the achievement.
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Don’t freak about a small setback
Do not allow a small setback to let you feel as if you’ve fallen off track forever. In fact, go into this with the understanding that there may be small setbacks as frequently as once a week or at least a couple times a month. These are also all part of the process, but do not mean that the process has stopped.
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Add post-it notes everywhere
If you really need to stay on top of yourself, add notes everywhere. You can put post-it notes on all of your mirrors, on your car dashboard, and on your front door, reminding you to do the thing you said you’d do today.
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Pre-pay for classes
There’s nothing like a little non-refundable payment to keep us on track. Consider pre-purchasing a pack of workout classes. You won’t want that money to go to waste.
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Loop in a gym with a treat
Find a gym in an area that you love, or near something else you’d love to go to. Maybe there’s a gym next to a dog park, and you’re a huge dog-lover, so after working out, you can go look at the pups.
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Avoid enablers
Your journey is precious and you don’t need to share it with everybody. If a friend who is a bad influence invites you to do something during your workout hours, just say you can’t go. You don’t need to tell her why. You don’t need to open your life up to her critique or judgment.
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Focus on the money saving
Here’s where that financial incentive comes into play again. Keep an eye on your bank account, and see how that number increases as you cook at home more than you dine out, as you skip happy hour with friends to work out, and as you stop adding vodka to every shopping trip.
