Take a minute to think; what is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Do you meditate and set intentions for the day? Do you go for an early morning run? Do you make a filling breakfast? Or do you doom-scroll through social media?
While we all want to take better care of our health and wellness, many struggle to build a routine that caters to all our mental, emotional and physical needs.
Rather than focusing on unclear and overwhelming goals, creating smaller lifestyle changes allows us to address these more significant concerns.
Our Wellness Experts have gathered their advice for turning good intentions into healthy habits to help improve your life.
Find Your Why
We often fall back into bad habits, even when we don’t want to, simply because they’ve become second nature.
When trying to break these old ways, it is essential to have an overarching purpose behind this change to help us push forward during moments of doubt.
Maybe you want to be able to play with your kids for longer without running out of breath. Or perhaps you want to hike along The Great Ocean Walk. No matter how simple or extravagant your ‘why’ is, visualise it. And then make it happen.
Be Specific
Form better habits by being specific about what you want to achieve.
Rather than saying, ‘I want to eat healthier’, write in detail what you want to achieve and what success for that goal looks like, i.e. ‘I want to get five servings of fruits and vegetables in my daily diet.’
By clearly defining your goals, you will be better able to track your progress and more likely to stay motivated.
Our Wellness Experts recommend writing your goals and your ‘why’ down, in a journal or a notepad so you can revisit them for inspiration if you start feeling discouraged.
Take Small Steps…
You can’t expect to go from sitting on your couch to running a marathon in one day.
It takes small steps to set you up for success and help you feel less overwhelmed by the task.
Look at your overall goal for yourself (e.g. I will get five servings of fruits and vegetables in my daily diet) and break that into smaller, more achievable goals like, ‘I will eat a serving of fruit with my lunch’.
Every Day
It takes (on average) just over two months for a new habit to become an automatic behaviour.
While this may feel like forever, the time quickly adds up when you practise your new habit daily.
Use a daily planner to keep track of all the days you’ve succeeded in your goal to show yourself how much closer you are to hitting your bigger milestones.
Stack Habits
It is easier to change a habit than to make a completely new one.
Take a look at your routine and consider how you can tie in a new habit to help make it stick.
For example, if you already go for a walk to clear your head during your lunch break, try to pick up some fruit from your local convenience store to enjoy on your way back into the office.
Remove Obstacles
How often have you heard yourself say, ‘I can’t do [insert good habit here] because I’m too busy/ tired.’
Break away from this mindset by identifying and reducing the barriers stopping you from achieving your goal.
If you want to eat more fruit and veg but don’t have the time to prepare it yourself, choose to order from menus built around fresh, whole foods, like Island Naturals Cafe.
Celebrate Your Wins
With certain habits, it can take longer to see the benefits.
When it comes to eating healthy, for example, it can take a few weeks to see an improved appearance in your skin and to feel more energised.
However, suppose we attach rewards to healthier habits as we build them, like enjoying a delicious and nutritious meal with friends. In that case, we can see a more immediate benefit to them and are more likely to repeat and keep the habit.
Looking for more help building your healthy habits? Pop by the Island Naturals Wellness Shop for inspiration and advice from our team of Wellness Experts.