Are you the type of person that will read something one time, try it out the next day, and then make it part of your routine and habits? If so, then yea!  However, many of us are not like that. It is hard to create new habits and stick with them.  I think of all my unaccomplished New Year’s Resolutions over the years.  I start strong and then quickly revert to my old comfortable way of doing things.  As humans, we reject change. This is normal, and part of nature.   We must be very intentional when we build healthy life long habits.

How do we make the changes we want to make?  Mindset is the key component. One must rethink about their desired change or things will stay the same.

I have a friend who wants to eat healthier. She wants to focus on eating at home rather than grabbing fast food.  Once she changed her mind set about why she wanted to eat at home, she was able to make preparing meals a priority in her day. It was still not an easy task, but she was able to start with eating breakfast at home as a new healthy habit.

Much of what we do in life is habitual.  We do it without thinking.  After dinner, one might eat a piece of chocolate, smoke a cigarette, or take a walk around the block. What is your habit?  Are you happy with it? What do you want your habit to be?  Research shows when you build positive, consistent habits, that you live a fuller, happier life. There are many ways to build habits.

Ideas to Build Healthy Life Long Habits:

• Put your goals or new habits in writing to make them concrete
• Post notes or reminders about the new habits around the house
• Get an accountability buddy who will check in on your journey
• Put a system in place that will support your habits (set out breakfast tableware the night before, set your walking shoes in front of the TV)
• Schedule time on your calendar starting with daily reminders, then weekly, and monthly until it becomes part of what you do without thinking.

We have heard all these ideas before, but we sometimes continue to fall back into our old habits. Try to be intentional about these 5 ideas to create your new heathy habits.