4 Steps to Create Healthy Habits

This post may include affiliate link(s), meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend and link to products that I personally use and recommend.

Happy Friday my friends!

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”-John Dryden

“Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”-Confucius

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”-Aristotle

It’s pretty clear that the habits you create will shape who you are.

What are your habits?

Do you eat the same thing for lunch, go through the same exercise routine, and fall into bed at the same time each night?

Or maybe you’ve made a habit out of eating something sweet before bed, avoiding the gym, and staying up as late as possible.

When it comes to your health & fitness, the two habits that define you are your eating and exercise habits. In fact, everyone that you know who is in great shape has dialed in these two important habits.

If you aren’t happy with your body, then simply adjust your eating and exercise habits.

Here’s how to adopt a habit:

1.) Choose just ONE habit that you want to create. It’s tempting to pick 3 or 4 healthy habits but choosing just one new habit is realistic and doable.

Here are some healthy habit ideas:

• Stop eating after 7pm.
• Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
• Strength train 4 times a week for 45 minutes each time.
• Only eat fruits and veggies as your afternoon snack.
• Get up early and walk for an hour each morning.
• Workout with me (or any personal trainer) 3 times a week.
• Practice yoga for 30 minutes every day.
• Start a healthy skincare routine.
• Start journaling or meditating every day for 15 minutes.

2.) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you’ll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Here’s an example:

• My new habit is to work with a personal trainer 3 times each week.
• My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my skinny jeans.
• The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse’s support.
• I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.

3.) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on social media, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you’ll be embarrassed to give up on your new habit. Putting this new habit in your schedule (literally put it on your calendar) helps keep you accountable. If someone asks you to do something during this time, you already have it blocked out so tell them that you could do it another time or take a rain check.

4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully completed your new habit.

Once your new habit becomes second nature, usually in about 30 days, feel free to add a second habit by going through the same steps.

My morning habits are my favorite!

Here’s what my morning routine looks like:

• Get up at 4am, drink a big glass of water, feed my cat (ok…that’s a necessity not a habit lol), mix up my pre-workout drink then workout for 45-60 minutes.
• Then it’s foam rolling or laying on my acupressure mat & a shower (if you need foam rollers or acupressure mats get them here and use code CARRIEFIT for 15% off)
• This part is something I look forward to every day: Coffee! and my morning smoothie where I add collagen, cacao powder, and Dr. Gundry’s PrebioThrive (which has totally helped me with my bloating).

I do this same exact routine EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I look forward to my morning routine and it sets up my entire day to be a healthy and productive one. Sure, I might change the ingredients in my smoothie to create different flavors but I still add in my collagen and PrebioThrive.

The secret to your success in found in your daily habits. So, if you are ready to change your life for the better, then change something you do every day.

Stay Healthy my Friends!

XO,

Carrie A Groff