Turning Your Channel
Are you pondering where to turn to start a healthier life?
Well we now know that in order to make solid changes in your life for a better and healthier lifestyle, you need a concrete foundation and you need to establish boundaries as part of being able to build a solid foundation.
We have also talked about how habits and routines can impact your ability to create that solid foundation, as they are different:
A habit is a recurrent, often unconscious action that is acquired through frequent repetition.
A routine is a set of customary or unchanging and often unconsciously performed activities or procedures.
Habits create a routine.
And routine is made of a set of habits.
In order to build good habits you must establish a good routine (please see my blog, Habits and Routines for more on this conversation) .
Suffice it to say it takes small steps to change your habits (most of the time) and a new routine in order to reinforce those good habits. Each time you do something new, you start to create a new pathway in the brain. At any age! So just because you’ve never exercised or done yoga doesn't mean you can’t. It means you need to take the step, try it, hopefully enjoy it, and build it into your routine. Wham! You now have a good habit! It’s about repetition and consistency.
Here are some small steps you can take to make concrete improvements in your foundation:
Establish a morning ritual (e.g. take a walk)
Begin using weekly/daily goals (e.g. I’m going to go to one yoga class this week)
Eat a healthier diet. (e.g. eat at least one piece of fruit a day)
Exercise. But your body needs rest days. (This is important. We all know exercise is key to living healthier, but too much exercise is not good for your body. Your body needs rest days to repair and rejuvenate.)
Write your goals on paper/maintain a journal to record ideas. You are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Writing your goals down not only forces you to get clear on what exactly it is that you want to accomplish, but doing so plays a part in motivating you to complete what is necessary for your success.
Take one/two days off per week, work hard the others. (Everyone needs downtime.)
Start using several deep breaths if you find yourself stressed.
Give up, cut back on television, surfing the internet and social media.
Get enough sleep each night. (most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to function at their best.)
Food for thought. It just takes one small step on any of these to get you moving in the right direction!
