A month into the new year, many people are taking time to evaluate resolutions they set at the turn of the calendar. Have their goals been successful so far? Is a little motivation needed to get back on track? Did the well-intended goals fizzle out before they even really began? No matter which of those categories you may fall into, there are ways to alter your goals so you can get back on track with your simple wellness routines.
When it comes to creating a health routine to support better wellness habits, set goals that you’ll actually stick to. Major reasons why people don’t stick with goals are that they’re not specific enough, too lofty, or they get off track early in the process and don’t find a way back. Throughout the implementation of a new routine, think of your “why.” Having a reason behind making these changes will keep you motivated. Do you want to implement a new workout routine because you think you should? Or because you want to be healthier and agile enough to keep up with your grandkids in the future? Do you want to get better sleep because you’re always told you should be getting 7-9 hours per night? Or because you want to wake up feeling rested and refreshed and ready to tackle whatever the next day holds? You’re more likely to stick to a routine that you are interested in or have true motivation behind rather than one you just think you should be doing. Starting off with the right mindset will help you succeed.
While we won’t tell you which habits to start, here are some specific suggestions of how to stick to the ones you may choose.
Eating Healthy
Eating healthy is a great goal, but it’s important to not leave it too vague. What exactly does “eating healthy” mean to you? Making sure you get one serving of fruits and vegetables at every meal? Ensuring 30 grams of protein at each meal? Whatever your goal, make it specific enough that you can track its success daily.
Pro Tip: The 80/20 rule of healthy eating is to make sure that 80% of your diet is fresh, healthy, whole foods, while the other 20% allows for flexibility. It’s important to give yourself grace and remember that eating one treat or forgetting to implement your goal at one meal won’t affect your overall progress.
Stay Hydrated
Water is essential for nearly every function in your body, from supporting digestion to regulating temperature to maintaining skin health. Whether it’s eight glasses per day or half of your body weight in ounces, set a specific goal that will be a challenge, yet attainable. Start your morning with a glass of water to start off on the right foot.
Pro Tip: Get a fun water bottle that you only need to fill twice a day or that has measurements on the side so you can see how close you are to your daily goal.
Get Regular Exercise
Create an exercise routine that makes sense for your situation. If you’re currently not exercising at all, setting a goal of one-hour workouts six days a week is lofty—especially as you’re starting out. You need to give yourself time to rest and recover. Don’t push yourself too hard right away or you’ll increase your chances of injury.
Pro Tip: Start with two 30-minute workouts per week and set a step goal for the other days of the week to ensure you’re still getting in movement even on days you don’t do a full workout.
Get Good Sleep
Getting quality sleep is foundational to overall health. There are many factors that go into getting a good night’s rest. Create a cool, dark, quiet environment for your body to get comfortable. Avoid blue light from screens a couple of hours before bed to signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. Don’t snack after dinner so your body has enough time to start the digestion process before bedtime.
Pro Tip: Some of these aspects can be hard to control, especially when you’re away from home. Create your own sleep kit with a sleep mask, ear plugs, noise machine, or any other item that creates an ideal sleeping environment, no matter where you are.
Take Your Vitamins or Medications Regularly
Whether you are working on your health by taking a multivitamin every day or you have an important medication to help regulate a health condition, keeping on top of these is important. Vitamins and medications can both be ineffective if you’re not taking them as directed.
Pro Tip: Grab a pill organizer that will help you stay on top of sorting and organizing your doses. It will also help you remember whether you’ve taken a dose on any given day.
Find Ways to Stay Motivated
After establishing your “why” and setting your personal simple wellness routines, it’s important to stay motivated along the journey. One way to do this is to keep track of your daily progress. Keep updates in a planner, journal, phone, or app to help you keep momentum.
Reward yourself as you’re completing your routine, especially at the beginning of your journey. The small reward will give you motivation early on, and after a long enough time, the action will become routine; it’ll be something you won’t have to think twice about doing.
Another way to keep motivated is to couple the routine task with something else you’re doing anyway. If it’s to drink eight glasses of water per day, start with a glass after you brush your teeth in the morning. You will feel great that you’ll already have one done right away! Research has shown that when you combine two actions like that, you’re more likely to commit them to memory and formulate them as a habit. [1]
Pair up with an accountability partner to keep you motivated. Even if you have a different goal or routine than your accountability partner, regular check-ins ensure you’re both sticking to those routines. Having a friend to lean on can also make the journey more fun.
Goals aren’t meant to be set and forgotten. They should remain flexible and adjustable so you can alter them as time goes on. Aim to reevaluate these goals every month to keep your simple wellness routines continually evolving and improving right alongside you.
Reference
1. Scientific American. How Long Does It Really Take to Form a Habit? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-long-does-it-really-take-to-form-a-habit/
