We are creatures of habit. About 80% of what we do in a day is just a repetition of the same things we always do. Those are our habits. We do not have to think about driving, or sometimes, what to do at work because those things are just routine. But they didn’t start off as routine, they became routine, and therefore, became a habit. So how can you make simple healthy living habits part of your day?
When it comes to living a healthy life, we have to figure out how to change the bad habits and instead, make new habits. Merely stopping the bad habits isn’t enough. Why?
Psychologist Timothy Pychyl explains: “Breaking a habit really means establishing a new one, a new pre-potent response. The old habit or pattern of responding is still there (a pattern of neuron responses in the brain), but it is less dominant (less potent).”
“It’s much easier to start doing something new than to stop doing something habitual without a replacement behavior,” says neuroscientist Elliot Berkman.
Now first we have to identify your bad habits – they might be so ingrained that we don’t even recognize them at this point.
How to Figure out Your Healthy Habits
Take an Inventory of all the things that you do that do not support your health and energy. You can think about the following things (and write them all down!)
- Do you sleep enough?
- How much water do you drink?
- What kind of food do you eat?
- How often do you have sugar treats like cookies and candy?
- Do you have regular bowel movements?
- How much stress do you have in your day-to-day life?
Now you can see your lifestyle written out, and you can most likely recognize the bad habits? What do you see? Things like grabbing a few pieces of candy on the way back to your desk can seem innocent, but when you realize you are doing it 2-3 times a day, 5-6 days a week…you start to see it for the bad habit it is.
Once you know which habits are not good for your health, you can make a plan to replace them with good habits and make them a part of your life. For example, in the morning, is the first thing you drink a cup of coffee or tea?
Instead, what about starting your day with 2 full glasses of lemon or regular water? Then have your coffee or tea. It’s a simple habit to switch, but it can make a huge difference!
Now look at breakfast, instead of grabbing toast and jelly, or sugary cereal, what about juicing? You can try vegetable juice like celery juice, or carrot juice, or any other combinations!
Need some recommendations? I talk a lot about juicing and healthy snacks on my website here.
Want to get started with your new habits?
Pick one good new habit and do it for 1 month and stay with it. Then next month add the 2nd and the 3rd and so on. How would 12 new habits affect your health and energy level? Can you imagine!
Here are the habits I think would radically transform your life:
- As soon as you wake up, drink 16 to 32 oz of lemon water (or plain water)
- Drastically cut down or altogether eliminate sugary foods and those made with white sugar.
- Avoid/ cut down any animal products, including dairy and eggs.
- Eat whole food plant-based nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and beans.
- Eat 70% to 75% of your daily intake with foods that are water-rich. Think things like soups, salads, fruits, and vegetables.
- Start Meditating
- Include regular walking and/or exercising for 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week.
- Connect yourself with people who are where you want to go and spend time with them. Read good books, listen to positive TedTalks or Youtube videos, and limit watching TV and the news.
- Start writing a gratitude journal before going to bed.
- Get in touch with your Higher self by spending time in solitude and bring all the energy from your head (brain) to your heart. See how creative thinking starts giving you good inner wisdom.
Do you want good health? Then we have to look at our habits and replace the bad ones with new, good ones. It is that SIMPLE.
Want a change? You have to make this a MUST rather than just a “good idea.” If it is a MUST you will have 100% success.
Are you having trouble understanding which habits you need to change, or figuring out what to change them to? Or do you need support in your journey as you change habits?
Let’s find out what you need to change, and together we can create a plan to get you there.
Contact me for your free consultation and learn more about how you can radically transform your life with Simple Healthy Living.
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