Build a Healthier Routine Without Overhauling Your Life
Have you ever tried to quit all of your bad habits and start a healthy routine just to burn out and give up a few days or weeks in? Given how common this patter is, you can probably relate.
You shouldn’t feel bad about being on the health and wellness rollercoaster, because it happens to almost everyone who tries to make meaningful changes in their life.
Our society is inundated with an overwhelming amount of information, both good and bad, from diet culture everyday. It’s no wonder that all of this noise leads many people to make drastic and unsustainable lifestyle changes only to burn out.
Popular culture sets the tone for all-or-nothing thinking and perfectionism that contributes to this toxic cycle.
Instead of completely overhauling your life in one fell swoop, we recommend introducing healthy habits through small and sustainable changes to add up to a huge impact over time.
By changing your mindset, you set the tone for long term change that will help you not only to reach your goals, but to maintain these changes forever.
Why “All or Nothing” Doesn’t Work
All-or-nothing thinking is the enemy of long term change.
When you make sweeping changes that completely oppose your lifestyle, more often than not, you end up burning out before you ever get a chance to succeed.
Any change you make to your diet, exercise routine, sleep schedule, or other habits takes time, energy, and intention. When you make too many changes at once, it can become exhausting both mentally and physically to sustain.
Your habits and lifestyle are deeply ingrained in your brain and routine and big changes might not align with your lifestyle, energy level, or interests.
For example, if you hate eating vegetables and decide to eat nothing but salad to lose weight, you probably won’t be able to maintain the habit for long by depriving yourself of the foods you actually enjoy.
Deprivation leads to craving which leads to bingeing which creates shame and zaps you of your confidence in your ability to change.
All-or-nothing thinking also creates a perfectionist mindset. When you are in this mental space, anything less than perfect feels like a failure when in fact, success comes not from doing things perfectly, but doing them consistently over a long period of time.
So what can you do to combat the trap of perfectionism and actually see progress? Let’s start by creating awareness of your current lifestyle.
Start with Awareness, Not Action
Before making any big changes to your routine, it’s a good idea to take stock of the habits that have gotten you here in the first place.
What does your daily routine look like? Is your diet balanced or ultra processed? What is your relationship to exercise? How are your sleep habits? What is your mood like day to day?
You can use simple tools to identify your habits by using a food tracking app, counting your steps with your smartphone or a smartwatch, and journaling to record your mood and sleep habits.
When you are taking stock, remember to do so without judgement. You should never punish yourself for any habits you deem bad— we all have things we would like to change and you are not a lesser person no matter where your starting point is.
Instead, you are simply gathering data to see where you might benefit most from positive changes.
For example, some people eat relatively healthy but have a sedentary lifestyle and could benefit from more exercise, while others might need help with eating a healthier diet and getting better sleep.
We are all different, but it’s helpful to know where you are starting.
Choose One Habit at a Time
Especially when starting out, try to start small and with one change that is impactful and that you can build on over time.
If you are focusing on making healthy changes to your diet, maybe start by adding a full serving of fruits or vegetables to every meal. Frozen veggies or bagged salad kits count!
Maybe you want to start with exercise. Try to commit to going for a 15 minute walk when you get home from work or do bodyweight exercises for the first 15 minutes of your nightly Netflix binge.
Try a technique called habit stacking, where you stack a healthy habit onto something you commonly do in a day. This is a low effort way to incorporate good habits into your routine and creates a rewarding feeling for accomplishing it.
For example, try to drink a full glass of water before you enjoy your morning coffee. This will help you stay better hydrated and can reduce overeating later in the day.
Another idea is to log your food after brushing your teeth at night. This will help you to create awareness around your eating habits and prevents you having to do this tedious task throughout the day.
For increasing movement, you might take your phone calls standing up or even better, taking a walk around your house, office, or even around the block. Walking helps you to stay focused on your calls and helps you to increase your exercise.
Build Routines That Fit Your Real Life
By pairing your habits and building on them over time, it can feel more natural and seamless to incorporate healthy habits into your current routine, rather than trying to build a completely new lifestyle from the ground up.
You can personalize these habits to your unique schedule, tastes, and energy level.
In short, find ways to remove barriers to creating a new routine and make it easier to start to make those impactful changes.
The important thing to remember is that when you make these small changes, you will start to change too. As you become stronger, your energy improves, and you gain confidence, it only becomes easier to build on these habits over time.
You might go from 15 minute workouts to 30 minutes or more. You’ll go from a portion of veggies at dinner to creating more balanced meals.
Over time, you will see meaningful change that sticks and is actually enjoyable and rewarding instead of punishing.
Track Progress Holistically
So how do you track progress and stay accountable? There are many ways to start measuring progress that will help to keep you focused and inspired to keep going.
You can track things like your weight and measurements, but try to remember that your health encompasses so much more than these numbers.
Journaling can help you to see changes in your energy, sleep quality, stress levels, and even just your confidence in yourself.
Your health provider or your loved ones can help to keep you accountable if you share your goals and progress with them. You might even inspire a friend or family member to start making meaningful changes with you and schedule daily or weekly check-ins to track your progress.
Remember to celebrate even the smallest of wins. Making changes, big or small, is hard and worth celebrating!
Let’s Get Started!
All you need to change your life is intention and consistency, not a complete overhaul!
In fact, overhauling your life overnight most often does not create positive change, and instead leads to burnout and frustration.
You can start by taking stock of your current habits and identifying the areas you need the most growth in. Start to pay better attention to the habits that have gotten you to your present state by food tracking, counting your steps, or journaling.
When you identify areas of weakness, you are better equipped to start making positive changes. Start small and make incremental changes that align with your lifestyle, energy levels, and abilities.
Try habit stacking to integrate healthy habits into your current routine. Over time, you can start to build on these habits to create a sustainable lifestyle that moves you closer to your goals.
Stay accountable by tracking and celebrating your progress, making sure to celebrate the small wins just as much as the bigger achievements.
TeleHealthNP can help you to stay on track to meet your goals by providing personalized support throughout your weight loss journey. Feel free to schedule a free consultation to learn how our program can help you become your healthiest, most confident self!
