Healthy Habits are for Everyone!

When deciding on what health habits or fitness advice to follow I sometimes feel overwhelmed. It can be tasking at times and definitely takes will and determination. Even if you feel you know completely nothing about health habits or you know so little that you should buy the "Fitness for Dummies" book(a real book... lol), you need to start somewhere!

Being a mother of two girls (3 years and 17 months) it is so hard to allocate time to get my fitness on! So here are some helpful habits to acquire that I found on one of my favorite craft blogs @ Ohmyhandmade.com. Yes, a CRAFT blog!!

...ANYONE can learn to burn the calories! :)

5 Healthy Habits and 5 Ways to Stick to ‘em!

For those of you who hate to click links here is part of the FUN!

Here are some ways to increase your health and the health of your business:

1. Eat well and regularly. If you’re someone prone to skipping meals when you get busy, pre-make some meals or have simple, nutritious snacks on hand: nuts, trail mix, fruit, crackers, veggies, cheese. You’ll feel better and get more done if you give your mind and body the good food energy it needs. Fuel yourself to do your best work- you can’t run on empty!
2. Drink enough water. When you’re dehydrated you can feel weak, head-achy and hungry. The more you satiate your need for water the more easily you’ll be able to concentrate on your work. Try drinking water first thing upon waking to jump-start your nervous system and rehydrate yourself after sleep. Keep water by your side as you work and aim to drink at least 64oz a day.
3. Exercise regularly. Yeah, we don’t much like it either, but we all know we need exercise to keep our minds and bodies strong, and to help keep us energized enough to take on the day. Not only that, exercise can make you feel happier and less stressed. It’s a practice in focus, in pushing ourselves, in conquering fear- all of which are skills you can turn around and put right back into your business!
4. Downtime. It’s easy to fill up all the hours in the day with so much work and responsibility that there’s no time left for you. Schedule in downtime. Schedule a vacation. Find 10 minutes of quiet and take a breath. Make it happen for yourself. You’ll have so much more to give to your business and to your relationships, if you give to yourself often and regularly.
5. Routinize. The more ways you can find ways to routinize self-care into your day, the more time you’ll have to focus on your work and other daily responsibilities. Begin a morning routine to start everyday off on the right foot, or schedule breaks into your day specifically to eat, take a walk, take care of yourself. Incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine will help you feel calmer, clearer and more prepared to take-on whatever the day brings.

You can start bringing healthier habits into your life and you can stick with ‘em too! Here’s how:

1. Have a strong why. Why do you want to develop this new habit? What benefits will it bring to your life? If you can connect your why to a reason you feel strongly about- if your habit will affect your health, relationships, business, life in general in a positive way- it will help keep you motivated, dedicated and give you the willpower juice you need to create some real change.
2. Tackle each habit one at a time. So, you want to start eating healthier and exercising more, drawing, meditating and going on date nights regularly- if you attempt to make all those changes all at once, you’re going to fizzle out- sho’nuf. Choose one new habit to start with and focus on that until it becomes a regular part of your day, and then tackle the next one.
3. Stick with it for 30 days. Once you stick to something for 30 days, you’ll realize, you can stick to something for 30 days! And that will help keep your motivation chugging right along. The 30-60 day range is the crucial time in which true habits are created, so stick. with. it. It can also take that much for the benefits of your new healthy ways to start sinking in, but once they do, you’ll want to stick with your new habit because you’ll want to keep feeling this darn good!
4. Share the experience. Habits like accountability- tell your family, tell your friends, shout about it on facebook, write a blog post about it- if you say you’re gonna do something for reallike that, then you kinda want to actually do it. For real. Habits also like buddies. Find a friend to exercise with, try healthy recipes with your hubby, make green smoothies for your kids- the more people you get in on it, the better!
5. Stay positive. When you fail one day, do better the next day. When your mind says “I want to quit!” tell it to hush-up and focus on the benefits this new habit will bring to you. When you get frustrated, have patience with yourself, and patience with the process. Keep track of how you’re doing in your planner or on a computer calendar- it’s motivating to watch your progress and see how far you’ve come!

Another suggesstion I would like to add is to surround yourself with others who want to do the same and/or support you with your health goals. This is so important. I know plenty of people who have the will and determination but lack the support from their family members or spouses. PLEASE, just ask for their help and support. You would be suprised how many will jump on board to achieve their own goals. They just needed someone (YOU) to be that one change or inspiration in their goals.

As my coach would say in high school "Make it Happen".