How to Add Sustainable Healthy Habits to Your Daily Routine
Developing healthy habits is easier when you find ways to make these choices part of your daily life. Perhaps you have been struggling to achieve a healthier lifestyle and wondering why it’s so hard or you’re already making good wellness choices but want to do better. Maybe your healthcare professional has advised you to make necessary changes to protect your physical or mental well-being.
Whatever the case, you know you need to make changes that are sustainable. Here are some guidelines from BeNat for starting on — and sticking to — better health practices.
Even a little bit makes a difference.
Making big life changes can feel overwhelming, even impossible. But even small changes can make a difference and create the basis for more — and ongoing — improvement. It might be something as small as parking further away from the grocery store, so you have to get more steps in or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
It might be a 10-minute cardio workout you manage to fit in after work. Or, you could opt for a glass of water or natural seltzer instead of soda. Slowly incorporate more changes into your routine, and you will start to notice a change in your overall wellness.
Make it enjoyable.
It is easier to pursue your goals when you find doing so rewarding or pleasurable. So if you are trying to eat better, look up recipes for healthy meals that are tasty as well as nutritious. If you’re hoping to exercise more, find out which regimens you enjoy and are easily incorporated into your lifestyle. If you’ve been putting off self-care due to old injuries or physical issues, see if the products at BeNat might help — there’s nothing quite like simple, clean, and effective personal care and beauty products that are actually good for yourself and our planet.
Replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones.
Try to identify the triggers that prompt you to seek short-term solace in a bad habit such as smoking or bingeing on snacks. Then, find something to do to take your mind off what’s bothering and distracting you from pursuing your short-term, less-than-healthy fix. Doing something that relaxes you or makes you feel good can be the start of making that your go-to when trying to grapple with negative emotions or stress. When your good habits make you start feeling better overall, you may be less vulnerable to stress triggers.
Reward yourself.
One reason it’s hard to break bad habits is that the benefits are not always immediate and we’re wired to focus on more immediate gratification. It’s harder to envision and work for a future goal or an image of a future self when some more instant satisfaction is within our reach. But if we create a system of rewards for when we make better choices, we can use this impulse beneficially. So if you manage to resist the urge to light up a smoke or check your phone, treat yourself with something else you enjoy — maybe put on a song you really like or have a tasty but healthy snack.
Reduce stressors in your life when you can.
Many of our less-healthy habits arise because we are trying to cope with stress or a general lack of fulfillment. If it is possible, rid yourself of some of the pressures that create stress and negativity. This may mean learning to say “no” when people are asking too much of you. It could involve re-evaluating certain relationships. If your work is a source of anxiety or has ceased to be rewarding, consider whether a career change is right for you. You might even want to enroll in online classes or degree programs to train for work that will be more enjoyable.
Don’t let negative self-talk deceive you into thinking it’s too late to make improvements in your life. Even a few small changes made now can make a difference and may give you the impetus you need to pursue more ambitious goals. If you want to incorporate all-natural body care as part of your wellness journey, reach out to BeNat today!
info@benatnow.com