Tips To Adopting A Healthy Lifestyle
The holidays have come and gone. Mardi Gras is sadly over. For many of us Santa left a few extra pounds as well as presents that we brought into Carnival time. The new year signals a time for many to start a fitness journey and get in shape. Here in South Louisiana, many wait until after Mardi Gras to start that journey. Many dread the start of a fitness journey and don’t know how or where to start. As a person who has started and stopped more times than I care to remember, but has now finally gotten it together and been on a successful healthy lifestyle journey for almost two years, I have a few tips that may help.
Set Realistic Goal
My first tidbit of advice is to set realistic and achievable goals. If you set unattainable goals, you will quickly give up on them. Take your goal and break it down into action steps. For example, if your goal is to lose thirty pounds, you should break down how you plan to do that. Exercise. Healthy diet. Water. Sleep. And then set a time limit. Your timeline should allow for setbacks. Give yourself reasonable time limits to achieve each goal.
Prepare for Setbacks
When adopting a healthy lifestyle, you have to prepare for setbacks. There will always be a party, girls’ night, random crawfish boil, or temptation that comes up, so you must prepare for it. Make allowances for it, and don’t beat yourself up because of a setback. Remember your goals and move on from the setbacks. Give yourself some grace and get back to it!
Make It Fun
If you belong to a gym, try a new class. For my girlies that work out at home, YouTube is full of different workouts. Get outside and take a walk in a new area. Have a dance party in the living room with the kids. Just get up and move!
Romanticize Your Workout
I know this sounds crazy, but it works! On days that I am really not feeling it, I set the mood. I make sure that I put on a cute workout set. I light a candle or spray some aromatherapy spray. I play good relaxing music. I get that if you work out in the gym, it may not be that easy. But definitely tap into the cute workout set and good music.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle is not always easy, but these tips are what help me get through. Stay the course and push on until you reach your goals.
In the long run, you will be so happy with the results and proud of yourself.
