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Habits of longterm health start with taking charge of you! Make the first proactive steps toward developing habits of longterm health.
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I’m not really a New Years Resolution type of person. I, like many people, have found myself ditching the “new year, new you” mentality by early February. A few years ago, I went through a huge change in regard to health and fitness, but it didn’t start in January. It started at 5 a.m. on a Monday in October. But it started. I started. And that’s what I want to share with you today. I believe developing healthy habits is one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves, but when it comes to longterm success, there’s no quick fix.
Habits of Longterm Health
A habit is defined as an acquired behavior that is followed until it’s almost involuntary. A couple of keywords stand out to me in that statement: acquired and almost. That shows two things — healthy habits are not necessarily something we’re born with, and we might have to work at them to make sure that they, in fact, become habits. Because there’s work required, there will also be failure, so when developing habits of longterm health (or any longterm habits), it’s ok to stumble every now and then. (Remember that last part — almost involuntary.)
Take Charge of You
So where in the world do you start when developing habits of longterm health? Whether it’s January 1, January 10, or an early Monday morning in October, sometimes you just have to start. Starting something you never have requires a shift in mindset — an “I Can” mindset. Habit #1 of Dr. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “Be Proactive”. That’s exactly what taking charge of you is all about — being proactive and jumping in feet first.
Related: How to Wake Up Early to Workout
Taking charge of yourself begins with taking charge of your mindset. Accept responsibility for your life and your actions, and take a step away from a reactive mindset. A reactive mindset is one that shifts blame to everyone and everything else.
Well, I gained weight because I got too busy to workout.
Well, I eat fast food all the time because I don’t know how to cook.
But, I can’t exercise at home because I don’t have any equipment and gyms are expensive.
Do those statements sound familiar? They sound familiar to me because I’ve said them all. One day, I woke up and realized that I needed to stop thinking things were happening to me and begin making things happen. While I couldn’t change everything all at once, I could change my mindset and begin making the steps toward creating longterm healthy habits.
Related: 10 Fast & Efficient Workouts
I signed up for a six-week bootcamp class that met at the same time four days a week. It was cost effective and had every piece of equipment this beginner needed.
I learned to make a few healthy meals with simple ingredients and decreased my soda intake.
Remember that habits are created through repetition and consistency. Each day is a new opportunity to take charge of you. Practice taking charge of your mindset and banish reactive thoughts.
“I don’t have time to workout today,” becomes, “I’m short on time, but I have 20 minutes to fit in a quick run!”
“I bought this healthy food, but I don’t know how to cook it,” becomes, “Let’s take a quick look around Pinterest for chicken breast recipes!”
Related: How to Train for a Half Marathon With a Busy Schedule
I hope you enjoyed this first installment of a new series on I Am Teacher Fit. Habits of Longterm Health will be making a monthly (sometimes twice monthly) appearance on the blog. Developing habits doesn’t happen over night and sometimes the institution of one won’t take place until the mastery of another. Use the next few weeks to focus on taking charge and being proactive with your mindset and your life. I can’t wait to share the next habit with you — Make a Plan & Trust in It!
Here’s a peek into the other habits we’ll be exploring over the next few months:
- Take Charge of You
- Make a Plan & Trust in It
- SMART Goal Setting
- Prioritizing
- Improvement Over Competition
- Growth Mindset
- Giving Grace to Yourself
- Communication
- Giving Grace to Others
- Synergistic Training
- Striking the Balance
- Living Your Life
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Finding a plan that is appropriate and doable for you is the key!
I’ve started reading a lot of fitness/running blogs lately (like yours!!) and what surprised me was the number of people whose alarms go off before 5:30. My first thought was “that’s crazy!” But then I realized that if I want to emulate their goals and successes, I might just have to emulate their habits, early alarm clocks included! 5am on a Monday in October? Finally that makes sense to me!
Congrats on taking the reins and thanks for sharing some inspiration!
I love everything about this post! Don’t put off getting healthy. Don’t wait for the “perfect” time. Just start!
YES! “stop thinking things were happening to me and begin making things happen” – THAT right there is the mindset you really need to crush goals!
YES! I love all of this! It can be so easy to fall into the excuses but overall it’s just making it a priority and taking action! I’m all about the 5-second rule with Mel Robbins and telling myself that I’m really never going to necessarily feel like it, so I might as well just get up and do whatever it is that needs to be done.
Good for you for finding ways to make healthy lifestyle changes. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
I totally agree with everything you said. For example, I find myself thinking “in February, I’m gonna start this or do that…” and instantly (well, almost instantly LOL), I think, “why not now? Why wait?” This will be a great series!
Thank you for the encouragement!! Love the post!
Keeping a routine and making an activity into a habit is such a huge step in the right direction. But it definitely takes work!
WTG on making activity a habit and a routine!
I always remind myself that I’m going to feel really bad about myself if I skip a workout! No one can beat me up more than I can.
People will do anything to lose weight than to eat better and exercise more and to actually make it a lifestyle. Its’ great to see the other side of weightloss and how it can be a lifestyle and not a fix.
I love all of this! I like to train for races so that I have a real deadline/goal to work toward. I also like doing my Beachbody programs because it gives me a schedule and I like the feeling of accomplishing a goal by completing it!
Getting past the all or nothing mindset plays a huge part. Starting with small changes moves you in the right direction and the more you do it, the less you make excuses and the more you find ways to do it more.
I think for many people, changing their mindset is the hardest part. For me, I had to break my fitness goals down into really small goals, because bigger ones can be overwhelming and just set me up for failure. I literally went from thinking “I need to lose 20 pounds” to “I need to lose 1 pound”. You can’t lose 20 until you lose 1!
YES! Changing your mindset is a crucial first step towards a happier outlook and positive lifestyle changes.
Changing your mind set is definitely the first step to changing your health. This is the first step to making changes to improve your health.
Everybody is able to find a workout and food plan that will fit into their lifestyle, its just a matter of making the time and effort to do so.