Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services.

Giving grace to yourself is an important habit of longterm health. Accepting that there will be setbacks along the way will help with longterm success.

Follow I Am Teacher Fit on Pinterest

Today, we’re tackling another habit of longterm health: giving grace to yourself. This is just one of a number of healthy habits that can place you on a path of longterm health and happiness. In the first part of this year, we’ve covered a number of other habits, which you can learn about here!

Habits of Longterm Health Review

Remember that habits are formed by following behaviors until they become almost voluntary. It’s unrealistic to expect yourself to make radical changes overnight. Embrace taking things one day at a time and build on your progress as habits develop, which is exactly where giving grace to yourself comes in!

Giving Grace to Yourself

Success is not linear. That’s easy to forget. We often think that we’ll begin a healthy lifestyle and it will be smooth sailing from there on out. The weight will begin to fall off, making wise nutritional choices will become second nature, and we’ll develop a slim muscular physique in just a few months.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. While it’s true that everyone’s journey is different, I haven’t met a single person who transitions to a healthy lifestyle without bumps along the way. What’s important to recognize is that these bumps don’t mean failure. Fluctuations and periods of low motivation are natural, but treat them like the flash in the pan they are and your habits will fall back into place.

Related: Habits of Longterm Health: Growth Mindset

I think this is especially true when it comes to weight loss. It’s easy to think you won’t lose any more weight if you see a higher number on the scale a few days in a row. However, our bodies — especially women’s bodies — can change from day to day for a number of reasons. How much water we did or didn’t drink, how much salt was in our food, the time of day, and then some. The number on the scale should just be considered a reflection of that very moment, not your progress overall. A better method is to weigh once every couple of weeks because consistency over time will produce greater results.

Another example of giving yourself grace is choosing not to feel guilt over a “cheat” meal. Just like one healthy meal won’t turn your entire life around, neither will one “unhealthy” meal. Again, consistency over time will produce greater results than any one-off mishap. If you’re craving pizza on a Thursday evening, take a look at your week overall and indulge if you see fit.

Related: Last Week’s Workouts: Vacation Mode

When we learn to see these bumps in the road as just part of the process it becomes easier to jump back on the horse when motivation starts to fall off. Understanding those bumps, taking them as they come, and then moving on IS giving yourself grace. In the long run, you will be so glad you did!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it!

Topics in the Habits of Longterm Health Series:

• 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

Follow Along Here: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin |

Facebook Community