Taking that first step on the road to becoming healthier will likely be harder than all of the following steps you will make on your journey. Being healthy isn’t a destination where all the work stops once you reach a certain point. It is a lifestyle you need to work at to maintain even when you hit your goals.
But how can you hit those goals without undoing all of your hard work once you hit a bump in the road?
Know Your Why
Knowing the reason why you are getting healthy and what you are waiting to get from it should be your major focus and the drive behind the decisions you make. While you need to have the endgame in sight, you need smaller finishing blocks to help you break down the path between where you are now and why you are making changes. This can help to keep your focus and dedication in place to help you push through each and every day.
Know Your Downfalls
You also need to know what it is that’s likely to put a stop to any progress you want to make. Knowing triggers, bad habits, and your typical behavior can help you avoid flailing into their trap at any time. While willpower alone can get you through some tough times, you will likely need some support along the way.
Support can come in the form of help from friends to put measures in place to block bad habits and self-sabotage, or it can be booking yourself in for outpatient addiction treatment to help you overcome crutches you have been relying on for any reason that will derail your progress. If you’re struggling with addiction, rehab could help you get back onto the right path and start living and enjoying your life again.
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Cut Yourself Some Slack
Life isn’t perfect, and you should also expect that you won’t be perfect once you get going on your path to being a better, healthier you. There are many reasons why you got to the point you are at now and many factors that influenced your decisions. These rarely won’t go away completely, and nor should you expect them to. Your path won’t be without issues or problems, and you will likely stray at some points.
If you know this will happen, then if it does, you can cut yourself some slack. Ease up on the pressure, accept that it happened, and then get right back to the new changes you have put in place without unraveling all of your hard work so far. So you had a pizza for dinner and did eat any vegetables yesterday! That doesn’t mean you have to do the same today; far from it. Just be ready for it and throw yourself back into things with gusto.
Chart Your Progress
Say you want to get healthy and lose some weight. Imagine all of your weight; each pound is a small marshmallow in a jar. As you start to lose weight, you take one marshmallow out of the jar per pound you lose. At first, you likely won’t notice any are missing until you have been doing it for a while.
The same goes for your body changes. You might not see them, but they will be there. Take pictures and measurements. Use virtual representations such as old clothes that are too big for you to help you track and chart your progress to spur you on when times get tough.
Getting healthy and hitting your goals for how you want your life to be wont to be an easy task, but the best things in life are rarely easy. These tips can help you to stay focused and on track and give you ways to support yourself through this journey.
