Making lifestyle changes can be difficult. No matter how motivated you are today, you may not feel the same tomorrow or even in an hour. This makes any effective changes challenging to establish and maintain, but this could have a severe impact on your health, wellbeing, and your happiness.
So, how do you make these changes and ensure they last? Anyone who has tried this before knows there’s no magic formula, but there are several things you can do each day to make the changes stick. If you’re struggling to maintain momentum and see the difference you hoped for, consider these eight tips.
Work Out Why You Want to Make a Change
Everyone has unique reasons for wanting to change. It could be fitness-related, or you might feel that resources like alcohol rehab or AA meetings are the only way for you to hold yourself accountable.
Whatever the reason, you must know why you want to make a change. This is the bare minimum to consider when you start your lifestyle journey. It will provide perspective and give you a reason to do something each day. You can then turn this reason into motivation and drive, and this increases your chances of staying on track rather than falling back into old habits.
Don’t Expect Immediate Changes
Too many people expect to see results immediately. They think that one day of work is enough to feel better. And they are sorely disappointed when that isn’t the case.
Everything takes time to see results, whether you’re building up strength, eating healthier, or improving your conditioning for a 5K, 10K, or even a half marathon. It’s always useful to practice and remember patience. Although you may not see clear results right now, the evidence is there, and it is waiting to show you how much you’ve improved. If you don’t show patience, you risk losing motivation and wondering what the point is.
Don’t Consider Yourself a Failure
You are only human. So, as much as you may try to stick to your new lifestyle, you may also have moments of weakness here and there. It could be a small sip. It might be a single puff of a cigarette, or it could be indulging in fatty foods when you know you shouldn’t.
Many people will feel like failures after this and accept that the lifestyle change is not for them. However, this is the wrong approach. Rather than think of yourself as a failure, recognize what happened and why it happened. You can get back on track and look for ways to avoid a simila\r situation occurring again.
Change Your Environment
If you’ve tried and tried to make changes but are still struggling, it could be because of your environment. You may find yourself in a toxic environment where friends or opportunities are too difficult to ignore.
Changing your environment is terrifying, but if you’re serious about making effective and lasting lifestyle adjustments, this could be the only way. You don’t necessarily need to move out of town, but you can look for different solutions. Change your gym, your office, or look for a new social circle and discover how this helps you make your desired changes.
Keep Track Of What You’ve Done
You won’t see progress if you don’t keep track of what you’ve done. You can do this in a notebook or via an app, especially fitness apps that record different workouts where you can view times, weights, and more.
Even if you don’t feel you’re making any progress, these records can prove otherwise. You can see where you were when you began and where you are now, giving you some perspective. This evidence is also perfect for motivating you when you inevitably hit a slump, so you don’t lose progress or fall back into bad habits.
Give Yourself Small Victories
Every small victory is part of a much larger win, which is why it is so beneficial to embrace the small victories. You may not have hit your primary goal yet, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t achieved a lot along the way.
Even something as simple as treating yourself to a coffee because you managed to get out of bed early to workout can be enough to put you in a positive mood throughout the day. For many, it’s these little wins and treats that keep you going. If you’re kind to yourself, you’ll find it easier to make the big changes.
Find Support
No one is an island./ as self-sufficient as you feel, there will be times you need support. This could be because you are not seeing desired results, which could be due to form and inexperience. You might feel overwhelmed with cravings or temptation and need someone (although not necessarily a friend) to talk to.
Your situation is unique, but that doesn’t mean others haven’t gone through something similar. You would be surprised at how helpful strangers can be once you share a common experience and goal./ do not neglect the value of reaching out, whether to friends, family, or people online.
Overcome Stress
You will also encounter a lot of stress during your journey, but it is how you manage and overcome it that matters. If you had crutches before, whether indulging in harmful behavior or simply doing nothing, you must find alternatives.
There are plenty of stress-busting activities to consider, and some include exercise, which can help you reach your goal, anyway. Besides this, look at music, meditation, journaling, or simply going for a long walk. It’s understandable to feel stressed, especially if you’re struggling to balance everything in your life, but understanding the best ways to overcome it can be hugely beneficial.
For the Better
Nothing worth doing is simple, but the effects will be much more rewarding. If you’ve tried to make changes before and struggled to establish a positive, dependable routine, you can always try again
(and again, and even again), until you get what you’re searching for. Each of these ideas offers something beneficial, and you will soon get into a groove that ensures you achieve your goals.
