Wanting to do something and actually doing it are often two completely different things. It’s easy to want a piece of chocolate and then have a piece of chocolate, but not so easy to want to adopt healthier habits, and then actually end up adopting them.
Healthy habits are hard to develop and to successfully do so usually means changing long-established mindsets. But if you commit yourself and get it right, the results are so worth it.
When we talk about healthy habits, we don’t just mean eating well and exercising, A healthy habit is really any behaviour that has physical, mental and emotional benefits, and which positively contributes to your overall wellness. Admittedly, wellness has become one of those over-used buzz words, the meaning of which has been lost slightly in the translation. In essence, however, wellness is the process by which you become more aware of the choices you make, and how – if you make the right choices – they can help you live a more balanced, healthy and successful life.
Small Changes, Big Results
One of the easiest ways to start developing healthy habits is to start small. Big goals sound impressive, but smaller, sometimes even boring goals, are much easier to achieve. And they all add up in the greater scheme of things.
“All new habits start with simplifying behaviours, because good, tiny behaviours are easy – and fast – to do. I call it Minimum Viable Effort.”
BJ Fogg, Stanford University.
The wonderful thing about not being overly ambitious is that taking small actions tricks your brain into thinking that it was all its idea! Big changes are scary for your subconscious, and it often resists them – sabotaging your efforts without you even being aware of it. Small changes, however, are easier to slip in without your subconscious noticing!
So start small, but be consistent. Make the changes enjoyable, and try to rope in the help of a friend who already has the habit you want.
Start small, but START.