When it comes to building and maintaining healthier habits, consistency is the key to success. The hardest part about being consistent, however, is understanding HOW to be consistent. What works well for one person may not be the answer you need in your own life. So rather than focusing on specific habits, this article provides 5 overarching, effective ways to be more consistent in your ongoing journey toward a healthy lifestyle.
Tip #1: Your purpose must be clear
The first thing to remember is this: sustaining healthy new habits must be anchored in a clear reason behind those habits. A desire to “be healthy” isn’t good enough alone to keep a fire in your belly. For some, the true purpose (or “Why?”) driving them toward wellness comes more easily than for others.
You can identify your “Why?” in one of two ways. Option 1 would be reactive (i.e. experiencing some sort of dramatic, personal setback to your health and changing habits in order to avoid premature death). Option 2 would be preventive (i.e. making basic adjustments now to prevent option 1 from ever happening). Although option 1 can be very effective (it was the impetus of my personal wellness journey), I do not recommend it!
Option 2 is a much more realistic path. At the same time, it does not come without challenges. Hence, the need for consistent, preventive action. Having a clear purpose will help you stay consistent. To work on identifying your purpose, start by asking yourself these questions:
- What, in my life, energizes me?
- What can I do to make the world around me a little better each day?
- Where would my focus be if I only had a year left to live?
- What would I be doing if I didn’t need a paycheck?
Reflecting on and honestly answering these questions will increase your self-awareness and help you focus on what is most important to you.
Tip #2: Establish a daily routine
We are creatures of habit. Unfortunately, sometimes our habit is chaos, and chaos is the enemy of consistency. Without order, sustaining a healthy lifestyle over the long term becomes extremely difficult (if not impossible). A daily routine can help you build and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Start with a small change. Establish a routine focused on one thing at a time. Some basic examples include getting enough sleep, regular physical activity, or a healthy diet. Whatever the routine, remember this important thing: the routine must take you out of your comfort zone. Just as chaos is the enemy of consistency, comfort is the enemy of progress.
Tip #3: Focus on behaviors, not outcomes or timelines
The hardest part about goal setting and goal achievement is aiming for the right target. You may, for example, set a goal to lose 50 pounds in 6 months. While this is a great goal, it focuses on the desired outcome and timeline instead of the specific actions required to lose weight.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you change your health? One behavior at a time. In the example above, small changes that contribute to weight loss could include drinking more water, tracking caloric intake, or exercising multiple times during the week. As you make small changes, you develop a daily habit. As you continue to practice, small daily habits accumulate and bring you closer to your desired outcome.
Tip #4: Embrace a long-term mindset
For many people, the biggest challenge in putting forth consistent effort toward a healthier lifestyle is patience. Old habits (specifically bad habits) die hard. Technology and innovation have conditioned society to expect immediate results. With the click of a button, we have access to unlimited information. Health and wellness are not excluded from the human desire for immediate change.
However, no healthy habit worth sustaining is going to appear overnight. No magic pill is going to make you more consistent in your nutrition and exercise habits. Health and wellness is a long, labor-intensive endeavor and can be, at times, very discouraging. With that said, if you have a clear purpose, a solid daily routine, and a focus on key behaviors that will help you achieve your goals, you will be well-equipped for the journey. When you set out to change your health, commit to and trust the long process…your mind and body will thank you for years to come.
Tip #5: Change your perception of setbacks and failure
To be honest, any path toward health and wellness will never be a straight path. You will encounter setbacks. You will fail. The important thing to remember is that setbacks and failures are the keys to learning and growth. Too many people, when they fail at something, give up. Remember, the process will be long, the path will be full of twists and turns, and change will be difficult.
When you stumble on the path, remember to learn from, but do not dwell on your mistakes. Appreciate failure as a teacher. Above all, being consistent takes practice. The only way to avoid setbacks and failure will be to do nothing. So appreciate the opportunity to learn on a daily basis, and embrace the challenges that come with the territory of positive behavior change. Most importantly, remember that health is a lifelong pursuit.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston Churchill
Final thought
Commitment, hard work, and consistent effort are the only ways in which you can make your habit stick. The most rewarding part of finding true wellness is that, along the way, you learn the value of struggling in the pursuit of meaningful long-term goals.
For more information on how I can help you adopt basic habits and be more consistent in your health & wellness efforts, click here to learn more about my coaching programs.
