The internet seems to be divided these days. You’re either in camp: do whatever you want because we’re in a crisis or use this time to your advantage. Personally, I’ll take both. And while we’re very much in a day at a time situation, there’s something that we NEED to talk about today. Your healthy habits.
Habits are this funny things we never think too much about. We get up. We brush our teeth. We do all the things. And they just kind of happen on autopilot. But there’s the thing. Your healthy habits that are created or broken now can be the catalyst for your life 2, 5 or 10 months from now.
So today, I’m sharing what I’m doing and what I’d highly suggest you do if you’re looking to create healthy habits when you’re stuck at home. Friend, I hate to be the one to tell you this but we’re in this for a while. Let’s make sure that when you get to the other side of this season that you’ve got the healthy habits at home that will sustain you for the long haul!
Define Your Goals
Let’s have a very honest conversation here. I’ve talked about my journey in ditching the diet lifestyle. I’m not a fan of diets. And I’m sure you probably aren’t either. But you might have physique goals. I do! Britney Spears’ abs in the Slave 4 U video are on my mental vision board. Before you can make the right changes that will impact you longer term, you need to know the endgame. What are you working towards? What is the thing that will make you proud? And are you ready and willing to make the changes that will get you there?
When you can define your goals and REPEAT them to yourself, you start to open your mind up to the conversations that help you get there. And you have a mini convo with your subconscious that goes like, “Oh, this is important. She wants that look. Let me listen and absorb the tips that will help her get there.” Knowing your goals, focusing in on them and defining them helps you get mentally consistent with showing up to start creating your healthy habits.
Set Small Goals. Like Baby Ones
If right now you have ZERO workout routine, your goal could be to do 1 workout this week. And I mean just 1. Let’s not go too crazy. It could be to go for a walk around the block 3x a day. Your workout might even be the 1 minute plank challenge we’re currently doing on instagram. This is a long term thing we’re doing here. So you need to build trust with yourself that helps you continue to show up for you.
One of my goals on my 30 before 30 list was to be able to run a mile. It was something I’d never been able to do before because I get shin splints like CRAZY. But because I spoke it, focused on it and set a baby goal, I was able to work on it. Thankfully, I’ve now run several miles and I’m slowly building up to a 4-5 miles for my run.
You don’t have to try to run a marathon. Although I will saying watching Brittany Runs A Marathon is a very motivating movie. You just have to set the goal that works for you. I have friends that HATE running. They will walk all the live long day. Set a small goal. Build the trust. And if you accomplish that goal and suddenly decide you hate/are over that exercise, give yourself permission to walk away. But take the first step of setting and achieving that goal.
CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY
One of the things I’ve found can really make it hard to create healthy habits regardless of whether or not you’re stuck at home is a lack of accountability. When you’ve spent a really long time working out because you’re supposed to or to lose weight, your why isn’t strong. It’s there. But it’s not emotionally rooted so showing up for a workout you hate kind of sucks. Ya know? So how do you work around that so you can create healthy habits you can sustain? Accountability.
I don’t particularly enjoy focusing on the fact that I’m working out. It’s not my jam. I like the freedom to let my mind wander and just emotionally release during a workout. OR I like to workout with friends. However, for the sake of helping you create accountability right now, here are a few things I do or you guys have shared with me you do regularly:
Call a friend during a walk
Do a facetime workout (Meg and I do these weekly)
Sign up for a live class (Having the accountability of a start time can help you get into that routine)
Create an alert on your phone to do your own class
Doing a monthly challenge
Join a facebook group where others are seeking accountability for the wellness/healthy lifestyle
Follow people on insta who talk about their daily workout & ask if you’re doing it too (checking yes in a poll can also be accountability)
Designate a friend to call you out (if you share activity via an apple watch, this is easily done. but they could also do it via text)
Learn your Food Triggers
I’ve spoken about this before but food triggers are a thing. We all have a subconscious cue that tells us when to eat. Sometimes it’s emotional. Sometimes we eat because we keep seeing food. Whenever I do pinterest content for the blog, I have to check in on my hunger levels. I might think I’m hungry but I’m not. I just keep seeing food.
Take this time to learn your habits around food. Do you find yourself more tempted to eat things if you can see them? Do you only ever really want to spend 5 minutes in the kitchen for lunch? I’m both. So to make sure I have healthy habits at home, I limit the foods I bring into the house that I struggle to maintain portion control with. And I also make sure that I’ve created a meal prepping habit. This means I can maintain my 5 minute lunch habit because I have quick options rather than eating crackers and popcorn daily. I will. It’s a struggle. If you want to dive more into habits, I’d highly recommend reading The Power Of Habit. It’s a life changer.
LEARN YOUR WORKOUT STYLE
One of the reasons I love going for a walk/doing a workout is that it’s my mental time. I NEED that quiet time to think, function and create. It’s essential to me being able to write blog posts, instagram captions or come up with new ideas. But what I’ve also had to learn in that process is that I really don’t like group workout sessions. Will I do them? Yes. I’ve discovered many new, fun classes because of friends. And I love to go to a class for fun. However, for the sake of my mental health and overall performance, I try to maintain a solo workout. Otherwise, I go a little bananas.
Here’s the thing. You might be completely different than I am when it comes to working out. If you want to create healthy habits you’re going to sustain, then they need to be ones you enjoy. A good class with an instructor who has amazing energy might be the boost you need to show up. You might NEED someone to tell you to keep going. I’ve felt that way more than once with Peloton. I push harder because Robin is tell me to suck it up!
Give yourself a chance to stay curious and learn your workout style. This also means learning what a good workout feels like for you. Do you need to feel drained and like you gave it all after? Do you need to feel like you had a nice, calming yoga session? We need different things in different seasons. So what might make up your perfect workout right now can totally change in a few months. Don’t be afraid to say this workout is no longer serving me and move on for now.
FOCUS ON THE LONG GAME
As I’m writing this post, I’m sitting on a heating pad (side note: this one from amazon is a house fave). In my ripe old age of #almost30, I’ve managed to tweak my back. 😂 So yesterday morning when I woke up to run and could only manage to half walk, I had to decide: how am I going to honor my body today? Am I going to push myself for the sake of a short term goal or will I choose to hear my body very loudly saying SIT DOWN?
It took me a really long to time accept that I needed to do this at my pace. When you’re working to create healthy habits at home, it’s important to remember that habits are a LONG term situation. It doesn’t matter that you got up and only walked 30 minutes this morning when you did an hour yesterday. What does matter is that you stuck with the habit of movement. When you create that love of taking care of yourself, you teach your body & mind that there’s joy in healthy habits. Your mind finds pleasure in those things so it wants to keep doing them. Focus on the long game and make sure you’re honoring goals that aren’t just scale related.
SWITCH IT UP
I will be the first to tell you that I have the curiosity of a 5 year old. I get bored easily. Give me a puzzle or a problem to solve and I’m happy. Or just a tiny change to my workout routine and I’m good. If you’re bored with your workout, try switching up your space. James Clear talks in Atomic Habits about how your environment has an incredible impact on your habits (like soldiers who came home from war and ditched drug addictions because of a change in environment kind of powerful). Now although you can’t exactly switch gyms to create a new environment for your healthy habits, you can switch up your room. Focus on the spaces you have power & control over.
If you’re running, change up your route. Add in a new street. Do the run backwards. Not like running backwards just go the opposite way. 😂 Rotate in some other workouts. Whatever works for you. But actively prevent yourself from getting bored. Remember, we’re in this for the long haul. It doesn’t serve you in your journey to create healthy habits if you’re bored as crap during week 1 so you don’t want to continue for week 2.
Alrighty friends. I hope that wherever you’re at this week, you’re safe and healthy. I’m sending you all the love and positive vibes. Let me know in the comments below how you’re creating healthy habits at home! Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
