Last updated on May 24th, 2021 at 11:17 am
Stressing over the pandemic, being stuck indoors all the time, being away from family and friends – all of this has taken a heavy toll on us over the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely affected our quality of life in many ways, but given the fact that its effects will ripple throughout 2021 as well, now is the time to take a stand. This year, you want to focus on yourself and build a healthier lifestyle that will ensure physical, emotional, and psychological strength and well-being.
Today, we won’t be talking about the habits you should adopt, because you probably already know that you need to eat healthier, exercise regularly, and focus on your needs. The big question is how to put all of that into perspective, make a plan, and make it come to life. Today, we are talking about the steps you need to take to kick-start a healthier routine, one that will become an inextricable part of your lifestyle.
1. Start by identifying your goals
First things first, you can’t hope to embrace positive change in your life if you don’t have a clear set of goals. Imagine you’re an entrepreneur looking for ways to make your business more successful. Your first order of business would be to define your goals, and then set strategies and tactics to achieve them. So, think of your life like a company you want to take to new heights of success.
You need to set personal SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This business-like approach will help you leave your emotions out of the process and create a strong battle plan based on data and clear objectives. These goals can include reaching a healthier weight, exercising more, eating healthier, lowering your stress and anxiety, warding off illness, building a successful career – you name it.
2. Prioritize your goals and healthy habits
Now that you have some goals written down, you need to prioritize them. Remember, if you try to achieve everything at once, and there are certainly overachievers among you, pretty soon you’re going to burn yourself out. That’s why you need to ease yourself into this positive change, and actually enjoy the process. And as we all know, you can only enjoy something if you’re truly immersed in it.
So, your next step is to prioritize. If one of your top goals is to lose unwanted weight, then start with intermittent fasting to develop a healthier relationship with food. Take your time and ease into it, allow yourself to enjoy the process. If you have a complementary goal of getting stronger and build lean muscle, then don’t overwhelm yourself – prioritize your new eating routine over killing yourself in the gym.
After a couple of weeks, you can up the intensity in training, and you will feel great being able to focus fully on your physical performance. Apply this mindset to all goals and you will have no problem transforming your life.
3. Start Visiting The Doctor More Often
If there is a single concrete thing you need to start doing right now to ensure a healthier future, then it’s going to the doctor’s office more often. No matter the stage you’re at in your life, whether you’re young or if you’re approaching your silver years, scheduling your doctor’s appointments for the whole year is a must.
What’s more, you have to make sure that you’re being looked after by the right people. During the pandemic, for example, it’s important that you have medical professionals with Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification at your side who can provide immediate care for you and your loved ones. Always check what kind of certification and training your doctors have, so that you know that your health is in the best of hands.
Work closely with your doctors to create a yearly checkup schedule, and don’t miss any appointments. It’s time to start taking regular checkups more seriously to prevent and treat illnesses effectively.
4. Surround Yourself With The Right People
Having a support system you can always count on is one of the most important elements of a thriving lifestyle, especially during these trying times. If you want to make a positive change this year, then it’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people who can guide and support you on this journey.
Want to exercise more? Join a group practicing the sport you’re interested in. Want to lose weight? Find people who have been through the same process. Feeling stressed all the time? Don’t be afraid to seek professional help and talk with an expert who can guide your mind towards a positive goal. Build a support system for new healthy habits, and you will succeed.
5. Go for efficiency in your everyday life
Lastly, don’t forget that to make all of this work, you have to stay consistent. Consistency is the only way you can internalize a positive change and make it an inextricable part of your life. But staying consistent takes time, effort, and dedication. Don’t make it hard on yourself by being disorganized, instead, strive to be as efficient as possible.
Creating a daily routine and a daily schedule is one of the best ways to achieve consistency. If you have your meals planned and prepared for the week, you won’t have to reach for unhealthy substitutes. If you have a clear workout plan, you won’t miss a single training session. Apply this logic to your personal and professional life, and you will consistently keep growing throughout your life’s journey.
Wrapping Up
Healthy living should not be a chore, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to change your life for the better. Be sure to use these tips to make the transition to healthy living as smooth as possible and pave the road to a lifetime of health and happiness.
Chloe Taylor is a stay-at-home mom by day and author by night. Her passions are green living, wellbeing and topics related to body positivity. She is also passionate about photography. Her biggest dream is to travel the whole world and take some stunning photographs of beautiful places. Besides all this, she enjoys drinking coffee and reading a beautiful book from time to time. You can follow Chloe on Facebook.
