Somehow, every time you’ve decided to focus on your self-care and build new habits, you hit a roadblock or distraction that sends you veering off track again. It’s a tale as old as time, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. So, take a look at these four simple wellness tips to finally make your wellness routine a permanent part of your daily life.
- Try To Figure Out What Keeps Getting In Your Way
It may be that you live with roommates or family members who aren’t as interested or that your current daily schedule barely leaves you enough time to utter the word “Namaste.” Most likely, though, the primary obstacle to your wellness is yourself. Take a moment to reflect on why you quit last time. Did you make excuses? Were you giving in to procrastination? Or did you simply forget a little too often?
Whatever it is, make a mental note of it, or go a step further and document it in a journal or a vision board. This way, when those familiar feelings start bubbling up on the back burner, you’ll recognize them a mile off and make the necessary adjustments to your psyche. If you need the extra push, visit a wellness center, or take advantage of their virtual resources to gain access to professionals such as nutritionists or personal trainers.
- Balance Out Your Goals
There are three main areas to consider when planning a wellness routine: nutrition, exercise, and mental health. Focusing too much on one area while ignoring the rest does little to improve your overall health. Try to take baby steps in each area rather than, say, going full steam on an elliptical machine for an entire hour only to decimate a box of donuts a few hours later as a reward. When you start small, your bite-sized health and wellness goals are much easier to keep working towards. And as you build on them, you’ll find that you’ve successfully integrated them into your daily routine without shocking your body into submission.
- Be Prepared
Sometimes, the easiest excuse to fall back on is that you just did not have everything you needed. Or, rather, you did not have enough time to assemble all the pieces you needed. Overcome this barrier to your restorative health by ensuring that you have everything you need for a wellness activity before you start. For instance, if you are determined to incorporate a healthy smoothie into your meals every day, make sure you have enough ingredients for each day of the week. Go a little beyond that and prep for each smoothie by chopping up the ingredients into portions that you can store in the freezer. That way, all you need to do each day is pop them in the blender and enjoy. By reducing the number of steps you need to take each day to achieve a goal, your goals begin to feel less burdensome.
- Cut Yourself Some Slack
Try not to beat yourself up if you’re unable to reach your goals on one particular day. Whether it’s because you just had a bad day or were only not in the mood, not meeting a goal should not mark the end of your entire wellness journey. This kind of all-or-nothing thinking is a common culprit that hurts your ability to stay on track with your wellness. Recognize that not being able to reach a milestone or goal could mean that you need to recalibrate your daily goals to be more attainable.
As you begin to delve into a new phase of your life, remember to plan out your path and be prepared to hit a few snags on the way. Those hurdles shouldn’t be an excuse to quit. Instead, use them as an opportunity to reposition yourself to succeed.
