Your habits determine your health! We are all guilty of having bad habits. Some habits are definitely worse than others. Some habits are definitely better than others. The habits I am referring to involve our lifestyle and the lifestyles we are sharing with our children. Habits such as: Being sedentary, Eating fast or fried foods frequently, Drinking sugary drinks primarily, exercising occasionally or not at all, binge watching television or gaming. The list goes on… These habits might seem trivial, but can have a major impact on our health and the health of our families. Habits are tough to change, but with the right mindset and discipline anything is possible. Research shows that in order to change a habit it takes 66 days, not the 21 days that has been engrained in our heads. Changing habits takes discipline and above all else time. These habits have often times been slowing developing over decades of our life and have been often learned from our families.
Learned behavior can cause habit formation without us realizing we have created an unhealthy habit. Change your habits and improve your health. Start by taking small steps to improve your health:
- Exercise Daily, short intense exercise for at least 20 minutes
- Limit your fast food or eating out to once a week
- Limit or avoid sugary drinks, those empty calories add up
- Don’t snack in between meals, especially sugary snacks
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit
Realize it takes time to change your habits. Don’t think of yourself as failing if you have minor setbacks. Think of yourself as growing and creating a new, healthier habit. Find an accountability partner or someone you can exercise with to keep you on track.
September 17, 2019