A healthy lifestyle
Many people want to live healthier lives, but the road to a healthy lifestyle is not always easy. Have you also been trying to live a healthier life? Then you probably recognize the following situation. You start out in good spirits, but after 1 or 2 weeks you give up. You set yourself strict conditions that you must meet. If you expect too much from yourself, the motivation goes down. You still want the healthy lifestyle, but you MUST do too much.
Learning new habits is not easy. That's why we tell you a little more about habits and why learning them can be so difficult. With some insights, we will help you step by step to reach your long-term goal.
What is a healthy lifestyle?
A healthy lifestyle involves more than just enough exercise. Exercise is important, but there are other things that are just as important. Your diet also plays a role, so choose varied and healthy meals. In addition, it is better to avoid stress. So make sure you can relax in time. Tips for de-stressing can be found in our blog Tips to de-stress.
So there are many things you need to take into account. If you are not used to this, it can be quite a task. You can't master a new lifestyle right away. Certain things are new to you and therefore you need time to get used to them.
What is a habit?
A habit is something you have learned. You practice certain behavior so often that it becomes automatic. You don't really think about it anymore and that is why it is so difficult to break. To change your habit, you must first become aware of your behavior. What do you want to change and why? You need to keep this in mind.
A healthy lifestyle is a collection of new habits, so you will also have to learn them. This will take time because you have to get used to it. Some people need more time for this than others. On average it can take about 100 days before you have fully mastered the new habit.
The goal vs. the way to it
With good intentions you often focus on the end result, for example 'lose four kilos' or 'run 10 kilometers'. If you want to learn a new habit, this is often not the right approach. The goal may motivate you temporarily, but what do you do when you have achieved your goal? Many people then revert to their old habits, which brings them back to the starting situation.
It is better if you do not focus too much on the end goal, because this often motivates only temporarily. If you want to change your behavior, you better focus on the road you travel. Therefore, choose small steps in the right direction instead of big changes in the short term. It is easier to stick to them and thus effectively learn a new lifestyle. Striving every day to do a little better will pay off more in the long run .
Are you curious about our tips? Then be sure to read our blog post next week!