Four Steps to Ditching the Bad Habits

 Are you repeating bad habits that keep you from being your best? At some point in life, most of us will come to a point where we want to improve something about ourselves or our lives. Maybe we gained a little more weight than we wanted, or the house has become…disheveled. Whatever the cause is, it can lead us to confusion, and often times, we fail to make real changes.  Whatever your reason, taking these steps will help give you a road map to success and more awareness of yourself and the decisions you make.

1. Take it one step at a time. If you go running with the wind off of adrenaline and a spur of motivation you will quickly burn yourself out and lose interest.  Remember, when you decide that you are going to make a change to your lifestyle, you are reprogramming how your brain responds and how your body takes action. That is a big undertaking that will take real dedication, time, and effort.  Don’t worry, it is totally worth it and in the long run you will be happier and healthier without even realizing it!
   
   
2. Understand your objective. In order to successfully change your habits you need to understand what it is you want to change and why. This takes a bit of homework, you should write out a clear and concise goal, then add in the pros and cons of each, and finally evaluate whether this really seems like a feasible change that will make a positive worthwhile impact on your life. An example of this would be if your goal is to lose weight, you would write that out, then list pros like; increased energy and healthier body. The cons will vary per person but could be along the lines of the time it takes to work out, or the fast food you will miss, it all depends on you and it is important for you to be honest with yourself. Don’t worry about the specifics just yet, one step at a time.  If you are a heavier person then losing weight may be an obvious pro but other goals like taking on a new hobby, or changing the way you do something might not be a fit for your life at that moment.
   
   
3. Create a plan of attack. This is where all the details come in. If you really want to be successful you need to create your own road plan of attack and road map. There is no magic wand or overnight fix so don’t skip out on this part because you think your willpower is strong enough.  Our brains are hard wired to resist change and a lot of our habits are on auto pilot, meaning we sometimes aren’t consciously aware of everything we are doing. Same thing as flipping a light switch even though you know the power is out. Creating a plan of action puts more control in your hands and is possibly the most important part of changing a habit.  Your plan should include all of the steps you will take to achieve your idea of success and broken down to all of the elements. If you want to become stronger and leaner, you may need to adopt a challenging workout plan, cut out the junk food and have an active yoga or Pilates routine. Each of these should be separated out and tackled separately. Once you get that under control, continue on to the rest. It is really important to remember taking it one step at a time, even if this feels a little under productive. Once you get the hang of things, making changes will be easier and you will be able to see progress.
   
   
4. Be ready for a roller coaster ride.  Making any kind of change to your lifestyle is going to be a challenge. You will have times where the excuses in your head will overpower you, life happens, and not every day is a ray of sunshine. You will fall off track at least once and that is ok, as long as you get back up you are making progress, and each time you learn something new about what does and does not work for you. Ultimately that makes the process easier and makes you more self-aware.  Never tell yourself that you are a screw up or that you cannot achieve your goals. Everyone has the capability to change and improve their habits; it just depends on how committed you are to change.
   
   

Is reclaiming your health a desirable resolution for you in the New Year?  I would be honored to become your wellness guide and accountability partner.  I will support, educate, inspire and encourage you on your path to ideal wellness. I aim to provide a safe place and time to learn about proper nutrition, set realistic and achievable goals, explore your relationship with food and self, as well as promote healthy lifestyle balance. Contact me today for a complimentary consultation and learn about a variety of programs to help make your good intentions a reality in 2015.

Download my free e-Guide entitled “10 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Healthier You” at www.sarawolfsen.com.

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.