Healthy Weight Loss

In part 2 of our 6 steps to healthy weight loss and getting lean series, we’ll be discussing creating simple habits to improve your health and your body while busy and on the go. If you haven’t had a chance to read part 1 on mindset, you can find the link below.

#2 Habits

Habits are the things we do without even thinking about it. Take for example your morning routine. You get up, you use the bathroom, brush your teeth, shower, eat breakfast (if it’s a good day), and rush out the door to get to work on time. This is likely a process you aren’t even thinking about, you’re just doing it. You get a cue , your alarm goes off, you have a routine, you get up and get ready, and then a reward, making it to work on time. The same rules apply with you’re starting on your weight loss and getting lean journey. The habits that you create lead to your results. I’m currently reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I encourage you to read it too for even more insights on how habits work and how to change them. Here’s 3 steps you can take to create and maintain your health habits that fit your busy lifestyle.

Start small. Often times when we start a new weight loss or healthy living journey, we go all out. “Starting Monday, I’m going to the gym 4 times a week and eating perfectly.” By Wednesday, you’re done because it’s too much change in a short amount of time, and it doesn’t fit your busy work schedule. It’s not routine, and there’s no cue to start the routine. When you start small, you pick something you know you can do 100% and have immediate success. For example, you decide you’re going to drink a glass of water 3 mornings a week before leaving the house to get to the office. Your cue is leaving the house that starts the routine of drinking water. Are you 100% certain you can do that? If the answer is yes, then that’s a great place to start. If the answer is no, then find the number of mornings a week that you know for certain you can get a glass of water in before you leave the house.

Build upon each habit. So now you’ve been getting a glass of water in 2 days a week before you leave for the office. Hurrah! Now you feel that is SO easy, and you’re ready to add to it. Great! It’s at this point that you start to build upon those habits. Maybe now you add another morning of drinking water to the mix or you decide you’re going to wake up 10 minutes early on those same 2 days to either get in a quick workout or make a quick breakfast. Once that becomes a habit, then you build upon that one, and so on and so forth, until you’ve achieved your goal. What’s nice about this approach is it doesn’t become something that ends in 30 days. It’s something that’s a part of your everyday life. And you’ll continue to do it without really thinking about it.

Give it time. Creating these habits doesn’t happen overnight, just like getting that next promotion doesn’t either (except you’re awesome at what you do so maybe it does). These things take time, and you have to work at it. For creating health habits, consider working a habit into your routine for 2 weeks before adding to it. If at the end of the 2 weeks you’re not ready to add something new, no worries. Keep working that habit until you are. There’s not race to get it done as soon as possible, which is probably much different than the expectations in your office. But that’s the nice benefit of a simple approach that fits INTO your lifestyle.

Examples of habits you can start creating today.

• Drink a glass of water before leaving the house 3 days a week.
• Wake up 10 minutes early to dance around your house for 5 minutes before getting ready.
• Hold the plank for 30 seconds, 3 nights a week before bed.
• Take 10 minutes tonight to prep a quick and easy on the go breakfast for tomorrow morning (boil some eggs, cut up some veggies, put your plain greek yogurt with some fruit in a container you can take with you, make mini omelets)

I believe it’s possible to be busy and successful in your career AND take care of your body and improve your health. It’s not “either” “or” but AND!

In part 3 of this series, we’ll be discussing eating and portions. Don’t worry, we’ll focus only on the information you need, the simple things, to reach your goal.