There are so many words that are conjured up when we think of fitness. Healthy, in shape and lifestyle come to mind immediately. There is another word that needs to be there as well: Habit. Fitness and healthy living are not something that you decide to do for a weekend. They are something you do for life.
Some folks are lucky in that from the time they were very young, they lived a life of fitness and healthy choices. Being healthy for them as an adult comes naturally because it is something that they have done their whole lives. For the rest of us, choosing fitness as a lifestyle is a conscious decision that has required a lot of thought and effort on our part. Some of us will struggle with how to accomplish this healthy lifestyle for nearly our whole lives.
A lifestyle change requires a lot of effort. Consider the word, lifestyle. The style of your life. Generally it's not something that you can just change overnight. It's going to take some effort on your part. You will be making a lot of decisions about what to eat, what kinds of exercises to do, which health club to join and what your daily routine will include. When your goal is fitness, healthy lifestyle choices will need become habits.
A habit seems to be a double edged sword. For things that are not necessarily good for us, habits seem to come easy. Stopping by the coffee shop for that latte every morning required seemingly no effort at all. Smoking became a habit in a snap. Healthy choices can become a habit too, it's just a matter of choice and motivation.
If you do make the decision to make fitness a part of your life, you need to establish the choices that are part of fitness as part of your daily routine. In other words, you need to make them a habit. When your motivation to become healthy is strong, the habits are much easier to cement in place. This means that you need to think about what is motivating this lifestyle change. Is it something that you really want to do or is it something you are being told to do? It would be hard to argue with the fact that a healthy lifestyle is good for you. For some of us, that's good enough motivation. Others may need more incentive since this lifestyle change is a radical departure from what is normal for them.
Establishing a lifestyle change as habit may involve setting goals, seeking nutritional counseling, hiring a trainer and completely rearranging our daily schedule. If the motivation is strong, these things are easier to accomplish.
The bottom line is that if living with fitness, healthy lifestyle choices and overall good health is a strong enough goal for you, then the establishment of habits will be required and with the right motivations can be accomplished.
Some folks are lucky in that from the time they were very young, they lived a life of fitness and healthy choices. Being healthy for them as an adult comes naturally because it is something that they have done their whole lives. For the rest of us, choosing fitness as a lifestyle is a conscious decision that has required a lot of thought and effort on our part. Some of us will struggle with how to accomplish this healthy lifestyle for nearly our whole lives.
A lifestyle change requires a lot of effort. Consider the word, lifestyle. The style of your life. Generally it's not something that you can just change overnight. It's going to take some effort on your part. You will be making a lot of decisions about what to eat, what kinds of exercises to do, which health club to join and what your daily routine will include. When your goal is fitness, healthy lifestyle choices will need become habits.
A habit seems to be a double edged sword. For things that are not necessarily good for us, habits seem to come easy. Stopping by the coffee shop for that latte every morning required seemingly no effort at all. Smoking became a habit in a snap. Healthy choices can become a habit too, it's just a matter of choice and motivation.
If you do make the decision to make fitness a part of your life, you need to establish the choices that are part of fitness as part of your daily routine. In other words, you need to make them a habit. When your motivation to become healthy is strong, the habits are much easier to cement in place. This means that you need to think about what is motivating this lifestyle change. Is it something that you really want to do or is it something you are being told to do? It would be hard to argue with the fact that a healthy lifestyle is good for you. For some of us, that's good enough motivation. Others may need more incentive since this lifestyle change is a radical departure from what is normal for them.
Establishing a lifestyle change as habit may involve setting goals, seeking nutritional counseling, hiring a trainer and completely rearranging our daily schedule. If the motivation is strong, these things are easier to accomplish.
The bottom line is that if living with fitness, healthy lifestyle choices and overall good health is a strong enough goal for you, then the establishment of habits will be required and with the right motivations can be accomplished.
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