STOP IT!!!! – The A.L.I.V.E. Experience

Let’s be honest, sometimes you just have to STOP whatever it is that’s sabotaging your health.

If we’re really honest about things, we probably can assess what we’re doing to ourselves to make us wanna change our clothes in the dark or sit like a slug on the couch.

It all comes down to habits.

(If you’re pressed for time, just click here to start making a healthy change.)

So how do you stop bad habits and create good ones?

Here are seven steps to create life-improving habits.

1) Decide on the ONE habit that you would like to develop. It’s tempting to pick up 3 or 4 healthy habits, but choosing just one new habit is realistic and doable. Looking to change too many things like cleaning up your eating, quitting smoking, starting to exercise, stopping frivolous spending and keeping the house organized is setting yourself up to fail.

PICK ONE THING – Choose the ONE thing that you think would have the biggest impact to improve your life TODAY.

Make baby steps towards your goal. Set yourself up for SUCCESS by doing things one at a time, one day at a time.

Here are some healthy habit ideas:

Don’t eat after 7pm each night.
Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
Exercise 4 times a week before work for 20 minutes.
Reduce sugar intake.
Eat more protein.

2) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you’ll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Here’s an example:

My new habit is to workout 3-4 times a week.
My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my jeans more comfortably.
The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse’s support.
I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.

3) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on Facebook, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you’ll be embarrassed to give up on your new habit.

4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully exercise your new habit.

5) Keep yourself publicly accountable. This means either status updates on Facebook or verbal status updates at the dinner table. Your friends and family are in a position to offer you support, so don’t shy away from those close to you.

6) When you fail, figure out what went wrong so that you can plan around it in the future.

7) Reward yourself for your success. Ensure your reward supports your overall goal. So if your goal is to reduce sugar, your reward shouldn’t be a sugary treat. Think of a non-food reward that you’ll enjoy.

Wouldn’t it be nice to experience this sort of success?