Written by Nariscia Philip-Peters
As a Wellness & Lifestyle Coach, Nariscia understands how to help professional women tap into the power of self-love so they become as successful on the inside as they are in their careers. She’s a wife, mother, business professional, and entrepreneur, so she knows how busy life can get, especially when trying to prioritise your health and wellness.
Here, she shares some tips on creating healthy habits that we can incorporate as we transition into the new year.
When we set our goals for the New Year, we must put particular focus on building new habits rather than overhauling everything in a flash. It can come as a shock to change too much at once, which often leads to tossing in the towel before you reach those goals you genuinely want to achieve. Since they say old habits die hard, here are six guaranteed ways to make new healthy habits that last.
Commit to your health goals.
Even when you know you need to make some changes, it can be challenging to do so. Change is hard and often uncomfortable. Committing to these goals by focusing on the “why” portion of the unpleasantness can help you stay committed to the goals you’ve set for yourself. A good example is wanting to lower your cholesterol this year. To achieve this goal you must incorporate dietary changes—focus on the results you will get rather than the process of achieving them. Try to have fun with new recipes, and find bright and exciting ingredients to make dishes that look like Instagram-worthy restaurant shots to pamper yourself.
Create a fun calendar.
Grab a calendar/ planner or journal in a style that makes it enticing for you to use. Add your health goals so you will follow them and start a routine you look forward to checking off each day. It helps to read them the night before and set the tone for what’s to come; get it done! Personal growth is something we should all work on so we can better accomplish the goals we set. When you begin to journal, you can bring things to fruition. Additionally, you can go back to when you’ve had a bad day and look at the hurdles you have overcome, this will help you stay motivated. I have written in my journal many times about things I want to happen in my life with my wellness and business goals, and months later, when I read back, I am amazed when I realize how much I have accomplished from what I wrote down.
Take it slow.
Getting into good health is essential, but you try not to jump from one extreme to the next. Look at the healthy habits you need to incorporate; perhaps it’s eliminating sodas, eating more healthy whole foods, or exercising. Then, start slowly removing the harmful elements while working on more healthy choices each week. Work on these changes with every passing week, and you will be locked into these new healthy habits before you know it. Physical activity helps boost immunity, so give it all you’ve got. The gym may be daunting for some people when just starting, so look for fun things you can do to get that exercise in. Try dancing or at-home fitness routines online to keep your body moving while making it feel like not putting too much effort towards the idea of “exercise”.
Get an accountability buddy
If you have a friend or family member with the same goals, you can pair up to tackle them together, but don’t let it stop you if no one else is on the same mission. Share your habits and goals so your friends and family can help cheer you on. There are many online communities where you can also get the support you need, sometimes strangers are your best cheerleaders and motivators to keep going.
Celebrate your victories.
Every big goal you set should have a path lined with smaller goals that get you there, and this is one of the ways you will be motivated to keep persisting through the pressure. When you reach those smaller goals, celebrate! Celebrating ourselves is not usually second nature to women, and we seldom realize how much we have accomplished. We tend to focus on the fact that we haven’t ticked off the big goal yet, so this requires us to be very mindful and intentional. When you get one step closer to a goal—celebrate it, even if it is as simple as acknowledging what you did. Record it in your journal, and give praise for the accomplishment.
Keep track of your progress.
Documenting your healthy habits is a great way to stay motivated when a challenging day pops up. When you flip back through the pages of your journal and see the progress you made, plus the goals you have accomplished, you will be inspired to keep going and stay on the course. And if your goal is weight loss, look at the weight you started at—losing 5-10 pounds will make you see you CAN do it and keep you moving toward that final goal.
One Final Word of Advice: Be Kind to Yourself When You Slip Up.
Sometimes we veer off track, and that is perfectly fine. Dust yourself off and get back to it rather than punishing yourself. The sooner you get back on course, the less impact it will have on your overall goals. Don’t let one bad day or a few make you feel like a failure. Life is not a straight line, and you surely did not get to this place in your wellness journey over one day, give yourself grace on the not-so-good days.
It’s always a balancing act where setting boundaries and taking care of yourself come into play; if you feel like there is not enough time to nurture your needs, I do hope that the above tips were helpful as you begin your journey toward making healthy habits that last.
Nariscia Philip-Peters is the founder of Holistically You and, as the name implies, she focuses on helping women holistically from losing weight, managing stress, and living an overall healthier lifestyle She has helped many women understand and accept that prioritizing themselves is necessary if they want to get the most out of life. Her mission is to help women shine and believes that consistency would bring about a total transformation of their overall health and well-being. In her line of work, she has met many women from all walks of life that struggle with the same issue—putting themselves first. Her mantra is that self-care is not just important but necessary. Follow her: Facebook – @HolisticallyYouTT | Instagram – @holistically_you_tt | LinkedIn – Nariscia Nicole Philip-Peters
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