You know most of the benefits of exercising, eating healthy, and staying hydrated, right? You’ve heard them many times … weight management, disease prevention, increased immunity, less stress, more happiness … and the list goes on and on. But why is it so hard for you to stick to good habits?
You’re too busy, you’re too tired, you just don’t know what to do, or maybe it’s all of the above.
It turns out there is another reason.
You’re too busy to spend time on your health, but not too busy to scroll social media.
You’re too tired, but you know certain habits will give you energy in the long run.
You just don’t know what to do, but taking a walk, drinking an extra glass of water, and eating one more veggie a day are great places to start and you know those things.
So here’s the thing --- it’s a choice, not a problem of time, energy, or knowledge. The fact is these are just excuses.
There is another reason we don’t follow through.
So what is the reason we make the choices we make?
If we dig a little deeper, it comes down to beliefs and how we want to feel.
Simply put, we make choices because at the time, we believe it’s our best option available and that it will …
… make us happy.
We each have a set of beliefs that influence our choices, even if those beliefs aren’t on the forefront of our mind when we make those choices.
For example, what are your beliefs about exercise that determine your habits?
Maybe you believe exercise is hard and doing other things is easier and more fun.
Maybe you believe that drinking a soda instead of water will taste better; therefore, will make you happier.
Or maybe you believe eating a candy bar for a snack will make you happier than eating a piece of fruit.
(More about doing certain behaviors because of how they make us feel now vs. how they make us feel later in a future blog.)
You may not acknowledge these thoughts – most of the time they are subconscious -- but when we make choices, we are acting on our beliefs.
The bottom line is that we make decisions based on
what we believe will make us happy.
And that, my friend, could be what’s stopping you from sticking to those habits that you have been wanting to create.
There’s good news!
Our beliefs aren’t carved in stone, but they are molded like clay. They can be changed.
For example, instead of viewing exercise as something hard, you could view it as something that makes you feel strong, powerful, confidant, and more energized.
You could view drinking water as a treat that will help your skin be more beautiful, help with weight loss, and make you feel better.
You could view eating veggies as a way to manage your weight, boost your immune system, and be an inspiration to those around you, especially your kids!
Here are three simple steps to help you change your beliefs so you can make those habit changes you’ve had on your mind:
1. Take a few minutes and think about some habits you want to create.
2. What limiting beliefs do you have that are keeping you from creating those habits?
3. Think of some new beliefs to replace the old beliefs that are no longer serving you.
For an extra benefit, write down your new beliefs and put them where you can see them regularly.
In the end, it only takes a little time to craft new beliefs and what you are really doing is creating a new you.
Taking time to throw away those old beliefs and create new ones is definitely worth the new life you’ll be creating!
I’ve heard it said many times that “The journey of life is just as important as the destination”. I would venture to say that each day you live is your destination. Are you living your dream destination?
Here’s to your new fabulous beliefs!
