Tiny Habits will Change Your Life
I changed my life, one tiny habit at a time.
I know so many people who want to change something in their life and they try do it by making huge sweeping changes that are not often sustainable.
They go on extreme diets after eating nothing but empty calories and fast food. They begin intense work out regimes after being totally sedentary. When these dramatic attempts nearly always fail they give up and say, see I can’t do it, I’ll always be overweight, unhealthy, broke, or whatever it is they can’t seem to change.
In my life I have found that tiny incremental changes are more sustainable. These small steps lead to lifestyle change, not temporary quick fixes.
When I decided to get healthy, I started making some of the following changes. When one change became a regular part of my life, I added another. Check it out and see if anything sounds doable to you.
Health
- Drink more water
- Track your water consumption in your planner or on your smart phone
- Phase out sweetened drinks
- Try replacing soda with unsweetened fizzy waters like Bubly or LaCroix
- Save your dessert for one day a week and choose something delicious, don’t waste your calories on cheap or subpar food just because it’s there.
- Start walking 30 minutes every other day
- Start eating more vegetables, think of what veggies will be the star of you meal and then add meat and other sides
- Plate your food and put what’s left in lunch containers, put the extra servings away, if your still hungry after you eat your plated serving have a piece of fruit or a small side salad
- Save the empty calories from sugar, white flour, and fried foods for special occasions or once a week
- Try to avoid fake foods, additives, and preservatives
Meal Planning and Cooking
- Plan your weekly dinners using an online meal plan service like Emeals
- Choose recipes from a healthy plan like Paleo or Clean Eating, avoid the processed flours and sugars, stick to recipes that take 30 minutes or less
- Make enough dinner to pack for lunch the next day
- Use curbside pickup and online ordering for groceries
- Try to cook 5 out of 7 meals
Finances
- Know how much you spend and how much you earn, track your spending and earning on a simple spreadsheet, update this spreadsheet each week
- Spend less than you earn
- Unsubscribe from store advertising emails and toss catalogs before they come into your house
- Remove your credit card from online store websites, even Amazon
Business or Work
- Be on time
- Practice looking for solutions instead of complaining
- Avoid gossip
- Dress for the job you want, plus it just feels good to look smart
- Round up your bag and accessories the night before work
Beauty
- Clean the make-up off your face each night before bed
- Hang your clothes straight from the dryer to avoid ironing
- Begin to clear out clothes that don’t flatter or feel good, even the lounge stuff
- Get your hair trimmed every 3 months at least
Remember don’t try these all at once, the key is to master one than move on to another.
I personally went from:
- Junk food eater to clean eater (mostly)
- Pretty out of shape to super fit
- Chronically late to on time
- Grungy around the house to cute and comfy
- Messy to tidy
- Unorganized to super organized
- Late nighter sleeping in to early in bed, early to rise
I could go on about the things in my life that I have improved over time with small incremental changes. This is by no means an exhaustive list of ways to level up your lifestyle but I’m sure there is something on this list that resonates with you and where you’re at right now.
Get started today – change your life one tiny habit at a time. What are you waiting for?
