Establishing Healthy Habits

To successfully achieve long-term, healthy habits, we recommend considering the following:

• Prioritization: Set a higher importance for the behaviors and activities that promote the healthy habit or goal.
• Reward System: Set small, realistic goals and celebrate your victories. 
• Mindfulness: Be compassionate with your journey - an imperfect process is still progress. 

On average, it takes about 2 months for a new behavior to become automatic. When it comes to establishing healthy habits, it is important to set the expectation that it will take time and patience.  

The benefit of committing to a healthy habit is perpetual. Starting with one will begin to prioritize your overall health and wellbeing, making the adoption of other healthy habits easier. 

Hydration is a great place to start. A good rule of thumb is to drink ½ of your weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 180 lbs, it is recommended to drink 90 ounces of water each day. Being well hydrated improves your mood, cognition and sleep. 

Setting yourself up for quality sleep each night (recommended 8 hours every night), increases energy levels, cognition and your body’s ability to heal and recover. The recovery that happens in sleep not only contributes to the physical demands you place on your body via exercise routines throughout the day but the physiological effects of stress. 

A stress management plan is unique for everyone; exercise, meditation, breathwork, sleep, self-care and even some hobbies can provide relief from stress. When stress is reduced, the mind and body are at ease, giving way for more opportunities to perpetuate a healthy lifestyle and continue to establish habits that improve your overall well-being.