Healthy living requires healthy habits and healthy people have healthy habits.
While we’re doing somewhat better, adults do not eat enough vegetables, fruits, or beans, and we still eat too many refined carbohydrates and fried foods. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines, just under 38% hit the healthy habit goal, so while we’re doing better, we still have a long way to go. The good news is, you don’t have to do them all at once. You can work on healthy habits one at a time until you get it under control; then move to the next. The key is to always try to do better than you’re doing today.
Your genes may be a factor, but how you live is also a factor that determines how well you age. Improving your health should include all aspects of your wellbeing: physical, mental and social as well as getting enough sleep, managing stress, avoid unhealthy behaviors and managing your weight. Making just a few changes in your lifestyle can help you live longer. There’s no quick fix, healthy living is a long-term commitment
Start by making a few simple changes to your day, then you’ll find it a lot easier to incorporate a few more healthy habits into your routine. Building slowly over time will help you create a new lifestyle, in a relatively painless way that you’ll be able to stick with. Benjamin Franklin had a great plan for overcoming his bad habits and replacing them with good ones. He developed a process and a list of 13 virtues he felt were important in his life, then he focused on changing one virtue each week for a 13 week period. This strategy can work for anyone. Make your own list and develop a plan of action that will work for you.
Benjamin Franklin’s List of Virtues♦:
- Temperance – Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
- Silence – Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
- Order – Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
- Resolution – Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
- Frugality – Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
- Industry – Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
- Sincerity – Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
- Justice – Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
- Moderation – Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
- Cleanliness – Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
- Tranquility – Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
- Chastity – Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
- Humility – Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
The beauty of developing good habits is that after doing them repeatedly, they soon become automatic. Anything you do consistently, good or bad, over a period of time eventually becomes a habit, and once it does, you no longer have to put much effort into it. It’s important to find healthy ways to reward yourself to minimize slipping back into old, detrimental habits. Also, let your support team know what you’re trying to accomplish. This way they will understand your choices, cheer you on and give you moral support. We all need support in achieving our goals!
“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”
― Mike Murdock
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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To Your Success,
Althea
Althea A. McLeish Wilson, RN, MSN
Promoting inner health & outer beauty!
Helping you thrive, not just survive!!
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