Tuesday

Choosing Wellness: Creating Healthy Habits



Knowing we needed to make changes meant we needed to create new habits. Our old habits are what got us in such bad shape. In order to create new habits we had to work to replace the old ones and this was simple, but not easy. We also had to recognize what habits needed to be replaced. Often that is the hardest part. I found that there was things I was doing that I didn't even realize I needed to change. 
This is where prayer really played a part. I needed the Lord to show me what needed to go. I was often shocked at what he showed me.  
And before you think this was all about diet & exercise, I'll tell you it wasn't. Most of my bad habits were in my thoughts, actions and time.  
I'm outlining in this blog post what the next 4 blog posts will cover. They represent 4 area's of my life I had to make changes in. 
What I drink, eat, how I move & what I think. Of all 4 of these, the last was the most important. Our thoughts play such a huge role in how we live & relate to others.
What are you thinking? My first habit to replace was disbelief that I was not worth the changes I needed to make. I also felt overwhelmed & didn't think I could stick with the changes. I didn't want to work hard only to back slide & be back where I started from. Changes made were not just to lose weight, but to be healthy overall. Physically and emotionally.

What are you drinking? This may sound silly, but this is a really big deal. I had to make a better effort to not only hydrate my body, but to hydrate it with nutritional beverages. I love Dr.Pepper & Sweet tea. Really sweet tea! When I'm at home, I drink water. But if I go anywhere... Drive thru's are my weakness. 

What are you eating?  This is the obvious habit that had to change. What I ate affected my moods, sleep and my weight. I thought this would be an easy change. I knew what I needed to eat, but choosing it wasn't easy. 

How are you moving? This is the one habit I had avoided for years.  I'm a stay at home mom. I don't sit down all day. I'm doing laundry, cooking, chasing a preschooler and wrestling with a son who has random meltdowns. I was moving, but not in the right ways.  I hate exercise. I'm allergic to it. I break out in a sweat all over every time I do it. (sarcasm inserted here) I thought this would be really hard for me. I'm not athletic at all. But, with the help of my husband, we together created new habits that have in turn made big differences in our health. More than I realized.

I found 3 R's to creating new habits. This was not intentional, just the way it happened. Then I found a blog post that described it so much better.



We knew that if any changes we made were going to be successful and long lasting it required that we create new habits that would encourage the changes we needed. And to create new habits we had to set some reminders to help us create a routine and then enjoy the rewards. It wasn't easy. It still isn't easy. I still have days when I want to drink a Dr.Pepper instead of water or herbal tea. And I still have days when I just go ahead and drink that Dr.Pepper (and often have a stomach ache later). 

Creating new habits is simple, but not easy. But very possible and you will never regret it!