Creating healthy habits for life

For the past five years, I’ve been learning to live a healthy, happy life with Lori-in-the-equation…and it’s been awesome! During that time, I’ve been thinking about, writing about, and practicing how to live more intentionally, while creating new healthy habits for life.

I consider myself a work in progress and always will. I never take for granted my progress or success. Rather, I approach life with a growth mindset, and I’m careful to never assume that my progress on the healthy living front — and weight loss in particular — is so rock solid that I’m invincincible. (The day I do that would probably be the day I get fat again!)

Healthy living, including weight maintenance, self-care and striving to be a better human — is something that I have to work at every single day. And I’m okay with that.

Why? Because living from a place of healthy, happy and whole evolves and changes as I evolve, change and grow as a person. It evolves as I get older. As life circumstances change. I think that’s both the fun and beauty of it, it keeps life interesting. But it’s also the challenge. I’ve always said that the day I become boring or uninteresting and/or quit, is the day I lose the battle. The words “boring” and “quitting” are not in my vocabulary!

The truth about healthy weight maintenance is that it is HARD. And the game is constantly changing. Anyone who tells you it’s easy or they’ve got it together all the time — is either a liar or they don’t know the reality of it.

This past week as I was pondering my new healthy life and impending five year anniversary (May 2017) of keeping my weight off and keeping Lori in the equation, I was thinking about the healthy habits that I practice today. I started thinking about what I want/need to say YES! to this year, and what my manifesto for life would be. (I am actually writing my own manifesto now.)

Then, the Universe served up just what I needed in the moment — as it often does if we’re paying attention. A friend asked if I had read Gretchen Rubin’s latest book — Better than Before. This friend observed that when she listens to me talk about self-awareness, living with intention, creating new healthy habits and discovering what works for you/me, it sounds like I’m quoting directly from the book.

This of course made me curious. I loved Rubin’s, The Happiness Project. So I ordered the book and started it last week. Note: part of constantly evolving my healthy habits is exploring what motivates me, stretches me, keeps me on track and feeds my soul. So I wanted to see how one of my favorite authors approached the subject. I also presumed it would help in my coaching work.

I’m still reading Better than Before, but what I found as I opened the book was total inspiration for me and for many of my coaching clients  — The Habits Manifesto. I loved it. I was inspired by it. And, as I’m in my own “restart” to get back 100% in the healthy zone, it was a great motivational reminder.

So here, my friends, is the Habits Manifesto by Gretchen Rubin. I hope you find it as helpful as I did. I’ve printed it and posted it on my computer where I see it every day.

The Habits Manifesto

What we do every day matters more than what we do once in awhile.

Make it easy to do right and hard to go wrong.

Focus on actions, not outcomes.

By giving something up, we may gain.

Things often get harder before they get easier.

When we give more to ourselves, we can ask more from ourselves.

We’re not very different from other people, but those differences are very important.

It’s easier to change our surroundings than ourselves.

We can’t make people change, but when we change, others may change.

We should make sure the things we do to feel better don’t make us feel worse.

We manage what we monitor.

Once we’re ready to begin, begin now.

Amen, Gretchen Rubin. And thank you.

My tip for the day: If this resonates with you, read it every day at the start of your day and then spend 10 minutes journaling about it. Just write down what strikes you on that day about what you just read. That’s it. I am betting some pretty interesting stuff will come out and you’ll know what to do next. 😉 Let me know.

xo

Lori

Read more of my blogs on intentional living and living from the center of your equation:

• Living from intention, not “old” habits
• How about a year of YOU in the equation?
• Maybe what matters most is being brave