How To Build Healthy Habits in 2021

Have you been pondering how to include more healthy behaviours into your life in 2021? You're not alone. Finding time for self-care can feel impossible at times, but we all want to be the greatest version of ourselves that we can be, which means we are aware that this requires us to take care of our bodies.

This year, a lot is going on, from politics to climate change and everything in between, and it may appear as though there is not enough time or energy left over for what counts the most: yourself. But don't be concerned!

We are here to provide guidelines for developing healthy routines in 2021 so that you may ensure that your body is taken care of as the rest of the world suffers from the challenges that life presents.

A good number of us have set our sights on improving our health. We want to be able to run, practise yoga and eat a greater variety of vegetables. But it's not easy at all!

Because it seems like we are always running out of time and energy, we decided to write a blog post about how you may establish good habits that will be with you for the rest of your life, regardless of how hectic your day may get.

What are some of your preferred ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle? For example, do you start your mornings with a meal? Do you enjoy taking strolls in the evening after dinner? Perhaps you make it a point to consume eight glasses of water every day or sleep for seven hours each night.

You have fantastic work, an incredible group of friends, and exciting social life that includes participating in weekend sporting events. But there is one aspect of your life in which things are becoming worse: the number you see on the scale is increasing at the same pace as the balance in your bank account is decreasing.

Does this ring a bell? When we feel we're in a weight-loss rut, we've all been there at some point in our life, and it can be difficult to know what to do when we feel like we're in this rut.

There are three primary activities that you should engage in if you want to form healthy habits. First, it would be best to begin with, a goal, establish a possible timeframe, and then concentrate on the method.

For instance, if you want to increase the number of vegetables you consume, you may set your goal as "to eat one serving of vegetables at each meal".  On the other hand, your time frame might be two weeks, in which case you should experiment with adding a salad or a side dish to your dinner routine every night for the next week before you eat.

Think about what made it challenging for you and what made it simpler during those two weeks so that you can gain insight from your experiences and modify your approach the third time.

There are many more beneficial routines out there to be had. If you already do these things, congratulations: you are well on achieving your goals and are well positioned for success. However, if that is not the case, there is no need for alarm; this blog post can assist you. It is never too late (or too early) to incorporate healthier behaviours into your daily routine.

You're in luck since this blog post will provide you with some useful advice on the subject of forming healthy habits!

What Is A Health Goal?

Setting goals for one aspect of your life is essential, and one of those aspects is your health. In addition, these objectives should explain your aspirations for your overall well-being.

You can obtain a better balance not only in your diet and exercise but also in the subcategories of the health arena by setting health goals and taking steps to achieve them. These subcategories include weight loss, eating whole foods, avoiding being sedentary, taking proper breaks from working and having the self-awareness to realise when you've adopted a bad habit that could be detrimental in the long run.

It is essential to understand that your state of health and well-being results from a compilation of your daily routines and not just a single component of that routine.

Because all of the choices you make in terms of your lifestyle become interconnected, you need to take a step back and look at the broader picture and the balance in your life to improve one aspect of your health.

Why Do We Suck At Building Healthy Habits?

"I am aware of the course of action that you must take. But, unfortunately, I can't seem to get myself to do it!" We are all in the same boat; we know what we should be doing, but we can't bring ourselves to make the necessary adjustments.

We know how one can become physically fit: one must reduce their caloric intake while increasing their activity level.

We know how to exercise properly: raise your heart rate, perform some push-ups, and improve your strength.

More fruits and vegetables, and less sugar, that's how we keep our diet healthy.

And yet, we can't seem to commit to ANY of these things for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

Why?

Simple. It might be challenging to form new healthy habits. Because of factors such as the fact that our lizard brains seek quick reward, the fact that we do not completely comprehend how habits are formed, the fact that life can be hectic, and the fact that our default behaviour is frequently one that is both unhealthy and easy,

Consequently, we do not put the appropriate structures in place to ensure changes take effect.

In addition, we place an excessive amount of importance on self-discipline and inspiration.

We have the propensity to take on more than we can handle, to go too swiftly too early, and to become overwhelmed far too quickly.

Does anything about this sound familiar?

I will eat an all Paleo or Keto diet, run five miles daily and go to the gym at least five times weekly.

If you are someone who has a habit of eating a poor diet, never goes running and hasn't stepped foot in a gym since God knows when altering all of these things at once is very certainly going to result in you being successful at exactly NONE of them.

In this day and age, we are socialised to anticipate and relish the experience of immediate satisfaction. If we are hungry, we can stop at a fast food drive-through, defrost a frozen meal in the microwave, or go to a restaurant that is open around the clock.

If we wish to play a game, we may quickly download it to our personal computers, smartphones, or PlayStation 5 consoles. Likewise, it only takes a few mouse clicks to access any television show we wish to watch.

We anticipate that getting in shape will go in the same manner.

And this is why we are so terrible at establishing long-lasting good habits.

We tell ourselves, "Hey, I've been dedicated for a whole two weeks. Why don't I look like Ryan Reynolds yet?" without realising that it took us decades of unhealthy living to reach where we are, which implies that it's going to take more than just a few weeks to reverse the trend.

And then we skipped a workout because life got too hectic or one of our children became ill. And we become frustrated when we realise that going to the gym or avoiding confectionery is not nearly as much fun as watching Netflix, playing video games, or eating Peanut M&Ms.

It is the point at which everyone gives up:

• They make too many adjustments to their routines too quickly.
• They become irritable when the results are not obtained more promptly.
• They fall behind as life gets hectic, and as a result, they start from the beginning.

SMART Goal Setting

If you want to achieve your own SMART goal, you need first set aside around half an hour to establish your objectives.

Spending time identifying your objectives and using the SMART criteria will provide more specificity and direction when setting goals for your health and lifestyle.

In addition, putting your SMART goal into writing may assist you in recalling the specifics of the objective.

S: Specific

Being explicit makes it easier to incorporate the process into the objective rather than focusing solely on the result.

Construct your objective in the form of an instruction, in which you tell yourself what to do. Try formulating a statement for your objective, such as "I want to improve the amount of weekly physical activity that I get by going on a walk for thirty minutes after dinner on four different nights during the week".

To get started, first, be as specific as you can when describing the goal that you want to achieve. For instance, rather than saying, "I want to be in shape," you may state something more specific, like, "I want to walk for thirty minutes after supper", to help define the path more clearly.

Approach goals, as opposed to avoidance goals, are more likely to be successful. Therefore, make it a priority to define success in terms of the behaviour you want to cultivate rather than the behaviour you wish to avoid.

Keep in mind that goals focused on "performance" may be less beneficial than goals focused on "mastery". You can think of a performance objective as one in which you aim to attain a particular outcome ("I want to lose 20 pounds").

A goal of achieving mastery is one in which you strive to acquire new abilities or improve upon those you already possess ("I will walk every night for 30 minutes after dinner").

Researchers have discovered that when difficulties happen in working toward a mastery goal, people tend to view such difficulties as a normal and expected component of the process of achieving the goal. As a result, they encourage active participation in the process as well as the solving of problems.

For instance, if one of your goals is to go for a walk every night after dinner, but you haven't been able to accomplish this goal due to the demands of your job, you may try moving the time you go for your walks to lunchtime to achieve your objective.

Because judgement is involved, it is common for people to assume that they have failed in their skills if they cannot meet a performance target.

Although you take deliberate actions to make changes in your lifestyle, you may not be successful in reaching your objective of losing 20 pounds, which may lead to emotions of failure and frustration.

Imagine that one of your goals is to get lower body weight. If this is the case, it may be more beneficial to break it down into smaller mastery-based goals, such as making tiny adjustments to one's diet or raising one's level of physical activity in clear and measurable ways.

M: Measurable

Including certain quantitative or measurable criteria in your objective will make it possible for you to track your progress as you work toward that goal.

Keeping track of your progress by counting the numbers as you go will make you feel good, and measuring can help you avoid cheating. On a calendar, one may, for instance, monitor progress toward the objective of working out four times per week.

You might want to think of some inventive ways to monitor your development. For instance, if you want to lower your stress levels, you might prioritise meditating for ten minutes twice a day. It would help you achieve your objective of reducing stress. The next step is to track your progress by maintaining a journal in which you document each day's meditation sessions as well as your level of stress.

Measuring results allows you to make necessary adjustments to your objectives as you progress toward achieving them.

By way of illustration, if one of your goals is to experience less stress, measurement and tracking can help you keep an eye out for patterns, such as circumstances that are particularly stressful for you, so that you can steer clear of those situations or adjust how you react to them in the future.

A: Attainable

Separate major goals into more manageable subgoals, and outline the steps you must take to reach your objectives.

Don't put yourself in a position to fail by setting goals that are impossible to achieve. For instance, making a goal to lose 20 pounds in just two weeks is challenging and harmful as a means of accomplishing the objective. Instead, one should strive for goals that are challenging but not impossible.

Pick a target you are certain you can achieve, but push yourself to see it through by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps along the way.

Check to see if the process is feasible to complete each of the necessary individual phases. Then, make necessary alterations to your strategies and objectives if you find yourself short on time, resources, or the ideal setting.

R: Relevant

You should be able to understand each stage of the process and find some level of personal significance or relevance in each one as you work toward achieving your objective.

Choose an activity you enjoy if one of your goals is to raise your level of physical activity, for instance. Even though activities like Zumba, jogging, cycling and swimming are all excellent ways to get in shape, not everyone finds each activity pleasurable. Choose the approach that will work best for you.

Pursuing a goal needs to be sufficiently energising for one to be inspired to succeed. It will be quite tough for you to overcome challenges if you are not determined to achieve your goal.

If you don't care about the objective, it's unlikely that you'll put any effort into achieving it. For instance, if your objective is to adopt a vegan diet, but you don't find that you love eating vegan food, then you are far less likely to achieve your objective.

Find a different objective you care about pursuing if your doctor tells you to "reduce weight," but this statement does not motivate you.

For instance, if you want to feel inspired to establish more manageable, process-based goals, you could find that saying something like, "I want to have more energy to play with my kids" or "I want to fit back into my college football jersey" is a far more effective way to motivate yourself.

Your objective should have personal significance for you, and you should be the one to determine it; it should not be set by someone else.

T: Time-Bound

When do you plan to accomplish what you set out to do? Again, the best option would be to pick a time quite close to the present but not too far in the future.

If you want to get healthy this year, you could say something like, "I will get fit this year", but saying something like, "I will walk after dinner for thirty minutes four times per week for ten weeks" creates a more feasible plan and gives you a predictable end line.

Once you have reached the endpoint of the ten weeks, you should assess your process and establish a new objective based on your development and the things that interest you.

Health Goals To Achieve In 2021

1. Be Selective Of Your Rewards

If you ran three miles one day and want to congratulate yourself on achieving such significant improvement, you shouldn't treat yourself to a brownie sundae as a reward for your accomplishment.

Choose not to give yourself rewards that will work against the accomplishment you have just achieved. Tell yourself that you won't be able to watch the most recent episode of your favourite show until you've finished your run for the day. It will help you stay motivated.

Find an alternative source of motivation that will allow you to feel rewarded without undermining the hard work that you have already put in.

Try out some of these ideas and recipes for low-carb snacks if the incentives you receive come in the shape of snacks.

2. Unplug Yourself

Putting down your mobile device and computer is beneficial not only to your mental health but also to your physical well-being if you do it regularly.

Aside from the fact that you are most likely sitting or being sedentary in some form when you are using your phone or laptop, you will create stronger relationships with genuine people if you interact with them in real life. However, this is not the case when you interact with them.

Every day, limit the amount of time you spend on electronic devices to a reasonable quantity.

3. Learn Your History

Find out what illnesses have been passed down through your family so that you are aware of the conditions for which you may be at an increased risk of developing.

You will then have the option to either take particular measures to lower your risk or you will be able to start obtaining screenings earlier than you normally would have.

4. Do A Self-Check Mid-Meal

The majority of the time, we have the practice of completing everything that is on our plate, although we are already full. It may be because a feeling of guilt is connected with wasting food after it has been prepared. But on the other hand, studies have shown that the average person consumes 92 per cent of whatever they put on their plates.

If, on the other hand, you find that you don't need the remaining food after eating only half of it, you can easily package it up and store it so that it will be ready for you at a later time.

Instead of waiting for an external indication to tell you when to stop eating, like the food on your plate is gone, practise mindful eating and portion management by paying attention to the signals of an internal contentment that your body sends you.

5. Age Gracefully

I'm sure you've heard the expression "age is only a number", but if you're beginning to see some of the physical indicators of ageing (such as wrinkles, age spots, etc.), it can be difficult to accept that your younger years are behind you.

Always remember that some positive aspects are associated with reaching older ages. For instance, persons above 40 frequently indicate that they are more confident, less anxious, and happier than they were 20 years ago.

There are many compelling arguments in favour of embracing your age, and by doing so, you will show other people that the wisdom and experience that comes with your years is a source of power rather than something to be ashamed of.

6. Increase Your Physical Strength

You may need to make this objective more precise for yourself depending on your present level of strength, but most of us could benefit from adding extra lean muscle to our bodies.

When your muscles are strong, you lower your risk of injury, and it becomes much simpler to keep your weight in a healthy range.

As you work to improve your strength, it is helpful to keep track of how much weight you can lift so that you can monitor your progression.

7. Reduce Your Risk Of Disease

It would be best if you kept all of the preventative care visits that are relevant to you.

Receive a dental cleaning every six months, get all of the normal tests and exams recommended for your age, and get immunisations to improve your immune system. It should be in addition to your annual checkup with your primary care physician. So maintain a lead over your health at all times.

8. Stop Eating Out

I know it is convenient (and sometimes the quickest alternative) to pick up lunch or dinner on the way home from work through a drive-through window or another such establishment during the middle of the day. However, not only will this deplete the funds in your bank account, but it also has the potential to affect your health negatively.

It is not always possible to determine restaurant meals' sodium, calorie, and fat levels. You may often get some information online, but remember that the serving sizes at different restaurants may differ, and restaurants' nutritional information is frequently an estimate.

Despite this, it's safe to assume that everything you order in a restaurant will have a higher sodium, fat, and calorie content than anything you might easily prepare for yourself at home. And this brings us to.

9. Plan And Prep Your Meals

The best time to organise and prepare food for the upcoming week of meals is on Sunday. First, make a plan for your meals, and then after that, head to the market and get everything you need (and nothing more) to prepare those meals.

You will not only have more time during the week as a result of this, but you will also be able to exercise complete control over the food you put into your body.

Your ability to maintain a healthy diet and supply your body with the nutrients it needs can be improved by planning and preparing your meals in advance.

10. Practice Yoga

The practice of yoga is beneficial to one's health because it encourages relaxation and assists in the development of a mind-body connection.

Your strength and flexibility will develop due to your yoga practice, and you'll also find it easier to keep your metabolism in check. Finally, putting your attention on your breath will help you improve your respiratory function, as well as your energy and vitality.

11. Walk Everywhere Within A Mile

Leave your car at home and walk to your destination if the distance between your house and the location where you need to run an errand is less than one mile. The only exception to this rule is if you need to make a large shopping run or will otherwise be coming home with a carload of stuff.

Walking can help you lose weight, get fresh air, lower your chance of acquiring various diseases, and improve your mood. In addition, if you can fit more walking into your day, your overall health will improve.

If your neighbourhood is not conducive to walking, you can stroll from one store to another within a shopping centre if you need to make multiple stops.

Although you might be enticed to take the parking lot shuttle from one end of the shopping centre to the other, walking is the more physically beneficial option.

12. Educate Yourself

It would be fantastic if you had the time and the means to hire a dietitian and a personal trainer, but the reality is that most of us don't have either of those things.

If this is the case, you should make an effort to educate yourself on your own time to acquire a fundamental degree of information concerning the biological processes that take place to assist you in achieving your objectives. Possible topics for research include the following:

• The significance of having sufficient time to rest each night.
• The relationship exists between the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you get, and the amount of weight you lose.
• Your diet's influence on your metabolic rate (and how your metabolism works).
• The fundamentals of eating healthily.
• The appropriate mode of physical activity and the recommended activity levels.

13. Maintain A Positive Mindset

There is no question that the state of your mental health has a significant role in your overall health.

You will inevitably be presented with obstacles and occasional setbacks throughout your life, but maintaining a good attitude can help you maintain the motivation necessary to continue working toward your other health goals.

After going through a rough patch in life, it will be much easier for you to move on with your life if you can figure out how to deal with the difficulties you encounter and have a positive attitude.

You can even learn to view difficulties as opportunities for personal development. For instance, your capacity to deal with and effectively manage stress plays a significant role in your overall health quality.

Final Thoughts

I hope that some of these suggestions for healthier behaviours will appeal to you and inspire you to make positive changes in your life.

Be mindful, though, that the degree to which your objectives may frequently be intertwined is frequently ignored. The majority of the time, when you improve one aspect of your health, it will benefit another.

Suppose you are overweight and begin training for 10k, for instance. In that case, the additional calories you burn due to the increased activity will assist you in achieving your goal of becoming less overweight. In addition, modifying your diet so that you put more of an emphasis on consuming foods that come from plants will also assist in lowering your cholesterol levels.

You can break down everything into a chain reaction. Therefore, if one of your goals looks a little out of reach, you should shift your emphasis to other connected goals that will favour the difficulty of your long-term endeavour.

By doing so, you will be able to make your lofty objectives more of a byproduct of your habits rather than something absolutely out of reach for you.

Choose a few health goals to begin working toward in 2021 (use some of the nutrition SMART goals in this post as a point of reference). If you return to this list in half a year, you might discover that you've already accomplished more of these objectives than you had anticipated.