How To Develop Healthy Habits

How To Develop Healthy Habits

The majority of us have a set schedule that generally guides us through the week especially Monday through Friday. The habits and rituals that take place are likely repeated day in and day out. Even though this may get monotonous, we realize this is a fact of life and in order to continue to receive that cherished paycheck every month, this is what needs to be done.

Sure waking up early, having to shower and get dressed for work then endure a heavy commute is not the ideal way you'd want to spend your weekday mornings. However when planned appropriately this weekday work routine does provide an opportunity to develop healthy habits for the work week.

If you are able to stick with healthy habits Monday through Friday, that would mean 71% of your week will be positive leaving you only Saturday and Sunday to worry about. Not bad when you approach the week in this manner.

Since you already have to go to work, why not get used to sticking with a healthy living routine at the same time? As the saying goes, killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore the two most important habits you should focus on maintaining weekly are your meals/snacks along with an exercise plan. This may take a bit of planning especially if you're used to grabbing fast food meals regularly. If this helps for motivation, know that a typical fast food meal consisting of a cheeseburger, large french fries and a soda can be anywhere between 1,400 and 2,800 calories! Entirely too much for one single meal.

If you are determined to lose weight and get into better shape, don't trouble yourself with this type of eating. All it will have is a negative impact on your body along with your motivation.

Start first with your daily meals and snacks. This is crucial and should not be taken for granted. One of the best ways to ensure you stick with a healthy eating plan is to take time to eat a healthy breakfast at home, but also pack travel snacks and a lunch to take with you to work.

Don't rely on one lunch to keep you satisfied the entire time between breakfast and dinner. This is the biggest mistake most people make when trying to improve their nutrition. It's not practical, or nutritious for your body to have only a 400-500 calorie lunch that is intended to keep you fueled for most of the day. This will definitely cause hunger cravings to creep in and in turn tempt you to buy one of those gluttonous fast food meals on the way home from work which will unfortunately toss entirely too much into your body at once.

Instead of trying to endure a day like this, you will have much more success if you pack two healthy snacks to enjoy at work. One in between breakfast and lunch, and the other in between lunch and dinner. When you include a bottle of water with each snack (not a soda or energy drink), you will find yourself satisfied and any hunger cravings will most likely vanish.

In regards to your main lunch meal, try to get in the habit of packing home leftovers in plastic travel containers whenever possible. Not only will you be able to have complete control over the portion size, but you'll also be saving money not having to purchase overpriced food when away from home.

If there aren't any leftovers to take with you to work, another easy solution is to keep a good supply of frozen healthy meals in your freezer. You can generally find a wide variety of options in your local supermarket made by Weight Watchers or Healthy Choice that are generally between 250-350 calories and only cost around $2 each.

Developing these healthy habits for the work week will really help you take a giant leap forward in improving your health and weight. Remember, it takes a consistent effort for months to lose weight the natural way so give it time, stick with it, and you will eventually meet your goal.