Pick One Challenge at a Time
By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
When it comes to developing healthy habits, small steps can yield big results over time.
If you try to make too many changes to your diet or lifestyle at once, you’ll likely end up feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. But if you focus on one challenge at a time instead, you have a much better chance at achieving your goals and sticking to your efforts.
Here are some ideas for how to choose one unhealthy habit to replace with a healthy habit.
Healthy Habit Challenge Ideas
Replace soda with sparkling water.
A soda habit can have negative effects on health and contribute to weight gain and blood sugar regulation issues. To turn drinking soda into a healthier habit, consider skipping your afternoon can of pop and replacing it with a naturally flavored sparkling water. Some good brands include La Croix, Polar, Bubly, and Spindrift. If you don’t like sparking water, try adding fresh fruit and herbs to regular ice water instead.
2. Replace phone time before bed with reading or journaling.
“Doom-scrolling” on social media before bed is a hard habit to break, especially when the news is so unsettling, but the benefits are worth it! Cutting back on phone time can help you sleep better and keep your stress levels in check. Instead of opening Twitter or the News app for the hundredth time, put the phone down and read a lighthearted fiction novel instead. Writing in a journal before bed is another way to wind down and settle your mind.
3. Replace your side of chips with veggies.
A sandwich and chips go together like peanut butter and jelly, but heavily processed, salty chips aren’t the healthiest choice, especially if you eat them every day. Sliced, raw veggies are a healthier side to go with your lunchtime sandwich. They provide the same crunch factor as chips but with more nutrients and fiber. Consider eating them with hummus or a homemade yogurt dip for a pop of flavor.
4. Replace your afternoon candy bar with homemade trail mix.
When you feel like you need a burst of energy to power through an afternoon of work, it’s easy to reach for a candy bar to satisfying the craving. However, this unhealthy habit may actually cause you to feel even more sluggish an hour later after the energy spike from the candy subsides. For a snack that will give you sustained energy and appease your sweet tooth at the same time, try homemade trail mix. Combine raw or dry roasted almonds, cashews, dried cherries, and chopped dark chocolate.
5. Replace binge watching with a virtual workout class.
There seems to be a streaming option for everything right now, not just television! It’s easy to settle for one more episode while you’re watching a show, but how about tuning into a quick workout class instead? Interrupt the binge watching and get your heart rate up and blood pumping!
Note from Healthy For Life Meals: Need help developing healthy habits? We’re here for you! Get started with one of our plans today, and we’ll provide ready-for-you, fresh, nutritionally balanced meals that are delicious and healthy. Let us take care of the cooking so that you can focus on other healthy behaviors.