It’s been said that habits are like weeds—they can take over our life if we let them. But not all habits are created equal. Good habits practiced regularly over a long period of time lead to amazing results, while bad habits practiced for an extended period of time will likely result in poor outcomes. However, good and bad habits practiced only once or twice over a short period of time tend not to matter in the grand scheme of things.
Starting and maintaining good habits can be difficult at first but reap great rewards in the long run. A few examples of great habits include exercising regularly, eating healthy, getting enough sleep each night, and spending quality time with friends and family. These behaviors help us live our best lives—and research shows they even help us live longer! Not only do these habits lead to better physical health outcomes, but they also contribute to better mental health outcomes as well. When it comes to forming healthy habits, heroes don’t give up after one or two attempts— we stick with it until it becomes part of our lifestyle!
It’s true—we all have bad habits we would like to break out of. Whether it’s scrolling through social media mindlessly or eating junk food on occasion (or more than occasionally), we all have moments where we slip from our otherwise clean lifestyle. That doesn’t mean those occasional slips should derail our journey towards achieving our goals; just make sure we don’t let those moments snowball into something bigger and more serious than they need to be!
It’s easy to get discouraged when we’re trying to improve our health and we have a bad day. We’re not going to see results overnight, and one bad day isn’t going to ruin all of our progress. What matters is that we keep showing up and being consistent with our habits. Consistency is key because the effects of our habits aren’t seen immediately. RESUTLS TAKE TIME. For example, we might not see any difference in our weight after one week of eating healthy and working out regularly. But if we stick with it, we will eventually start seeing results. The same goes for bad habits. We might not gain 50lbs after eating one doughnut, but if we make a habit of eating unhealthy food, we will eventually start seeing the effects on our bodies.
The bottom line is this: small steps taken consistently over time can amount to big changes in the long run, so focus on developing productive lifestyle patterns rather than worrying about occasional missteps along the way. One bad day or one-off week isn’t going to ruin all of our progress. Eat that cookie now and then without guilt, but make sure to balance it out with exercise and a nutritious diet overall! And miss a workout every once in a while, without feeling guilty—just commit yourself to getting back on track soon after. With consistent effort applied over a long period of time, amazing things can happen. THAT’S HOW HEROES ARE FORGED!
