Lifestyle
Food & Nutrition
Fitness
I’ll start tomorrow. Once I get enough sleep. After this project. How many times have you told yourself you’d get started on something, but then set it aside because of lack of time, or because you simply felt like your current situation was more important? Often times we say we’ll do something when we have the time or when certain conditions are met, but what if you rephrase those excuses to be more productive? What if, instead of saying Tomorrow, I’ll start today?
Getting Started
Sometimes, we simply have no reason not to do something. A lot of times we know that action needs to be taken on a task or project but we don’t do anything with it. If you are stuck in one of these ruts, you need some sort of spark or motivator before you can get started with anything at all. This is where you should use your imagination and come up with something that will motivate you to take action. You may want to tell yourself that if you take action today, then tomorrow will be even better than today was. Or maybe if you start working out now, then by next week you will feel more energized and motivated to continue your routine. No matter what your reasoning is, try using a motivating factor so that when tomorrow comes around, taking action won’t seem like such an impossible feat anymore.
Feeling Depressed?
How do you feel about yourself? When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Do you have confidence in your abilities? The way people answer these questions could predict their chances of suicide. In fact, new research shows that feeling depressed is a strong predictor of suicidal thoughts and behavior. In fact, according to new research out of Australia, it’s one of the strongest indicators there is. Specifically, they found that those who felt low self-esteem had an increased risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors. But if these results are surprising at all, it’s that these things can affect anyone. If someone has low self-esteem or depression—or both—the likelihood of them becoming depressed or thinking about suicide increases.
Create a Plan
Creating a plan is an important first step toward starting your business. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that. They get caught up in day-to-day distractions and miss opportunities for further planning, like developing relationships with potential partners or hiring employees. If you’re reading a post on how to start a business, it’s likely that you already have some interest in starting your own company. That interest can be harnessed into realistic thinking and planning by taking small steps over time – real life happens in increments. It’s not possible to start a new business overnight, but it is possible (and helpful) to take baby steps each day of your journey that adds up to bigger changes over time.
Carve Out Time in Your Schedule
Despite our best intentions, it’s easy to let things fall by the wayside when our lives get busy. But keeping a schedule of your workouts—and committing to carving out time in your schedule for fitness—isn’t just good planning; it can actually help you be more productive in other areas of your life, says Michael Schneider, Ph.D., a research psychologist at George Mason University and author of Your Workout is Your Workday. Fitness is similar to meditation and exercise, in that it enables people who practice them regularly to become increasingly focused as they go through their days, he says.
Get Support
We’re all guilty of starting a diet or new workout routine, only to quit a few days later. Experts say one of the biggest reasons for failure on our fitness resolutions is that we try and tackle them alone. Instead, find someone who can be your accountability partner. They can help keep you on track when times get tough and share their knowledge and successes with you as you grow together in your new venture. In fact, research shows that people are more likely to stick with their goals if they have support around them—so put together a team that will help you succeed! One tip: make sure everyone agrees upon what success means!
Stay Focused on Your Goal
Sometimes it can be hard to stay focused on your goal, especially if you’re not seeing immediate results. There is a good reason for that: Our minds are designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The more we delay our actions in pursuit of a goal, at least initially, we may have to deal with discomfort or some sort of change. This can easily make us feel anxious about taking action in general. But when that happens, it is important to remind yourself why you want achieve your goal in the first place and break down your task into smaller goals you can achieve each day until you reach your end goal.
Consistency Over Time
One of the biggest misconceptions about fitness is that you have to start over every time you take a break. This couldn’t be further from true—building consistent habits and routines is a surefire way of developing a healthy lifestyle. Consistency is what makes your healthy eating and exercise changes last. If you want to achieve your goal, consistency over time is an absolute must! It’s not just about getting in shape, it’s about staying in shape. A big part of staying fit and healthy involves making small, incremental changes that stick with you over time; there’s no need for dramatic life overhauls or overnight transformations!
