WHERE TO START A NEW, HEALTHY LIFE?

All lifestyle changes will end up as a failure if the foundations are missing. It does not matter if we would like to change your lifestyle, want to lose weight, or build healthy eating habits - we have to start here.

Get to know your body

We are not the same. There are main rules, but we should know what is good for us? If we really listen to our body's responses we will know. Which workout works best for us? We should not be stopped because one workout does not work for us - or bore us - or leave us in pain.

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I was desperate to go step class once. Never again. I thought I was trying to copy the trainer's moves, - but what I saw in the big wall mirrors was  piteous. So tried a series of exercises, and I found that I enjoy swimming and running. No group work out and especially not choreographed movements... 

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What can we fit into our busy life? And when? When we can provide our personal best: in the morning? At night?
What kind of diet fits us best? What kind of diet makes us energized and healthy? Everybody can have a different answer.
It is really important to know this answers as a new, healthy lifestyle founded on these personal characteristics is the more likely to work for you.
There is no point to force step class if you can't keep it up and you do not enjoy it...

Set up your priories

A mum's life is very challenging, it is so easy to say: I do not have time. I exactly know what I am talking about. This the hardest challenge in my life too. The only thing what helped me to clarify my priorities. This was one of my first posts on this blog and I still think it is very true:
HOW TO FIT REGULAR EXERCISES INTO A MUM'S LIFE?

Subscribe to healthy lifestyle magazines and newsletters

This is the most entertaining way to educate and motivate yourself. We have no time to read long scientific reports using special terminology, but healthy lifestyle magazines and newsletters can provide easy to digest. practical advises how can we use the latest result of health science in our life. These also give you the mind that you are in control and visualize yourself in a healthy lifestyle. Recipes, healthy shopping tips also give you the power to make better choices when you put together your meal plan.
You make a weekly meal plan, don't you? Here is a little a help: free downloadable weekly meal plan for families with small children.

Join the club

It is easy to say, come on, let's change your lifestyle. It is very hard when we have a family they are usually happy with their lifestyle as it is. Also, it is difficult to find the time and way to work out, to prepare healthy, home-made food and keep yourself motivated. We definitely need an ally. The best to share our plans and goals with our family and ask them for their support. It does not matter how small your kids are, even a three years old can be a really strict coach - I know I have one :-)

Also a huge help if we have somebody around us who is in a similar situation and shares our goals. It can be a friend, a colleague or we can join an on-line chat room, Facebook group or special on-line club. It can be a huge help when we are down or about to giving up. These people are in the same situation, they understand your challenges and can help you to get over them. At least we know we are not the only one struggling with these problems.

Make little changes

Have you ever told yourself that you will start a completely new life tomorrow? And how this worked out? Let yourself have time to make this changes but do not stop. Make little changes every day, and focus on keeping them up. 
For example, if you want to increase your fluid intake from 1 litre per day (which is very low) to 2,5 litre a day, increase the number of drinks by half glass a day. This way your body has time to adjust this. When you reached your goal, the 2,5-litre water per day, make it a habit. Make a routine, when and how much you drink. You can prepare 5 half little bottle mineral water for the day, you can use a 1-litre glass jug, or a certain glass, to measure and track on your fluid intake.  It is also important to make habits from these - like I drink a glass of water before leaving the house in the morning, one glass when I have a break etc.

Plan ahead

I have written about planning a lot of times on this blog and I cannot emphasise it enough. A plan can be postponed, altered, swapped, violated - but never ignored. A plan obliges us, a plan can help us to be prepared. It is very unlikely that we reach our goal without a plan. I do not say that this plan cannot be flexible. If you read my earlier posts you can see that I altered my plans a couple of times but I never changed my goals. As a busy mum, I have to change my plan from time to time as my children grow and change. Our daily routine is not carved in stone I have to be flexible to fit in my own time. I know that without planning I would not achieve my goals.
So a good plan must be feasible and flexible.