How to Ensure Lasting Change in 2022

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘New year, New You’, but making lasting changes in our lives can be incredibly challenging. Breaking and habits is difficult, and introducing new ones is just tough. So, here are our best tips for making positive and sustainable changes for your mind and body in 2022.

Slowly, slowly…

It’s tempting to want to make a clean break from your old way of life on January 1. Perhaps you want to stop smoking cigarettes, introduce a new diet or fitness regime, or start meditating each morning; and while these are all good intentions, it’s important that you lay the proper foundations for change first.

What does this mean? Take it slowly! For example, if you are out of shape and want to get fit, don’t expert yourself to be running 5k in the first week. Start slowly and small and build your way up. It takes time to develop aerobic fitness, create new habits, and cultivate new skills. Be patient with yourself and get the foundations right. It’s better to make consistent progress than short-lived changes.

A bad habit for a good habit

When we try to eliminate certain food or behaviors from our lives, we can end up really missing them and thinking about them all the time. (Again, ingrained habits are tough to break!) So, a great tip to help you completely cut something that is bad for you out of your life is to replace it with something that is good for you. For example, instead of ordering fries with your burger, try the veg or salad option. Replace your afternoon soda with green tea. Or perhaps you want to limit your TV consumption, schedule an evening walk for 45 minutes and stick to it. Not only will you benefit from leaving a bad choice behind, but you will also gain new healthier habits too.

Log your progress

Our discipline will be challenged when we are on the path of change. Instead of letting temptation creep up and overtake you, make sure you anticipate it. A great way is to journal the benefits of your new healthier lifestyle… For example, do you have more energy now you’re exercising more? Can you fit into clothes that were too small for you last year? Have you saved money since you have given up smoking? Log your progress and remind yourself of how far you’ve come. This will help to keep you on the right path.