5 Easy Ways To Cultivate Strong Habits

Sharing 5 easy ways to cultivate and develop strong habits to serve you in your daily life! Follow these simple tips to help make new healthy habits stick!

Is anyone else SO happy it’s September?! Oh & BTW, it’s also National Yoga Month! Practicing yoga has been one of my favorite healthy habits of self-care that I’ve developed over the last few years. It fascinating because it only takes 21 days of being consistent at something to create a habit – that’s it – a mere 3 weeks to develop a habit that could potentially serve you for the rest of your life! Creating strong habits can be so beneficial for our well being, self development, & healing, so today I wanted to share 5 easy ways to cultivate habits that will fuel, inspire, & recharge you!

I hope by sharing this post about how to develop strong habits, I can inspire you to go after a goal of yours, make a change, & create a habit that will benefit you on your own pathway to progression!

How To Cultivate Strong Habits

1. Find your “WHY”

You have to have a WHY. Why is waking up earlier important for your morning routine? How would making time to cook a healthy lunch help fuel you for the rest of the day? Why do you want to make time to move your body? How would you feel if you quit smoking or finally cut out dairy from your diet?

Sorry, but you probably won’t create any new habits if you don’t figure out why it’d be important to you in the first place. Finding your “why” will help the goal stick – because then it MATTERS!

For me, relating this back to my yoga practice. I needed a gentle way to move my body & actually feel good about what I was doing without dreading the idea of feeling like I had to “work out.” I came off a grueling 4-year collegiate athlete workout schedule & my body (& mind) desperately needed a break. I dove into yoga pretty quickly after I stopped playing basketball & I knew my body not only loved it but I knew I needed yoga for my physical body, as well as, mentally & spiritually. That’s how I found my “why.”

2. Start out slow

Some people like to take baby steps & start off slow when creating new habits – others may find it easier to go all in! Thinking back to when I finally quit eating dairy, which was only about a year & a half ago, it was a long process. I just couldn’t give up the idea of not having cheese on my pizza or Ben & Jerry’s haha! So I started slow & gave myself time to eliminate it from my diet. Sure enough it worked & I didn’t feel rushed – which I think is crucial for staying consistent when it comes to developing strong habits.

Your pace on habit creation will look different from the person next to you. It might mean doing something small everyday, or every other day, or once a week, or even just a few times a month. Whatever works, works! Don’t rush yourself if you don’t feel ready. Slow & steady wins the race! We’re here to create strong habits for longevity, not just a quick fix!

3. Keep yourself accountable

Maybe keep your mom or dad, partner or friend updated on your progress as a way to hold yourself accountable or maybe you’re fully capable of holding yourself accountable on your own! Both are great! No matter how you choose to do it, holding yourself accountable when it comes to your habits is key! If I’m keeping track of a specific habit I want to develop, I make sure to write it down in my planner, so I have something to check off each day! By visually seeing what I have to do, helps keep me accountable & on track!

4. Write down your end goal

You might not have an end goal – but maybe you have a monthly goal, fitness goal, lifestyle goal or health goal you want to obtain. Write it down! Visualize yourself following through with your strong habit(s) until you reach your goal.

And if it helps, keep a little sticky note next to your bedside table or at your desk, on the fridge, or wherever feels necessary, to remind you of that goal throughout the day. Like I mentioned above, writing things down is a great way to keep yourself accountable & it helps bring life to our thoughts!

5. Give yourself grace if you mess up/skip a day

Remember, we are only human. We are probably going to forget, skip a day, skip a week, whatever! It’s going to happen! I’m currently trying to get into the habit of oil pulling first thing in the morning after I wake up & man it’s hard!! There’s some days I do it & feel great, & some days it’s the last thing on my mind, but I’m committed to establishing a set routine by holding myself accountable! I’ll get there!

Everyday we get another chance to make new decisions, cultivate strong habits, stop doing things that make us feel not so great, & replace it with things that make us feel good! That is progress! Doing something small each day towards a goal, staying committed on habits that benefit your well being, & making time for that self development is SO important & SO doable! All it takes is 21 days!

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What is one habit that you want to develop? Let me know in the comments below!