When someone first comes to me with a desire to improve their health and fitness, I try to dig a little deeper past their physical goals. Sure, we all want to look our best, but we all want to feel our best too! Today I’m going to share with you my top 3 tips to develop habits that become routines so that you are not relying exclusively on willpower.

I believe the 3 most important pillars when creating your new lifestyle are mindset, nutrition, and fitness. Let’s dive into how to set yourself up for the process by starting a journal, getting fresh groceries, and reviewing your workouts.

Tip #1: Your Journal

Pick a specific time to journal and hold yourself to it. Journaling first thing in the morning can help you visualize your goals, whereas journaling last thing before bed can be a great time to reflect upon your day. Decide what will be the most effective for your daily schedule!

There are a lot of great journal templates out there, but I recommend getting something completely blank and creating your own flow within those pages. If you create your OWN system that fits your purpose and needs, then you will be much more likely to stick with the process and develop consistent habits.

Tip #2: Fresh Groceries

There are many effective research-based diets in today’s world, but the diet that will be the most successful for you is the diet that you will stick to. Whether you are following the keto or you are including all foods in moderation, you’ll notice that you think clearer, move better, and sleep deeper when following a whole foods approach. Meaning you aim to eat 80% of your food from whole food sources and leave 20% for treats, like Shrewd Food!

Find some time to build a meal plan that includes a good mix of whole foods and fun treats. Then you can follow that plan for just a few days or even one week. It’s a great way to start establishing consistency!

Tip #3: Your Workouts

For your workouts, I recommend picking a specific time and specific days just like you would with your journal. Think realistically about this one. We often get so excited to start chasing new goals that we want to do all of the things, all of the time. Try starting off slow. If you can fit 3 days of exercise into your schedule that’s great. You can always add more days later rather than overwhelming yourself with 6 days of workouts only to feel defeated and quit altogether.

So think about how these 3 tips fit into your life. Create a set schedule and a very clear plan of action for just one day. What vital tasks will help move you towards your goal? Prepared meals? Scheduled workouts? Alone time for personal development? If you can execute one single day, then you can repeat that day over and over and before you know it, you will have finished up one whole week, which turns into months and years of a healthy lifestyle!