Brenda stared at her reflection in the gym mirror. Her once-toned arms weren't so tight anymore. The late nights building her business had taken their toll. Her habits for success were directed at her company, not her health.
But today, something ignited a spark – a midlife epiphany, a decision to reclaim her health and vitality.
Brenda, the online entrepreneur who built empires from scratch, was about to embark on a new conquest: conquering her fitness.
This wouldn't be a crash course or a fad but a lifestyle shift woven with simple, sustainable habits for success.
This wasn't about fitting into skinny jeans but reclaiming her energy, confidence, and zest for life.
Brenda, a midlife online entrepreneur, was writing a new chapter, one where success wasn't just measured in dollars but in her body's strength, her spirit's resilience, and the healthy habits she'd woven into her daily routine.
Join Brenda on her journey. Embrace the ten simple habits that will support your fitness success.
Let's rewrite the narrative of midlife – not as decline, but as a second wind, a chance to bloom anew, stronger, healthier, and happier than ever before.
You may have heard John Maxwell say, “The secret of success is found in your daily routine.” This couldn’t be truer, especially regarding your health and wellness.
The daily habits you adopt have a massive impact on your success in the long run.
You want to ensure that your daily actions don’t weigh you down and prevent you from reaching your goals.
Life can be chaotic and stressful sometimes, so don’t beat yourself up for missing a workout. We’ve all been there – sometimes more than once. Just don’t make it a habit.
Now is the time to start embracing the good habits for success, kick the bad habits to the curb, and put yourself on the path to fitness and health success.
Here Are 10 Habits That Support You On Your Fitness Journey
Habit 1 – Meal Prep
One of the best ways to avoid getting derailed from your fitness goals is to plan your meals and snacks ahead of time.
Doing this eliminates the temptation to grab a quick fast-food meal or a sugar-filled snack when those middle-of-the-day cravings hit.
Meal prepping doesn’t take much time or effort, especially after you’ve been doing it for a while.
You must set aside some time each week to plan your meals, snacks, and grocery list. For example, take a little time every Saturday to figure out a meal/snack plan for the upcoming week, and hit the store with your grocery list every Sunday.
Find a routine that best fits your schedule for an easy way to succeed. Sticking to a successful nutrition plan AND workout regimen will be much easier if you PLAN to fuel your body with the right kinds of food.
Habit 2 – Make Time for Rest
It may seem odd to prioritize rest when discussing a workout routine, but it is vital to your long-term success.
When starting a new fitness regimen, it’s easy to get in the habit of overdoing it, putting yourself at risk for eventual burnout or injury. Create a habit for success from the beginning.
Whether you’re strength training at the gym, running on the treadmill, signing up for hot yoga, or the early morning cycling classes, you need to schedule some downtime each week.
Don’t push yourself to work out seven days a week – it’s not good for you OR your fitness goals because you’re much more likely to throw in the towel if you don’t give your body a chance to rest and recharge.
Try working out 4-5 days a week and giving yourself the weekend off. If you feel the need to do something each day, make a couple of those days just for cool-down, stretchy exercises. That way, you’re still allowing your body to rest but feel productive simultaneously, increasing habits for success.
Habit 3 – More Home Cooking
If you want to succeed at your fitness goals, you have to recognize that the foods you eat are just as important as your workouts.
Food is fuel for your body, plain and simple. The better you eat, the more likely you will stick with and meet your goals.
These days, it’s a quick and easy order takeout from one of the many food delivery services. However, doing so doesn’t always mean getting the healthiest options.
Cooking at home allows you to control the ingredients and how your food is prepared. Studies have shown that a person consumes fewer calories when eating a meal cooked at home.
This doesn’t mean you must give up delivery or take out forever. Notice how many times a month you order takeout and flip the switch to do more cooking at home. You may discover a hidden chef within.
This will help you in your fitness journey and save you a ton of money.
Habit 4 – Know Your Triggers
Food is often used to comfort sadness, anger, feeling overwhelmed, or stress. These triggers are why many people fail this journey to fitness and health.
It’s important to recognize the triggers that cause you to sabotage your goals. For me, it is stress. I have a saying, “Fix it with Food,” that I remind myself of when I crave that chocolate bar. What I have learned is that food does not fix it.
Take note of how you’re feeling the next time you eat.
Are you hungry, or are you trying to comfort yourself with food?
Maybe you had a hard day at work, relationship issues, or just plain lonely. Either way, becoming aware of your feelings is the first step to overcoming your food cravings and put yourself on a path where you’re more likely to meet your fitness goals.
Habit 5 – Have A Cheat Day
The first time a personal trainer told me to allow myself a cheat day once in a while, I was surprised. It did not seem right.
I don’t know about you, but anytime I’ve ever gone on a “diet,” I deprive myself of all the good stuff. When you do this, you risk losing your motivation to continue and may give up.
A successful fitness routine shouldn’t be a “diet” per se but more of a lifestyle change. You want to make healthier choices for yourself most of the time but that doesn’t mean eliminating all the things you loved before you started this journey.
Allow yourself that piece of chocolate cake at the birthday party or a glass of wine on the weekend. Give yourself permission to eat fried chicken or pizza or chocolate. It will be much easier to stick to the plan, knowing you can still indulge yourself occasionally.
Habit 6 – Reward Yourself
Like a cheat day, you must celebrate your accomplishments as you move closer to your goals.
Treat yourself to something special as you reach different milestones along your fitness path. Treat yourself to a massage, pick up that best-selling book you’ve wanted to read, or go to the movies, take a walk with a friend, or paint on that new canvas.
It’s much easier to stay on track when you show yourself some love along the way. We sometimes get overly critical of our every move. Instead, pat yourself on the back for what you’ve accomplished, no matter how big or small it may seem.
Every step in your journey is a step closer to your goal – that’s more than enough reason to celebrate how far you’ve come!
Habit 7 – Be Consistent
Consistency is one of the most important parts of a workout routine. If you plan on seeing any long-term success, you will want to adopt this crucial habit for success.
This is especially true if you’re new to the fitness world. As you put your game plan in place, you must decide what exercise program best fits your goals and how much time you’ll have to commit each week.
Be realistic. Don’t overextend yourself, hoping you’ll magically find extra time in your schedule. Committing to 6 days a week when you realistically only have three will land you dead in the water before you even begin.
Create a routine that you will consistently do, and your body will adapt to new challenges and allow you to form new, healthier habits over time. Consistency is truly the key to your fitness success.
Try this Habit Tracker to set goals and monitor your progress.
Habit 8 – Find a Support Group
Regarding your fitness routine, nothing helps you stay on track better than a sound support system. Finding an exercise partner, a coach, or someone on the same health and wellness path will provide you with motivation and accountability you won’t find anywhere else.
When you have someone in your corner, you’re more likely to push yourself to new levels and not allow yourself to miss a workout so easily. Plus, it’s not as easy to bail on your workout when you’ve made plans to meet someone at the gym for an exercise date.
If you are the social type, having someone there to share a few laughs and a little competitive banter as you break a sweat can make your workout more fun.
If you are an introvert, you may prefer to work out solo and keep a tracker of your progress.
A great support plan can make all the difference in reaching your fitness goals. With it, you get support and accountability in one place.
Habit 9 – Eat Breakfast
Although breakfast is known as the most important meal of the day, it’s easily skipped, especially if you have a lot going on in the early morning.
However, eating a healthy breakfast gives your body fuel for the rest of the day. This first meal helps to jumpstart your metabolism and nourish your body with vital nutrients and energy.
When you skip breakfast, you put yourself at the mercy of those mid-morning, unhealthy cravings. When that happens, you are more likely to feel cranky and sluggish throughout the day.
Eating breakfast is essential. If your mornings are busy, prepare something the night before, like overnight oats, or throw a quick smoothie together before heading out the door.
Making breakfast a priority can help you perform at your best, inside and outside the gym.
Habit 10 – Take Care of Your Mental Health
Regarding true fitness success, your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Why? No matter how good your intentions are when you jump on the fitness bandwagon, you are destined for failure if your emotional well-being and mindset aren’t in the right place.
The great news is that taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to take much time and effort—you just need to prioritize it, like working out.
Start by making time for weekly self-care. This is time set aside just for you to relax, unwind, and do something that makes YOU happy. This could mean getting your nails done, reading a good book, or creating in your multi-media journal.
Try 5 minutes of daily meditation to help you clarify your goals, or start journaling your thoughts every morning before the day starts.
Become aware of toxic habits like negative self-talk and try to counteract this way of thinking with more positivity. Taking care of your mental health will make it much easier to stay focused and on track to meet all your fitness goals.
A successful fitness routine depends just as much on your habits as a healthy nutrition and workout plan.
The Key Is Awareness
Become aware of the habits that don’t serve you.
Then, gradually, begin adopting habits that promote the healthy lifestyle you want to achieve.
The great thing is you don’t have to flip your world upside down to see big changes.
Start small and make some simple tweaks here and there.
Start meal planning, find a workout buddy, or make time for a bit of self-care this week.
Adopting healthier habits now gives you a significant advantage when starting and maintaining a successful fitness routine.
Next Action Steps
You may also like to read How Tiny Habit Tweaks Create Big Results
Here Are Five Benefits Of Implementing a Consistent Self-Care Routine
Nancy Dadami is an Inner Peace Strategist, Medicine Painting Mentor, and Feng Shui Specialist. She helps empower leaders, visionaries, creators, and entrepreneurs called to growth, learning, service, and freedom so they can thrive by living the best version of themselves, creating a life of abundance, self-awareness, purpose, and inner peace. Linktr.ee/nancydadami
