Starting a new habit is easy, but sticking to it – well, that’s where most of us fall off the wagon. Whether your goal is to have a regular workout regiment, practice dancing regularly, do more stretching, it’s all about building habits. We all know it’s one thing to start exercising, and a whole different ballgame to maintain the exercising! Use these 3 EASY steps to create a new habit so that these “routines” can become a part of your lifestyle.
1. Schedule It
This simple act of putting it on your calendar makes sure you are making time for this activity in your busy life. What I find helpful is scheduling it before/ after an activity that I would usually do anyway. This makes it easier to remember.
2. Plan out what you are going to do ahead of time and start small.
Create a follow along plan at the beginning of each week, so you take the pain and “excuses” out of not knowing what to do. Take 5 minutes to write out what you plan to do for the activity. It’s better to start small and feel successful, so that you will keep going, rather than making ginormous plans that sound good, but hard to follow through.
Start with 5 pounds, or 5 minutes. The important thing is not just to START, but to KEEP GOING.
3. Reward yourself
Anytime you do the activity, reward yourself! For example, I do a meditation and 15 minute quickie workout every morning once I get out of bed. My reward.. is my COFFEE!!! It really works. I’ve been able to keep it going for 7 months! Try it. Your reward can be anything, as simple as a “GOOD JOB”/ thumbsup, to face-booking 😉 , having your favorite snack etc.
(update on 5/10/18: I’ve been doing this for more than 1.5 years. Only exception is that I no longer need my coffee! And my abs have been looking really quite awesome 🙂 )
A final word to practice dancing regularly as a habit:
Give it a go. We all have new habits that we say “SOMEDAY” we’ll get going. Well, TODAY is a better day than tomorrow. And if you miss a day, a week, don’t beat yourself up, just pick it up and keep going. Feel free to let me know what happens with your new habits by leaving a comment below!
Some dance and workout exercises you may enjoy fitting into your daily routine:
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