Having a regular healthy routine is a great way to promote health and wellness, and provide structure and organization. As creatures of habit, we thrive off of routine. A daily healthy habit can help us sleep, ease stress, or even keep a healthy diet and lifestyle. 

There are so many benefits to incorporating health and fitness into your routine, and it doesn’t have to feel like work! Read on to learn my tips for creating, and sticking to, healthy habits. 

1. Make a Realistic Schedule

The first step is to create a daily schedule. One that’s doable, and realistic for you. You can start by improving your sleep schedule. Going to sleep at the same time every night will help you feel more rested and ready to face the day.

According to an MIT study, a regular sleep schedule can help decrease stress and even improve your mood over time. Similarly, waking up at a consistent hour can improve day-to-day functions like memory, coordination, and focus.

Once you’ve got a sleep schedule figured out, you can focus on mealtimes. The key to not overeating is to plan when you eat. Eating three regular meals a day will help you manage hunger pains and mood swings. Later on, you can read all about tips for eating healthy.

After your body is properly fueled, you can schedule time for exercise. If you join my group, you’ll learn that this step only needs to take up 24 minutes of your day (if you’re a member you already know this)! Just be sure, you make time each day. You don’t have to be extreme, you just have to be consistent! From time to time, motivation may become a struggle, but that’s when the #sweatysisters and I will be there to encourage you. 

2. Take Virtual Exercise Classes

Having a regular exercise routine is important not only for fitness but for your overall health as well. It gets you moving, burns fat, increases muscle flexibility, and helps you to feel more energetic for the rest of the day.

Our lives keep us busy, trust me, I get it! Between work, family, kids- it can seem like there are never enough hours in the day, but I’m here to tell you it’s possible. If you join my group, all you’ll need is 24 minutes and wifi for high-intensity and strength training workouts that can be done anytime, anywhere, and at any fitness level. It’s perfect for busy schedules, so go ahead and make a little time for yourself!

3. Keep a Healthy Diet

Properly fueling your body is just as important as the calories you burn and the muscles you build. A healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, provide your body with energy, and even sleep better! 

One way to keep track of how you’re eating is to count macros. Macros, short for macronutrients, are the three main categories of nutrients we consume the most of – protein, carbohydrates, and fats. A healthy balance of these three categories will keep you energized all day, prevent hunger pains, and even help you recover faster after an intense workout. It’s recommended that we try to get 10%-35% of our calories from protein, 45%-65% from carbohydrates, and 20%-35% from fats. If you’re interested, you can read my blog about macros here. 

Changing up your eating habits can be a tall order, especially for those of us constantly on the go. If you join my group, I can help with 1 on 1 macro coaching, and provide you with new meal plans every week! These plans come complete with shopping lists, snack ideas, and recipes to help you get, and stay on track. 

4. Stay Consistent

Like I mentioned before, you don’t have to be extreme, you just have to be consistent. Creating a daily schedule can help keep you motivated and on task. Here are some helpful tips for scheduling:

• First, write everything down, and establish your priorities (for example, work, mealtimes, exercise, etc.)
• Put your schedule into your mobile phone. This way you can schedule alerts for fitness activities and mealtimes!
• Be sure to give yourself some leeway between tasks. Things happen throughout the day, and it’s nice to have a buffer to avoid the stress of a scheduling mishap. 
• Give each task your undivided attention. You scheduled for a reason, might as well use it!
• Make rest a priority in your schedule, and fitness routine. You deserve it!

If you are consistent and stay on schedule, you will teach your mind (and body) when it is time to do things. You’ll start waking up at the same time every day, feel ready for workouts, alert at work, and relaxed during downtime. 

This brings us to our final topic:

5. Make Time for Rest

Getting rest and relaxation is important for any healthy routine. Taking an active rest day, and a full rest day, are key to a mental and physical recharge. It can help you be more attentive, motivated, and productive. You don’t want to risk burnout or injury, so make sure you make rest a priority. Give yourself time for things like social outings, reading, and even R&R. You work hard, you’re consistent, you deserve a break every now and then!

Build a Healthy Routine Today

Keep these tips in mind as you begin to build your healthy routine, and soon it won’t even feel like you’re following a schedule, it’ll be a habit! 

If you’re interested in learning more, taking my online exercises classes, or meal planning, I encourage you to join the #sweatysisterhood today!