Establish and Set Realistic Goals. Write down three (or more) short-term goals that can realistically be completed within 1-3 months from now. Put a specific time frame on each short-term goal, and begin to act on them right away! Try breaking them down into weekly and daily changes. Begin to live with purpose, choosing to replace things that ‘suck your time’ with things that help you achieve your goals.Often times the hardest part is getting started; That's why having a plan especially in the beginning can be so important to get the momentum to thrive!

Have A Plan. Once you get the ball rolling, it's important to spend a little bit of time planning out your meals and workouts for the week. Make sure you include foods and workouts you actually enjoy eating and look forward to, which will keep you going even when you don’t “feel” like it. It can also be helpful to plan ahead for unforeseen problems that could throw you off track. Even when you are perfectly prepared, something is bound to happen every now and then. Maybe you can't follow through on your initial plan or what you feel like is the best possible choice, but having a backup plan can help you choose what you can do instead.

Let Go of All or Nothing. One of the things that I believe can be extremely detrimental to our long term pursuit of health is having an all or nothing mentality. When we go down the road of all or nothing, it can set us up for a potential downward spiral if things aren’t 100% perfect, (which they won’t always be). Instead of all or nothings; Make the decision now that something is better than nothing and choose to focus on the good. When we focus on our “wins” rather than our perceived “failures” we will be much more likely to move forward in positive mindset (and our behaviors will follow), and continue down the road of balance and success!

Establish Your Why. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, we all have times in our journey when things get tough. It may be a life change, a stressful season, or a lack of motivation. In times like these, it is important to have a “why” to keep us anchored. Our why is the driving force behind our choice to live a healthy lifestyle, and it is the very reason we started. If someone were to ask you why you desire to live a healthy lifestyle, do you have an answer? Also, is your “why” sustainable? It is so important to have a viable “why” for the choices we make, because it is ultimately what will drive and define our actions long-term. Everyones’ why may look different, but it is so important to find yours. Perhaps your why is to live a long and healthy life. Maybe your why is to get in shape so you can keep up with your children and family. Or maybe your why is to become the best version of you! Whatever it may be, finding the reason you are taking care of yourself will give you a sense of purpose and commitment to keep you going. If you don’t yet have a “why” for placing a priority on your health, I would encourage you to take some time to develop your why and write it down.

Organize & Prioritize. We all have the same amount of time in our days, so what makes one person more productive than the next? Setting priorities and sticking with them. The first order of business is to take some time to evaluate how you want your days to look in order to be most effective with your time. Think about some things you can cut out that are “time suckers” and distractions, such as social media scrolling and checking notifications. Think of your time as valuable and spend it on wise investments that will pay off in the long run! Next, start getting in the habit of writing out things you want to accomplish for the week, (ie: workout four times, call friend back, meal plan, work on a project, etc.) and break the tasks down into 6 days (leaving one day to rest and relax). Set these tasks in order of priority, and make it your goal to not move onto the next until you have completed the one you are focused on. If you find that some of the tasks don’t get completed, simply move them to the next day, knowing that you have at the very least completed the most important things that day!

I hope these strategies provided some practical and actionable ideas that you can implement to strengthen your journey toward your health goals! Have a blessed and healthy New Year! xo Katie