11 Habits That Will Change Your Life

Almost everyone is working on self-improvement in one way or another. Whether you’re trying to improve your health, your relationships, your mind… most of us work on some sort of improvement the majority of our lives.

There are simple changes you can make to your daily life that will change it for the better. Pick one or two at first and once you master those, pick two more!

1. Understand your mindset

Mindset is a way of thinking, a frame of mind. It’s your collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape your thought habits. Our actions are a reflection of our mindset, and there are some simple ways to improve it:

• Spend time around positive people

• Have a vision of who you want to be

• Set goals

• Write your goals down daily

• Learn from successful people

• Use a morning routine

• Avoid negative people

• Develop your mental toughness

• Take time to reflect

It takes conscious effort to transform and have a positive mindset geared towards success, but it is possible. By slowly implementing these tips in your daily life, you’ll be taking the right steps towards developing a winning mental attitude.

2. Build your mental toughness

Mental toughness allows you to have perseverance and passion to achieve your long-term goals. In other words, it means you can make your mindset work for you instead of against you. People who exhibit
mental toughness do well in all areas of life. They:

Do less of…

• blaming others or external factors for choices they make 

• taking everything so seriously

• giving in to distraction

• pleasing others. Do what is right and what you believe in.

• taking things personally and wondering “why me?”

Do more of…

• holding themselves accountable for their actions

• celebrating other’s successes

• owning their body and mind by practicing healthy eating, sleeping and workout habits.

• embracing and celebrating change

• investing time and energy into the present\

• focusing on tasks at hand

• keeping your self-talk and thoughts positive

• viewing failure as an opportunity to learn and grow having tenacity. NEVER GIVE UP.

Many experts say mental toughness is the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t.

3. Surround yourself with good people

You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with. This includes social media. Who are you following and what are they contributing to or taking away from your life?

4. Move Your Body

Even moving your body 20 minutes a day will have huge benefits. Physical activity is an instant mood booster because of the hormones released, like serotonin and dopamine. Exercise can transform us not just physically but also mentally.  Other benefits include:

• Improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety and stress 

• Help with weight loss

• Boost Self Confidence

• Build muscle strength and bone density

• Increase energy levels

• Reduce risk of chronic disease

• Improve brain function and memory

• Help with relaxation and sleep

• Help reduce chronic pain

• May mower high blood pressure

5. Get Up One Hour Earlier 

Everyone can benefit from getting up one hour earlier than usual. It allows us to run our days instead of having them run us. We can't create time, so we have to make time!

Most people say time is the number one factor that keeps them from reaching their goals. The truth? We have time for the things we prioritize, plain and simple! 

Even if you work full time and already feel tired… or you’re an exhausted mom who can’t imagine giving up sleep… getting up early and giving yourself time is the best gift. At first it may be difficult, but it gets easier and helps motivate us to go to bed earlier.

Getting up early and being proactive vs. reactive helps us have a good morning and sets the tone for the day! Studies have also shown that it helps to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.

The good news is even if you are genetically predisposed to this so anyone can make themselves a morning person with some consistency!

6. Write down your goals

Write them down and post it where you see it every day. Or share it with an accountability partner! It's amazing how simply writing something down makes you that much more accountable. The idea is no longer floating around in your head. It’s on paper and you can physically see it. 

It’s harder to skip an activity that you’re writing down and tracking! When you’re staring at the cookies in the closet, knowing you’ll have to write it down if you eat it, (essentially taking responsibility for an action), it makes it easier to walk away!

Sharing a goal with an accountability partner helps when the initial motivation wanes. Choose someone who will call you out for all your excuses!

7. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily

Make water the only thing you drink aside from your daily cup of coffee. Water is important for so many functions like maintaining our core temperature, transporting nutrients to our cells, removing waste products and keeping our pH levels balanced.

8. Replace an unhealthy snack or dessert with a daily protein shake

If you aren’t sure if your protein shake is good for you, ask a certified nutritionist, dietician or someone qualified. Two of my favorites are Arbonne shakes and Fairlife Protein Drinks. These are some of the best tasting pre-mixed shakes out there.

The key thing to remember - you do not want to have a protein shake daily in addition to what you are already eating! You want to replace it with something that wasn’t serving your body. Or maybe you always skip breakfast? Have it then! Protein helps to keep us full longer and helps with muscle repair and growth.

9. Get curious

Curiosity solves problems! It improves focus, stimulates creativity, and can have a calming effect. When you have a problem, instead of lamenting over it, get curious about it! You can almost always find a way to solve it.

10. Do deep work

In everything you do, from your workout to unloading the dishwasher to playing with your children, wholeheartedly focus on the task at hand. Schedule your time wisely to allow for deep work and push away distractions like your phone, tv, Instagram and Facebook. This will allow you to be present in everything you do! You will master hard tasks and produce quality work and relationships.

11. Develop a mantra

Come up with a short meaningful phrase you repeat to yourself in distressing circumstances. Repeating a mantra can help to busy up your brain, creating less room for catastrophizing and obsessing over the problem at hand, giving a calming effect.

Once you start implementing these 11 habits, you need accountability to keep you going. Being part of a group of like-minded people is the key to creating a happier, more productive life.

The Core Fit Facebook group is a great place to start finding people who are on the same journey with you to become the best version of themselves. We share workouts, recipes, common struggles and many other inspirational tips to help you reach your goals. Join us here!