I am using this Habit Tracker Printable Worksheet to help me get back on track with my good habits once again.
Everyone makes goals or resolutions for the New Year.
I usually set several goals each year, but this year I have chosen to change my focus from setting goals & resolutions to creating new habits instead.
Before something becomes a habit or a routine, it takes a lot of willpower to things happen.
Yes, it will take some willpower, mental energy, and drive at first to create the new habits, but once they are set, it will become automatic like brushing your teeth before bed.
After spending some time thinking over the last year, I realized that the one thing I really want to focus on this year is prioritizing a full life.
Now don’t get me wrong, I always try to choose good options, but I realized this past year I have gotten lazy about it.
A few years ago I was doing great with limiting my sugar intake and I felt great during that time too.
But slowly, slowly I let it creep back in a little at a time until I was choosing sugar all day long with no regard to how it makes me feel after I have had too much.
But it was more than the sugar.
My sleep schedule was all out of whack.
I know I do better with a regular sleep schedule and yet I noticed as the year came to a close, that I was staying up way too late each night.
It started with just a couple of nights a week, but it ended with spending my nights in bed staring at my phone until midnight.
I could continue doing this. But I know that I am not functioning at my best when I don’t get the adequate sleep that I know I need.
Sleep is SO important to us, physically and mentally.
I had stopped any form of exercise at all.
My body hurts from not moving it regularly and I feel myself slowing down more and more.
If you don’t move your body, eventually it becomes really hard to move.
This is where I am finding myself today.
The good thing about living in a state of total wellness is that I know that I can do this again, since I have done it before.
I also know how I felt when I was living at my most healthy and this is not the way I was made to feel every day.
It’s not really about weight loss, although that will happen when I am practicing my healthy habits.
It is about self discipline and maturity.
So I am joining everyone else and choosing the start of the new year to focus on my wellness through 9 healthy habits of self discipline.
Hydration
I am committing to drinking a gallon of water every day.
My friend Crystal started this a few years ago and has inspired me to give it a try.
Read how she manages to do it and how it actually saves her money too!
I got this neat gallon jug from Amazon and will use it to keep track of where I am throughout the day in my water intake.
Exercise
I am not going to start doing anything to strenuous, since I have barely done anything in over a year.
But I am committing to spending 30 minutes each day stretching and getting my body to move freely again.
This is the video I am using. I love the posture stretch workout, you can find lots more here including live streaming.
As my body starts to feel better and like it can move better, I may add in more exercise.
But I am not stressing about it, I am going to make it a habit to do 30 minutes of stretching each day and see where it goes from there.
Sleep
I am committing to 8 hours of sleep each night.
I realize that I can function on much less, but I know I am not at my best mentally, unless I have gotten a full 8 hours of sleep.
Not getting a good night’s sleep can impact your performance during the day.
Chronic lack of sleep can cause all sorts of health issues and even weight gain. It can also lead to depression.
This is going to be a challenge for me because even though I may go to bed at a somewhat decent hour, I have gotten into a bad habit of staying up until midnight, scrolling through my phone at night.
Which is why I am challenging myself to break this unhealthy habit I have created.
Technology
I am committing to plugging my phone into the charger before bed and leaving it there.
I have to admit, this is the one habit I am most concerned about because I believe it has really become an addiction for me.
I am going to replace it reading.
This is something I have always loved, but haven’t made much time for lately because that time has been spent scrolling my phone instead.
Diet
I am going back to a no sugar diet.
I did it before successfully. I felt so much better physically when I was eliminating sugars from my diet.
But I slowly let them back in a little at a time until it was completely out of control.
The past couple weeks I have felt awful and I know it is because of the way I have been eating.
Things I thought I had gotten rid of, like heartburn, body aches and regular headaches, are back and I do not want to make this a permanent state of being.
Prayer
Although I find myself praying all day long, I want to spend some intentional time making this a regular practice.
Spending time in prayer or meditation is something that can be soothing and help one with being able to reduce their stress.
There are many reasons for this but the main one seems to be that people who are more spiritual have more hope.
Having hope can give someone a sense of peace and reduce the amount of worry that they have.
This all leads to less stress at home.
Gratitude
I am committing to starting a Gratitude Journal.
Each day I will keep track of at least ten things that I can be grateful for.
Getting in the habit of showing and experiencing more gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to increase your feeling of contentment.
You can get a free Gratitude Journal printable here.
Skin Care
Okay this is me being very honest.
I basically ignore my skin.
I never wash my face, unless I am in the shower. I never remove my makeup at night.
The most I really do is put on my moisturizer in the morning after I have showered, and that is simply because my skin is so tight and dry from age and I am guessing dehydration as well.
I have some scary spots on my face that I need to take care of before they turn into something bad. I am going to be using the cream the doctor gave me a few years ago when I had a similar spot that was turning into skin cancer.
So I am committing to focusing on my skin by washing my face each night before bed and taking care of the spots that I have been ignoring.
Reading
I am committing to reading every single day.
The first thing that came to mind when I thought of this habit, is where will I find the time.
I know that I am not the only one that feels like there just isn’t time for stuff like this.
But then I remembered that I spend time scrolling Facebook & Instagram, reading other peoples stories one post at a time.
I am looking forward to regular reading once again. I joined my friend Amy’s online book club, where where you can read and discuss great books each month.
My goal is to get through at least 30 books this year!
I would love suggestions of books you’ve recently read and loved.
I hope that you will join me in creating your own healthy habits for the new year.
The free Healthy Habit Tracker that I have made for you includes the worksheet that I am using, as well as a blank one so you can fill in your own healthy habits that you would like to focus on this year.
Don’t forget to visit the Saving Dollars & Sense community where we will be sharing our progress throughout the year as well.
Leave a Reply