5 Small Fitness & Nutrition habits that will help you reach your BIG goals!
One of my favourite sayings is ‘small steps add up’, and it’s true! One thing I want you to know is that you don’t need grand actions to achieve your fitness & nutrition goals. In fact, when you achieve it, it will be the sum of your small day to say habits and routines that get you there.
Before you read the rest of this article, take a second now to think about what your #1 fitness or nutrition goal is currently. Is it to improve your strength so you can lift your children up more easy? Is it to be able to complete 10 push-ups on your toes so you can carry the grocery bags easier at the store? Whatever it is, visualise you achieving that goal and now, think about how good it’s going to feel once you do.
These are 5 small, daily habits that my clients and I use to stay consistent, work towards and achieve their goals and most of all, have fun whilst doing so.
1. Lie out your active wear the night before your workout.
Seems simple, right? Maybe, but that’s why I love it. The simple action of laying out the active wear you’re going to wear before going to bed, puts your brain in the mindset of ‘I’m going to get up and do my workout in the morning’. Not to mention, it saves you time, having to think about what you’re going to wear (which can take a long time). When your alarm goes off in the morning for you to get up and do that online group fitness class or go for that walk, you won’t have to have that internal battle of ‘will I’ or ‘won’t I’, because the night before, you already decided you will. Nice!
2. Get up at the same time, every day
Again, seems simple enough, but getting up at the same time daily allows your body to know when it will be waking and again, takes away the thought of ‘will I just sleep in that extra 30 minutes instead of getting up to do my workout or make a nutritious breakfast’. My best piece of advice to get started, is start small, it sometimes can be hard adjusting your sleep habits. Start going to bed 10 minutes earlier & in turn, wake up 10 minutes earlier. Over time, increase this to 20 minutes then 30. Before you know it, you’ve got more time in your morning to workout, eat better & work on yourself.
3. Get enough sleep (and make sure your bed time routine is great!)
One thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is the importance of good sleep & a great night routine. Ensure at least 30 minutes before you go to bed, you give yourself time to wind down so your sleep quality is undisturbed. Turn off all technology, instead read of listen to a meditation to wind down. Getting up earlier is a lot easier when you’ve had a great quality sleep. If you’re not getting at least 7-8 hours a night, it’s time to make some changes!
4. Eat more whole foods and less processed foods
Whole foods are those foods that are in their natural state; exactly the way nature intended them to be; for instance, an apple, dates, legumes and whole grains. We need to be eating more of these as a society! These foods contain more essential vitamins and minerals than processed ‘junk’ food (i.e. muesli bars, chocolate bars, doughnuts, cakes) such as fibre, iron, protein & vitamin C. Aim to swap out ‘junk’ foods with ‘whole foods’. For instance, instead of buying a packet of 6 muesli bars for the week, make your own batch of oat bars (you can find the recipe on our Facebook Group page). Small changes add up.
5. Prepare more of your own meals (and use Sunday meal prep days to do this)
We live in an era of extreme convenience. If we’re craving a burger, we can literally order it on our phones, and in a matter of minutes, it will arrive at our doorsteps. Of course, this is ok in moderation, but if you’re eating a majority of takeaway foods throughout the week, it’s time to reconsider. If you’re time poor (let’s face it, most of us are!), use Sunday’s to cook, prepare and schedule what you’ll be eating for the week ahead. Write up on a whiteboard or diary your lunches, dinners & breakfasts. Spend 1-2 hours prepping some of the meals in advance. You may like to freeze them so you can take them out of the freezer & eat them when you get home. When we prepare our own food, we know exactly what’s in them. Unlike ‘take away’ or ‘store bought’ foods when we can’t control what’s added.
So, some literal ‘food for thought’ for you. Remember, small changes and small steps add up. Take on board one of these habits every week or every month and watch, as you slowly become a more healthy, happy & limitless version of you.
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