Build Better Habits and Be Confident this Texas Summer!

Build Better Habits NOW and be Confident on the Beach This Summer!

When you think “beach vacation,” is the first thing that comes to mind how uncomfortable you’ll feel in a bathing suit? We’ve all been there. Especially after the holiday season, it’s easy to feel discouraged by how much we’ve slacked on our eating habits and workout routines. If you’re planning a trip to Port Aransas this Texas summer season and want to hit the coast with a healthier you, we have some tips for you!

January is notoriously a time when gym attendance and personal training sessions skyrocket. Whether your goal is to improve your overall health or get to a certain goal weight, it is important to do it in a healthy way.*

Whatever goals you are setting out to attain, here are some key insights from James Clear’s best-selling book, Atomic Habits, on how to make your fitness habits stick – and actually work.

Pick Habits that Serve Your Goal

Having a goal is great, but if you don’t commit to a habit that will get you to your goal, you won’t reach it. As James Clear says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” If your goal is to lose 10 pounds by May, choose a habit that will get you there. Do you need to run 3 miles three times a week? Cut out junk food on weekdays? Focus on the things that, if done repetitively, will get you to your end goal. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Habits are hard because they don’t give us results right away. But over time, they pay off in big ways.

Raise the Bar by Lowering It

We often don’t stick with our intended habits because we aim too high. If you haven’t been running at all and suddenly expect to run 3 miles three times a week, you probably won’t. Raise the bar by lowering it. In other words, set an attainable goal! Start by running 1 mile three times a week, or walking 3 miles three times a week. Incrementally increase your distance and intensity. Make your habits realistic and you’ll often surprise yourself by being able to stick with them!

Do It Imperfectly Anyways

Habits are also difficult to stick with because we tend to give up at the first sign of failure. But, what if we got over our perfectionism and realized that growth involves failure? Imagine you set out to stick to what you believe is a realistic habit for you: running 1 mile three times a week. But, you only make it a half mile before stopping to walk on your first day. What do you do? For most of us, we beat ourselves up and convince ourselves we’ll never be able to do it. One of the best ways to get over this tendency is to commit to doing the habit imperfectly for as long as it takes. Finish walking that last half mile. Give it your best effort again the next day. Doing things imperfectly anyways will increase our stamina and keep us moving forward toward our goal.

Cheers to 2022 and building good habits! We’ll see you on the Port Aransas beach this Texas summer season, looking like your healthy, happy, and hard-working self.