Healthy Living for Total Newbies
* This post may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission off of (at zero cost to you).Please see my full Disclosure policy for any questions. I always appreciate any support to keep this site running!
Thank you!*
We’ve all been there. We wanted to start a new workout plan and post all our #HotGirlSummer, #NewYearsBody, #75Hard progress or thought “winter is for building spring/summer bodies,” only to fall off the wagon in the first 2-4 weeks.
The biggest problem with these plans is that they’re not really plans at all — they’re challenges. Challenges are great ways for us to accomplish goals, but when they’re the first step you take to making a change they can be harder than we signed up for and do more harm than good to our progress.
With these next few tips, you will learn how to start living healthier and turn your “diet” into a lifestyle — even if you’ve been living unhealthy for a long time. Let’s get started!
How To Start A Healthy Lifestyle & Stick to It
1. Do It For You!
This is the most important part of everything. Making a change in your life should always be for yourself!
You might be feeling the pressures of society, trends, other people’s comments or social media, but if you really want to make a change in your life you have to remember it’s YOUR life. These changes should be helping you achieve what YOU want to achieve.
Focusing on your healthy lifestyle solely for you will never get old, but getting skinny for that person you want to find you attractive, or all the likes you want on social media will. Plus, the more you do for yourself the more rewarded you’ll feel & want to keep growing those personal gains.
Ask yourself what you truly want and create a list of 3 realistic goals to achieve. Goals like “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days,” “Workout Every Day,” “No Cheat Meals for 30 days”, so on and so forth are not what we’re looking for. These tend to be unattainable and actually unhealthy. Losing weight too fast, overworking your body & restricting yourself are going to hurt you mentally & physically.
Start with goals like:
Lose 10-15 pounds
Workout 3-5 times a week
Journal and Meditate 5 minutes each morning or night
Start tracking meals with MyFitness Pal
Prepare healthy lunches for the week
These are going to be smaller goals without a hard time limit set to them. Usually we like to set goals with a timeline, but when you’re just getting started an open goal can be helpful, as well. This helps you get your feet wet and prove to yourself you can do it! We want to lay down ground work & learn the basics, then move up to goals with an end date.
2. Make A Commitment, not an Obligation
Getting serious about your healthy habits isn’t always easy. If it were, everyone would have done it and there’d be no reason for me writing this. You need to set your intentions and commit to them rather than feel obligated to do something you don’t want to do.
In order to make some real changes you’ll have to change your mindset and outlook on life. My favorite saying that I’ve lived by for years now is “Change Your Mind, Change Your World.” It’s helped me with getting started, staying consistent, tough days and with personal relationships. I encourage you to start saying it to yourself when you’re scared, frustrated, tired and also when things are going well. Reap the benefits of that mental shift as they’re happening & enjoy your rewards.
Making a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle will make it more attainable and sustainable. Falling off after a few weeks of work is never fun and (yes, total cliché but true) this is a marathon not a sprint. We want this to be a lifelong choice that you can build off of and grow throughout your life. Building blocks are your friends!
I know, this can be intimidating but remember we’re not aiming for perfection here. Progress over perfection is the key! If you have a day that you don’t feel as successful, that’s okay. Just look back on your goals and say “I’m in control of my decisions; today wasn’t a great day but I won’t have two bad days in a row.” Slipping up doesn’t mean you can’t do better the next day and go back to healthy living.
3. Gain Knowledge
Now that you’ve decided to make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle and narrowed down your first 3 goals, you can start learning more about how to personalize them.
Once you’ve made a decision to start a healthy lifestyle (and do it for you), you can start gathering information
reading about health and nutrition
researching the best way to start working out in your current condition
starting a health journal to track your progress & thoughts
increasing your health knowledge
Knowledge is power is something we’ve been told all our lives and it’s for so much more than just school and work. We have more power and control when we’re educated about multiple aspects of our lives and this includes our health and goals. Doing your research will help you make the right decisions for you and this process.
Plus, the more you learn the more you want to learn and we love to see your inspiration and motivation flourish and take you to new heights in life! Finding some great books to help with your motivation and outlook on healthy living can make all the difference, as well.
Another tip: avoid the fad diets! They may sound great at first, but remember, we’re building our foundation and these can be too harsh and limiting when you’re starting out. A better way to think of your new “diet”, if you must call it that, is to start eating whole food groups. I was so surprised when I began losing weight while still eating bread, potatoes, burgers, even two slices of pizza managed to fit into my daily macros (Hello! Yes Please! Sign me up for any meal plan that allows pizza!) — honestly a burger usually has more sustenance to it that a bland salad.
4. Start A Healthy Lifestyle SLOWLY
Now, you’ve decided this is the goal you want to accomplish for yourself, made a commitment, done your research and are ready to hit the ground running & do everything perfect right away, right? Ehhh, no!
We love the commitment and we support you, but we also want you to be safe & happy. Making a huge 180º hardcore change is a quick way to regret the change, especially when you’ve been living a rather unhealthy lifestyle. Your mind and body will feel that shock and let you know it’s nowhere near happy. Your body needs some time to adapt to new routines, meals and movements slowly. We want to fuel our mind and body, not overwhelm them.
In order to do this, give yourself enough time to adapt and listen to your body. It’s more intuitive than you realize. Progress doesn’t have to be doing everything in a tough workout and only eating chicken with rice and veggies to lose weight as fast possible - it can look like this:
Walking before beginning a running routine
Eating a healthy breakfast to kickstart a healthier day
Measure your weight 1-2 times a month
Please don’t do this! There’s so much that fluctuates with your weight daily & you’ll go insane
Starting with lower weights & focusing on form first
If this isn’t your first time trying to start living a healthy lifestyle, I’m sure you noticed it wasn’t always easy to keep up with. There’s so much information out there and so many workout programs & apps to choose from, choosing the right one for you can get tricky and be full-on overkill. We want to narrow things down and gradually work our way into living healthier.
5. Find a System you LOVE!
As much as I would love to give you a full list of everything to do and when, not everything works the same for everyone. In order to find success with your new, healthy lifestyle you’ll have to try out some different tactics to find the one that works for you — and most importantly, that you enjoy!
It’s easy to get lost in the multiple new workouts, strategies, routines and recipes people claim work for them. While it’s great we have access to so many options nowadays, it also makes it hard to narrow down the right one to go with. I’m sure a lot of these have worked for that person but, again we’re not all built the same.
If you’re trying out a method someone swears works if you just stick with it but aren’t seeing or feeling a positive change, it simply means it’s not the right option for you. Don’t be discouraged! There’s another option out there that’s better for you and will fuel your mind and body perfectly. Don’t be afraid to experiment until you find something you love.
Some of the things you want to try are possible for you, but not at the stage you’re currently in. I worked my way into harder moves and routines, but we all have to start somewhere. See if switching these similar options out works well for you.
Tried Barre and didn’t love it?
Try doing PilatesWant to be a Peloton junkie but dying on your first ride?
Start with cycling at your own pace on a regular stationary bike & move up as you’re readyStruggling with the barbell & weights in the gym?
Start with dumbbells and get comfortable with single weights firstTrying keto or cutting out sugar but feeling sick or unhappy?
Try a different meal plan that includes all food groups but in the recommended serving sizes (P.S. - I was amazed with the differences I saw by simply measuring out the single serving sizes recommended and only eating that)
6. Be your own #1 Supporter
You’re making some big changes in your life and it can be scary pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. This should be expected, as it’s the same with all aspects in our life that we change. You’re prioritizing yourself and quitting bad habits, which isn’t easy but is so rewarding! Remember step #2 above: Make a commitment! I promise the struggles will be worth it and will dissipate as you long as you remain dedicated to your goals.
You know you’re going to come upon struggles, so the best thing to do is have a plan for overcoming them when they arrive. Become your top supporter, cheerleader, champion, mental guru - whatever you want to be! You can always be there for yourself and we want you to learn to start feeling that power rather than being so hard on yourself. Start talking to yourself the way you would a friend who’s embarking on the same path as you are. Be kind to yourself!
A great way to start implementing this self-empowering mindset is through journaling. I know, this can be super uncomfortable to those of you who are new to journaling but don’t worry - like all things, it gets easier the more you do it.
Try using some great beginner’s journals. Here are some of my favorite thought journals that can help you get started & stay focused on your journey!
7. Reward Yourself
So you’re ready to make a real change and do the work to earn the rewards. Amazing! We are so proud of you for making this commitment! However, we also want you to be happy about this decision, as well.
Giving it your all and being super strict can quickly wear you down, making you disregard your progress and call it quits.
To keep this from happening, find ways you can reward yourself for the progress you make as you continue on your journey. I personally love treating myself with luxurious body lotions, new workout attire & gear, getting a mani/pedi, taking a day to do something on my own like visiting nearby gardens, exhibitions. A top favorite treat is going through my closet and seeing what doesn’t fit anymore and can be donated. I find a lot of things that fit looser or no longer serve me and love realizing I’ve lost weight and revel in that reward!
Create a page in your journal listing out self-care and solo day activities you’d enjoy. This way, you can always come back to it and choose a special treat for yourself when you’re in need of a little reward.
8. Make It A Part of Your Life
Last but not least, make living healthy a part of your life, not your whole life. While you should stay committed to the goals you’ve set for yourself, you should also include your quality of life in those goals. Your whole life doesn’t have to revolve around eating clean and exercising. You don’t need to be obsessed to be successful. Create a plan you’re happy with and enjoy this new part of your life!
Life is about living! Take it easy, enjoy where you’re at, where you’ve been and where you’re going & a healthy lifestyle will be much easier to stick to.
Thanks & we wish you the best,
Let’s Do BetterTogether!