You might not think you have a routine, but odds are you follow the same actions every day. It’s what helps you get through the day more efficiently without making another decision. You perform a routine that you don’t even have to think about anymore, like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, putting your shoes on for work, or maybe bringing in the mail, changing out of your work clothes, and starting dinner. You don’t think about it. You just do. 

Now that spring is here, and the cold winter is (hopefully) behind us, it’s the perfect time to build a new habit into your already well-established routine. If you start now, your routine could feature some healthy new habits keeping you feeling energized and excited to welcome a new season.  

What does it take to incorporate a new habit? You know now that you probably have a routine that you don’t have to put a lot of thought into. Try to build a new action into that routine. Using an example of wanting to drink more water, consider adding a glass of water to your breakfast along with your coffee or juice after you brush your teeth. Or, during your after-work routine, make a glass of water to drink while making dinner. 

Consistency over time is the key to making real progress toward building a habit. It can be difficult to change all your habits or routines at once. People often find more success in setting and focusing on small goals and achieving them before moving on to the next. This helps create good habits. For example, it is easier to do a small amount of exercise each day than to decide to run a marathon.

Using the SMART goal method, consider a healthy habit you’d like to incorporate. Make sure it is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely to help you be as successful as you can. 

We tend to set health and fitness goals when we’re feeling especially motivated or focused, but the truth is many of our well-intentioned goals end up forgotten within the first few weeks or months of making them. The trick to making a lasting change in our lives is to develop habits that move us toward our goals. Habits do not take conscious effort to complete, which makes it significantly easier to stay on track. 

Instead of: I am going to exercise more.

Say: I am going to exercise for at least 20 minutes twice this week.

Instead of: I am going to eat healthier.

Say: I am going to limit desserts to one serving per day. Or, I am going to add a serving of vegetables to two meals per day.

What do you want to accomplish this season? This month? This week? Figure out your long-term goals and write down short-term goals that help you work towards them. If your goal is to walk or run a 5k this spring, your goals might look like this:

Long-term goal: I will walk (or run) a 5k without stopping to rest in May 2023.

Short-term goal: I will walk 20 minutes twice per week this week and work up to 30 minutes three times per week in the next four weeks.

Whatever your habit or goal that you’d like to create, remember everything is about consistency. Roadblocks may come up, like vacations, stressful workdays, or events. Rather than completely giving up when things don’t go as planned, don’t dwell on the bad days. Get back to your routine and enjoy a new season full of new possibilities!