Why Is It Hard to Build Healthy Habits?
Resistance to Change
There is a tremendous amount of emphasis today on living a healthy life and many Americans profess to wanting to be healthier. S0 . . . why is it hard to build healthy habits?
There is an abundance of information available – articles, blogs, news reports, etc. on how to create a healthy lifestyle. Food suppliers have made healthy eating easier than it has ever been by making fresh, organic produce and additive-free foods readily available. And yet, the U.S. is facing an obesity crisis, diabetes is on the rise, and heart disease is rampant.
The root of the problem is that humans are resistant to change by nature. Studies have shown that because of that resistance it takes at least a month to break an old habit and implement a new one. Even then, we can easily backslide into old patterns.
After a new habit has been in place for the first 30-days, we must diligently hold ourselves on track until the new practice is deeply ingrained as a “habit” and will hold without conscious thought.
Most of us are fully aware that healthy habits are necessary to increase resistance to poor health conditions and disease right now. They are also necessary for long-term good health and longevity.
Unfortunately, the road to change can be bumpy if not done correctly.
What Kind of Food Do You Eat?
Ask yourself the hard questions about your eating habits. What kinds of foods do you eat every day? Is your diet primarily made up of junk food? Food high in calories and low in nutrients – filled with sugar, bad fats, and additives?
If you said yes to those questions, you have a lot of company. That describes a huge number of Americans.
Our bodies were not made to process and thrive on that kind of food. It is not the kind of food that people ate for generations. In fact, it is relatively new from a historical perspective.
Food Manufacturers Destroyed Healthy Eating
The world has changed dramatically over the last century. We no longer live in a world of hunters and gathers or farmers and tradesmen. Food manufacturers have changed our eating habits to fit their pocketbooks. They have little or no interest in providing healthy foods that the body needs. Their only real interest is profit.
Today processed and fast foods are everywhere. Convenience is one of the biggest drivers behind the success of such products. They are available, reasonably priced, and inviting you in for a quick bite … and while you are there, they super-size everything, adding even more fat and calories.
But, that isn’t the end of the story or even the worst part. The foods have been purposefully engineered to be addictive. So, the more processed and fast food you eat, the more you want. Those are the foods your body begins to crave.
Happily, you do not have to stay on this destructive path. You can choose to change and start eating healthy. If you are committed to the change and stay true to your new choices, healthy food will become the kind of food your body craves.
Make Changes Slowly
It can be extremely challenging to make such a change cold-turkey, although some people prefer to do it that way. For most, it may be easier to make small incremental changes slowly – and to be patient with yourself in the process.
Small changes over time allow your body and mind to adjust and adapt slowly to your new way of eating. Gradually wean yourself off the bad food and begin to fill your diet with more and more healthy food until eventually a complete change has been made.
Regardless of whether you choose a gradual change or to go “cold turkey” – a change is necessary if you want to live a full, rich, healthy life. The way you eat today and tomorrow will affect how you feel, mentally and physically today, tomorrow, next year, and the rest of your life.
Healthy Level of Fitness
We are in the early part of a new year and chances are some people made New Year’s Resolutions to exercise more this year. Some of those resolutions may have been to the extreme such as: exercise five days a week, run a marathon in a month, etc.
Depending on their current state of fitness, it is possible that after a couple of visits to the gym, they were so sore they could hardly move. They decided to take a few days to heal up and never went back.
When trying to build up your physical endurance and fitness, common sense should tell you to start where you are and 
build up slowly. Begin with short easy workouts a day or two the first week and gradually increase the frequency, the time spent, and type of workout over the course of the first month.
When it comes to fitness it doesn’t have to be hard to build healthy habits, it is a process of setting an attainable and realistic end goal with several milestones of mini-goals along the way.
Take Care of Your Body
With birth we each received the gift of a miraculous human body. If it is treated badly, it will begin to falter. Poor health and disease will take over. If it is nurtured and cared for through healthy practices (healthy foods, exercise, rest, and plenty of laughter), it will thrive and serve you well for a very long lifetime. The choice is yours.
Please check out my newest book:
It may be hard to build healthy habits, but it doesn’t have to be. This book was written to provide a road map for everyone who wants to live a happier, healthier life. It is based on the author’s fifteen-month personal journey and her life-changing results.
Give your self the gift of a healthy life, beginning today. Use the link to buy your copy through Amazon.com.
Related Articles:
Leave a Reply