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What is Habit Stacking?
Habit stacking is the process of taking habits that fit together and putting them into a routine. After all, this is really all a routine is. It is a collection of habits you “stack” because they fit in well with one phase of your day, whether it is a morning routine or a lunchtime routine. Here are some things to know about habit stacking and how you can take advantage of it with your own routines and habits. Using Cues for Your Habits A big part of habit stacking is having cues for each of your habits. These are signs that tell you what habit is coming up next. For…
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The Best Habits for Early Morning Hours
While there is no such thing as a “perfect” morning routine, there are definitely some habits that can benefit you if you do them early in the morning before getting started with your day. Waking Up Slowly and Naturally Waking up slowly and naturally is not about not using an alarm clock and hoping your boy wakes up at the right time. Instead, it is more about allowing your mind and body a little time to start waking up, instead of jolting out of bed and stumbling directly to the coffee pot. Take a few minutes to sit on your bed in the quiet and stretch, allow yourself some time…
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Turning Your New Years’ Resolutions Into Goals
It is that time of year when people decide what they want to get done and call them resolutions. While New Years’ Resolutions can be fun to choose, they don’t often stick. But the reason they fail isn’t because you can’t achieve them, but because they are often not thought out and don’t have a plan. When you treat resolutions more like goals, you have a much higher chance of success. Use the SMART Method Treat your resolutions like goals by using the popular SMART method for creating goals you will stick to. This includes: Specific – You should be able to be specific and write details about the goal…
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6 Ways to Have a Healthy New Year
The new year is the perfect opportunity to develop healthy habits and add things to your routine for your physical and emotional health. Here are some easy ways to have the healthiest new year ever. 1. Take a Different Approach to New Years’ Resolutions Before you do anything else, make sure you are approaching your new years’ resolutions in a healthy and realistic way. Instead of making the mistake of having these grand resolutions you feel like you couldn’t accomplish, set smaller and more attainable goals related to your health. 2. Consider What Went Wrong the Last Few Years You have probably set other healthy new years’ resolutions or lifestyle…
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How to Reset Your Mindset
We are creatures of habit, and that includes our mindset and thought patterns. You have probably noticed this when something stressful or upsetting happens; your mind tends to go the same place it always does. While this can be frustrating, it is also very possible to change how you react by changing your entire mindset. Flip the Script Flipping the script is about taking your normal thought processes, and flipping them. All those negative thoughts and the negative self-talk can be turned around into something positive. Remember the point is not to put pressure on yourself and force yourself to be positive all the time. That just isn’t realistic. Let…
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Change Your Behavior to Change Your Habits
Now that the new year is here, it is time to think about introducing some healthy habits into your routine. The best way to do that is to look at your current behaviors and figure out what needs to be adjusted since changing your habits is all about changing your behaviors. Behavior Change is a Process The first thing you need to know about behavior change is that it is a process, and one that times time. It requires practice, persistence, and an understanding that it isn’t going to change overnight. The reason people struggle with changing their habits is because they don’t bother looking at their behaviors. The cues…
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Day 30. Be Grateful for Friends
On the last day of our Attitude for Gratitude Challenge, we will simply appreciate our friends. What is it about certain people that makes you want to have them as a friend? Do you keep a “collection” of people that you enjoy adding to as you go forth and experience life? Much like a coin collection, you’ll want to hang onto people who provide value for you. Since everybody is different, that value could really be anything you want it to be. Often, we become friends with people based on shared special interests. It’s way better to attend a Pink Floyd cover band concert with your good ole friends, than…
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New Year, New You- Reflecting on the Holiday to Make a Plan for Next Year
There’s something remarkable about the new year. The promise of change and a clean slate gets everyone excited about the possibilities. There’s no other time when people are more focused and willing to make changes to enhance their lives. Gym memberships soar and more storage containers are purchased at this time of year than any other. The promise of a new year brings the promise of a new you too. What could be better? Everyone wants to do better, be better, and experience something better than the year before. The thing is, it takes intention and effort to make that happen. A new year and a new you is possible…
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Day 29. Heart and Home
As the old saying goes, home is where the heart is. The Holiday season is surely a time to be grateful for your home, the resting spot for your body, and the place to renew your spirit. Home means different things to different people. Some folks prefer that their home be placed in a crowded, bustling city. Others call the quiet countryside a place to call home. And lots more others make their home in a place that’s somewhere in between. Do you love to be home? Not everyone does. “Homebody” doesn’t fit all people and personalities. For some, home is a merely a form of shelter and a crash…
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Day 28: In Awe of Our Precious Planet
The planet where we exist is a miracle. Do you feel blessed to be alive on this miraculous Eden that teems with life… Mother Earth? It’s easy to forget how bizarre and wondrous our existence on this planet is. Each day, we wake up and engage more or less the same routine as the prior day. We eat food, perform our jobs, rest, do more jobs, eat more, and go to sleep. What other creatures on this planet could be doing similar things as us, and we aren’t even aware of it? Maybe all of them, even down to the smallest units of energy. No one can seem to confirm…