Make 2024 the year you make positive changes second nature.

Healthy habits support our lives. Consider how often you plan to brush your teeth before you do it? Chances are you don’t. We’ve been trained from a young age that brushing our teeth is part of every morning and night routine and once we reach adulthood, it’s second nature. Incorporating new healthy habits as adults can feel overwhelming, but with a bit of patience and repetition you can form new habits that serve you over time.

ACTION OVER GOAL
The key is to focus on the actions required, and less on the end goal. Running a marathon is a
worthy vision, but if you’ve never completed a 5k a marathon can be overwhelming. Mapping out a running schedule for the next week, month or six months is action you can focus on to make your goal more achievable.

START SMALL
Take a gentle, whole-person approach for long-term change. First, start by establishing a regular sleep habit, from going to bed at the same time to waking up at the same time. Then, work on your nutrition. Aim for more water, and identify eating habits that make you feel more energised.

REDUCE THE FRICTION
Putting your runners close to the front door will make it easier to put them on, making going for a midweek run less of a chore. It’s easier to eat healthier if you have a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table. It’ll be the first thing you see when you’re feeling peckish. Reducing the excuses will help habits form faster.

LET GO
This is a time associated with starting anew, but take some time to reflect on the goals that no longer serve you. Perhaps you thought you were going to learn to do a handstand last year but never did anything about it. Ask yourself what stopped you? Maybe you’re not that committed to turning life on its head. That’s okay. Let it go, so you can stop wasting energy on regret and guilt. Instead, you can get that energy back to use it to take up sea swimming or drinking more water every day.