Tell me if this sounds familiar: You fell off the healthy wagon for a few weeks—or months, or years, whatever—and can’t seem to jump back on because the thought of overhauling your diet or adding exercise to your already-crammed schedule is just too overwhelming.
Or maybe you’ve been making really healthy choices for the past few weeks, but one indulgent weekend—too much chocolate and wine, not enough movement or sleep—has you feeling like you’ve blown it.
Well, here’s a little secret that people who maintain good health for years and years know: You’ve never blown it.
The key to not getting sidetracked by a bump in the road (so that one cookie doesn’t become the whole jar or one skipped workout doesn’t become a new way of life) is to forego the complicated meal plans and rigid exercise schedules that are exhausting just to think about.
Instead, you can quickly and easily get back on track with this simple motto:
“Make the next healthy choice.” Tweet this!
That’s it! Make the next healthy choice.
Why does it work? Because it doesn’t require you to conquer all your unhealthy demons in one fell swoop. It doesn’t ask you to drastically alter your schedule, rearrange to your to-do list, or create an elaborate plan for changing your life overnight.
Instead, just make the next healthy choice. Totally doable, right? Not intimidating. Not overwhelming.
Maybe the next healthy choice is to add some veggies to your lunch.
Or go for a half mile walk after dinner.
Perhaps the next healthy choice is to spend a mere five minutes in prayer or meditation to quiet your busy mind (or is that just me?).
Or to get eight hours of sleep tonight—not every night for the rest of your life, just tonight.
When I give up the hope that I’ll just wake up one day and suddenly have acquired every healthy habit I’ve ever hoped to have, and instead focus simply on making the next healthy choice at any given moment, I find that one good choice leads to another good choice which leads to another good choice, and so on.
The next thing I know, I feel a bit more energetic, a tad stronger, and a touch more rested.
Truly healthy people don’t let one week or month or year of bad habits get them down. They also don’t try to change their entire lifestyle all at once, because they know that’s setting themselves up for a struggle.
So if you’ve been trying unsuccessfully to get back into the healthy swing of things—or if you’ve literally just finished a burger and fries and are feeling defeated about it—try it out: “Make the next healthy choice.”
No muss, no fuss, just the next healthy choice.
And with that, you’re back on the path to long-term health.
What’s your healthy living motto? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by complicated meal plans and rigid exercise schedules?
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26 responses to “The 5-Word Motto Truly Healthy People Live By”
Motto- Excellent Health. It’s simple and refocuses me.
One of the perks from working from home and having a hub who works from home, too, is the flexibility it brings for supporting a healthy lifestyle.
I routinely wake up for an early swim, come home, and he goes out for a swim or run. There’s time to make and prep foods throughout the day and to be thoughtful about what we’re eating.
It’s something I treasure about our lives as writers.
I love that you genuinely appreciate the perks of your lifestyle, Wendy. It helps me remember that we all have something to be grateful for, and we can use the good things about our circumstances (whatever they are) to build the kind of life we want to lead.
This is a fantastic motto Katie. We beat ourselves up so much for slipping… but just because you slip doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel! I love this motto!
Thanks for this encouragement, Katie. I fell off the regular exercise regimen quite a while ago, but a walk with my little one today is totally doable. One step at a time. Great perspective.
Great motto Katie! I’m totally going to use that one. It doesn’t condemn… it just challenges us to move forward and not dwell on the past errors.
Tweeted! Thanks for sharing!
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
I love this!! I like programs and plans, but I believe in giving myself a break sometimes! I’d rather have one piece of chocolate more frequently than completely binge one day and feel like crap.
It’s a fabulous motto. And it’s realistic and inspiring.
It’s been up and down for me this summer, but I could really use more exercise. It’s hard because I’m naturally pretty slim but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be modeling better behavior for my kids. And myself!
Good point! You know, I always think I’ve blown it if I have a ton to do and I skip my run. But the reality is, even if I am pressed for time, I could still get out there for 20 minutes…and something is better than nothing!
You, my friend, are a genius! I definitely have a lot of weight to lose and it gets daunting, but you’re right. I just need to think about the next choice that’s in front of me and maybe the I can get on track.
Loved this!
I think anything that takes the overwhelm and intimidation out of getting healthier is a good thing.
In everything, I take the easy route. Why bother making life so hard ;). I like that this 5-word motto reminds us that making any big change in life really takes small steps. The motto I live by is everything in moderation. Especially for my kids, who snack and have unhealthy food when we eat out. It’s not like they do it all the time, so why not have a little fun. There will come a time (like at my age) where you can’t indulge in that stuff as often, so might as well do it as a kid, in moderation of course.
Exactly! A little bit here and there won’t hurt them if their overall diet is mostly fresh, wholesome foods.
Tried the liver-cleansing diet. Lost weight. Couldn’t keep up with stuff like ratattoille three times a week.
Tried Weight Watchers. Ate baby flounder in a fish camp. Ten years ago. I still haven’t earned enough points back.
Looked into Paleo. Found out it wasn’t just steak and olives. Gave it up.
This, though? This, I can do.
I’m right there with ya—anything that involves counting points or giving up chocolate makes me squirm.
Great motto! I also find that starting my day with a healthy choice makes it easier to make subsequent choices also healthy.
For example – getting up, putting on workout clothes, and getting my workout done, leads to me keeping my sneakers on, walk the dog, a sensible breakfast, and motivates me to start completing errands or checking off items on my daily to-do list.
I completely agree! If I start the day with a healthy choice, it is ten times easier to keep making more healthy choices throughout the day. On the other hand, if I start the day on the wrong foot, it makes it really tough to get back on track.
LOVE THIS Katie!! It makes things so much easier… more doable. There are so many ‘black and white’ intentions out there that are extreme and daunting… this is more the pace we need to set. Baby steps!!
Love this, Katie. It’s a great way to keep your body fit and healthy if it already is, or get it there eventually if you have work to do. One choice at a time makes it much less overwhelming. I remind myself that – just because I had a Hershey kiss at breakfast doesn’t mean the whole day is a bust! (seriously – I had a Hershey kiss with my cereal this morning)
A Hershey kiss at breakfast sounds wonderful!
As much as I would love to “balls to wall” it and become a buff babe, the reality is, I have 4 kids and a husband who is obese. I focus on making good choices in the moment. It is too much to think about tonight or tomorrow. I make sure I am prepared with good options but don’t like thinking about food all the time (ie counting points/calories, macro molecules, etc). Oh, and make sure I always have my super dark chocolate bar on hand so I can have a few squares every evening 🙂
Busy moms don’t have the time or energy to think about food all the time! It’s just totally impractical.
I like this. It’s so simple and attainable. Whenever my husband sets goals, he always puts a clock on them. And a relatively short one, at that. I thought that was weird when we first got married, but I have since seen how not overcommitting makes something seem more doable. Same concept here.
After the no-bake cookies I had tonight…*I’m* making the next healthy choice. 🙂
Very interesting, Erica! I can see how having a time limit like that could be either helpful or deterring, depending on your personality. For me I think it would be helpful!
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Great advice! Never thought of to think like that but definitely more positive and do-able to just do better next time, thanks, Katie! Found this through Pinterest Promotion for Bloggers and sharing. 🙂
Oh I love this post! It’s ridiculously hard to stick with a diet and exercise routine, at least for me anyway. I always stumble and then get discouraged, which is probably why I’m still overweight. I need to stop beating myself up and move on to the next thing. Thank you for such a motivational push, and for sharing with the SHINE Blog Hop this week! 🙂