Now, you are probably thinking that bad habits entail smoking, eating too much or maybe gambling. But the thing is, bad habits go far beyond the stereotypical ones we all tend to focus on.

So many of us are guilty of bad habits. Maybe it’s overindulging in a little too much retail therapy (even when you already own 7 different pairs of boots in the same colour), maybe you are a procrastinator at work or maybe you spend the majority of your spare time on social media. No matter what your unhealthy habit is, we all have them.

Bad habits follow us around in our day-to-day life and they can take a toll on our physical and mental wellbeing. Without knowing it, your bad habit could be weighing you down in more ways than you realise. Draining your bank account, consuming your spare time or just making you unhappy.

However, it is possible to effectively bring an end to our bad habits. The trick is to replace them with good habits.

You don’t just erase a bad habit, you replace it with something better

According to an article written by James Clear (the man knows what he is talking about), the idea is to take something bad from your life and cultivate new practices that provide a similar benefit.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this way of thinking…

The thinking behind bad habits

Bad habits are pinpointed to two leading causes: stress and boredom. From smoking to splurging at the mall, bad habits stem from us trying to deal with our stress or boredom.

But, the trick is to teach yourself how to deal with these two factors in new and healthy ways.

For example, if smoking is your bad habit, then instead of trying to stop smoking cold turkey, you need to try and think of a healthy and productive replacement for smoking. This might be working out, practising deep breathing techniques, or really anything that works for you and stops you from picking up a cigarette.

Here’s how to effectively break your bad habits and replace them with healthy ones

1. Learn how to cope with stress better

According to an article in Time, the first step to breaking a bad habit is to sink your stress levels.

A number of bad habits, from smoking to sugar consumption, involve your brain’s reward system. Having a smoke or a slab of chocolate is recognised as a reward by our brains. This is a reason why we start to form these bad habits in the first place. Simply put – they feel good.

It’s easier to say no to a bad habit when we are in a happier state of mind. Our willpower is stronger when our mental and physical wellbeing is too. This means that the first step to breaking bad habits is to improve your overall wellbeing.

Some tactics include:

• Getting enough sleep
• Exercising regularly
• Taking part in stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and yoga

If you are lacking motivation or don’t know where to start, then we can help with personally designed wellness programs that really work.

2. Find your triggers and eliminate them

If eating a slab of chocolate every night is your guilty pleasure, then get rid of all the candy in your house. If smoking if your bad habit, then chuck out ashtrays and lighters that remind you of smoking.

Get rid of any triggers in your environment (like right now).

3. Find healthy substitutes for your bad habits

This involves thinking ahead of time as to what you will replace the bad habit with. You need to come up with a game plan and figure out how you will respond to moments of stress and boredom.

If you feel like you are procrastinating at work, then take up an online course or read an interesting article online instead of scrolling the Gram. If you feel the urge to have a sweet snack as a result of stress, why not go for a short walk instead or eat something healthier yet still delicious?

Practise deep breathing or healthy distractions when you feel like you might slip into a habit as a result of stress or boredom.

4. Visualise success and think positively

It comes down to the power of positive thinking.

Start by writing down a list of goals for yourself or a mantra.

It can be as simple as something along the lines of…

I am fit, filled with boundless energy and overcome my bad habits with ease and strength.

Or…

My mind is at peace in knowing I have the strength to overcome my bad habits.

Visualise yourself as a healthier and happier person for it and watch as your life starts to change around your positive way of thinking.

Wake up in the morning and visualise yourself crushing your bad habit, smiling as you do it and succeeding in your ability to do so.

Think positively

Did you know that negativity is also a form of a bad habit? Every time a negative thought comes into your mind, recognise it and then eliminate it with a positive one.

For example, if you start to think that you cannot overcome the need for a cigarette and you might as well just have one, then replace this thought with “I am strong and confident in my ability to overcome my bad habits” and take 5 deep breaths.

It’s really that simple.

5. Know that it’s okay to slip up

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that if you are trying to give up a bad habit, then you might hit a bump in the road from time to time. You need to plan for failure.

But, instead of beating yourself up, recognise your mistake and tell yourself you will do better next time and actually do it.

Where to from here?

We hope this list of tactics will help in putting you on the path to success in breaking a bad habit.

Remember to eliminate your cues, replace your bad habit with a good one, visualise success and think positively and know that it’s okay to fail.

What bad habit are you wanting to kick?

Have you lost your enthusiasm to exercise in the cold winter months? Well, you are not alone.

Staying productive and motivated during the frosty days of winter isn’t easy. We all know what it’s like, the temperature drops and so does our eagerness to get out and exercise.

We often find ourselves switching to mornings spent cuddled up with hot cocoa under the sheets and evenings snuggled in front of Netflix or our fireplace. Our morning workouts start to slip away, we have pressed snooze so many times we lost count and our evening exercise routines are no more. All we want to do is get home, get warm and stay that way.

Sound familiar?

Why it’s so hard to workout in winter

Well, for one, the cold weather isn’t exactly inviting now is it?

And secondly, once you start to skip a workout here and there, other aspects of your once healthy lifestyle often start to take a hit. It might be easier to grab some hot takeout as opposed to popping into the shops to get some groceries for dinner. When it’s cold, everything seems like an effort and we tend to slowly slip into ‘sloth’ mode. Too many skipped workouts and takeouts start to add up until eventually, we find ourselves in a slump. A ‘sloth’ mode slump, if you will.

Not exercising and not sticking to a healthy eating plan is a recipe for disaster as our nutrition and fitness have a profound effect on our lives.

That’s why we have put together this fitspired guide of 7 easy ways to regain (and keep) your motivation to exercise and get your health back in line.

1. Set goals and stick to them

Start with setting attainable goals. Perhaps you want to run a 5km without stopping to walk. Maybe you want to improve your lifestyle through healthy eating and exercising 3 times a week. The simpler the goal, the better.

Performance-focused goals are often better than aesthetic goals. So, instead of setting a goal to look a certain way, set a goal to do something fitness related like running a race or attending spinning classes twice a week or even sticking to a workout routine. That way you have something more tangible to work towards.

If you aren’t sure where to start, then get in touch with our team and we can help you set realistic goals and help you reach them.

2. Find simple ways to reach your goals

The moment you set your goals, then you need an action plan.

This could be developed with a personal trainer or a nutritionist. At Wellbe, we pride ourselves on helping our clients reach their goals through personally designed programs that actually work, are grounded in science and are delivered in a fun, approachable and lifestyle-focused ways.

To realistically reach your bigger goals, break them down into smaller ones. It can be as simple as eating more veggies every day, waking up when your alarm goes off (even if it is still dark outside) and skipping out on your weekly take out meal. Speaking of eating your vegetables, here’s a great recipe for healthy bell peppers.

Expert tip – Track your workouts. This way you can take notice of your day-to-day victories to keep you motivated.

3. Prep like the boss you are

We have all been there – we forget our gym shoes, forgot about the yoga class we booked, didn’t have time to make lunch at home so end up grabbing something unhealthy from the canteen or the fast-food place down the road at work.

Try to implement easy organisational tricks to make sticking to your goals and plan a whole lot easier.

Set aside your afternoon on a Sunday to meal prep.

Set reminders in your phone for workouts. And stick to them as best you can.

Pack your gym bag the night before and make sure you have everything in there for your workout (and pack something warm for after).

Scared to hit the gym? Have a look at our Girl’s Guide To Surviving The Weight Section.

4. Take care of yourself

Make sure you are well-fed (with healthy foods of course), worry-free and happy. This way you will feel more motivated to reach your goals.

Go to bed early and try to get at least 6 to 8 hours of GOOD, actually, GREAT sleep a night.

Have a long hot Epsom salt bath once or twice a week.

Spend time reading your book, in nature or watching your favourite series. Don’t forget to do things that make you happy.

Expert tip – Yoga and deep breathing are great ways to relieve stress. Have a look at this awesome Youtube Channel  – Yoga with Adriene.

5. Phone a friend

Schedule workouts with a friend. That way you can both motivate each other to get up and show up at workouts and fitness classes.

6. Keep things fresh

Routine can be a great way to get the best results, but it can become a bit monotonous at times. If your meal or fitness plans are getting a little boring, then try experimenting with new things.

Attend different fitness classes at the gym. If you have a personal trainer or Wellness Coach, then chat to them about how you can make your fitness plan more exciting.

So many people find that their meal plans start to get ‘tasteless’ over time. That’s because they don’t realise how many amazing and healthy food options there are out there. Have a look at these 12 Healthy Winter Recipes for some inspiration.

7. Be honest with yourself

Remember, your motivation comes from within. If you don’t feel like training or you are craving a cheat meal, then ask yourself why?

Maybe you had a bad day at work. Maybe you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed right now. Maybe you are trying to find an excuse? No matter what the answer is, don’t be afraid to be honest with yourself.

Sometimes a workout can make you feel better. And sometimes maybe you just need to take the day off and have a long bath and a warm dinner.

Just make sure you hit the gym tomorrow.

What it comes down to

The winter months might be long and cold, but there are simple and effective ways to find the motivation you are lacking to hit the gym, workout and stick to a healthy eating plan.

Remember to not be too hard on yourself. Do what you can with the time you have and know that your best is ALWAYS more than good enough.

Keep at it! You’re doing great.

So it turns out the secret of living really is giving and we have the research-backed reasons to prove it…

We all know how giving can help others, whether this is through offering emotional support, donating to charity or getting involved in some volunteer work. But studies have revealed that giving is also good for the giver – boosting your mental and physical health. Pretty great, right?

Did you know that when people give, the same part of your brain that lights up from feelings of reward or pleasure, lights up when you give to and help others? This is according to an article from Rush University. 

Keep reading to find out about the other incredible benefits linked to giving.

1.Helps you to live a longer life

You read that right – according to studies done, giving can, in fact, help you to live a longer and happier life. 

Giving provides people with a deeper sense of meaning in their lives. When you work toward a goal and feel as though you are making a positive impact on another person’s life, this has both physical and psychological benefits. Researchers have linked this sense of purpose to lower mortality rates. 

Moral of the story – the more you give the longer you live. 

2. Boosts your immune system 

By taking part in kind deeds, this will decrease your stress levels and improve your overall wellbeing. 

Think about the last time you helped someone out. Whether it was adopting a shelter dog or just taking a family member to the airport, you feel pretty great afterwards, right? Well, when we feel great our bodies respond in the best way possible by boosting our immune system. 

Studies have found that our T cell levels (which are these special immune system cells) increase in numbers when we give. This means we have a better system of defence against germs and even cancer because your immune system is able to fight off cancerous growths. 

3. Lowers your risk of depression

This might have a link to the positive feelings associated with acts of giving, but the fact remains, giving helps prevent depression and symptoms of depression, such as a lack of energy or sadness. 

A study found that giving helps you to have a greater sense of control in your life. 

Another research team discovered that those who have recently suffered the loss of a loved one recovered more quickly from their depressive state after taking parts in acts of giving and helping others. 

4. Relieves pain

As if the above benefits aren’t enough to make you want to call up your nearest community centre or a visit a family member you haven’t seen in ages, there’s more… 

Giving just keeps on ‘giving’ us more amazing benefits, and pain relief is another one. 

By taking part in acts of giving and kindness, this helps to suppress any physical pain you are experiencing through the release of endorphins. 

Fun fact – endorphins are also released when we exercise. They are basically our happy hormones and are a natural pain reliever. 

Endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain to help reduce your perception of pain and also trigger a happy and positive feeling in your body. 

Our little gift to you

In the spirit of giving, and from all of us at WellBe, have put together some delicious and healthy meals to share with your family and loved ones. Check them out by clicking on this link.