This is how you create a healthy routine that sticks

Eat healthy, stress less, exercise more, read more books – these are Swedes’ most common New Year’s resolutions. But the truth is, only 25 percent of those who make a New Year’s resolution keep it. It’s not easy creating a healthy routine that actually lasts all year long. That’s why you want Rebecka Hedström, Product Specialist and Quality Manager Great Earthshare their best tips for a sustainable routine all year round.

For many, a new year means a chance to start over and introduce new healthy habits. However, many New Year’s resolutions are short-lived, because the resolution is too difficult to achieve or because of a lack of motivation. Instead of promising yourself something that might be hard to keep, it might be a good idea to focus on creating sustainable routines to carry around with you all year long.

In periods when we feel a lot of stress, it is easier for us to deprioritize our usual routine. But it is important to try to maintain your routine even during stressful periods or during vacations. On average, it takes a little over two months to establish a routine, so it’s important to be patient, push yourself, and not give up.

Choose an area within your health and think about what needs to be added or removed from your daily life to achieve change!

Five steps to a sustainable routine

1. Think concretely. Instead of “I will walk more,” think “I will walk 10,000 steps a day.”
2. Start smallStart small and sustainably, and you’ll likely stick to a routine
3. Celebrate all the victories: Set milestones in your routine and celebrate when you reach them, and you’ll stay motivated!
4. Get help: You don’t have to be alone on the journey to a better routine
5. Be patient. On average, it takes 66 days to establish a new routine — wait there!