Good health habits are hard to start, but beneficial when you do
We recently had Eric Digiacomo on the Entrepreneur Perspectives Podcast. Eric is a certified exercise physiologist located in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has insights into good health habits in the workplace.
Today’s workplace is known for creating health problems. When you are in an office all day, you are typically sitting down for hours at a time, grabbing a quick and unhealthy lunch, and becoming too tired to exercise. But without good health, you won’t be able to continue your busy lifestyle.
Fortunately, you can replace unhealthy habits with healthy habits, even within the structure of an office job.
For example, you can make a point of standing up every 20-30 minutes, walking to lunch, or going to the gym 3 days a week.
Habits are, by definition, automatic. Do anything the same way often enough, and it will become a habit, something you do without really thinking about. The good news is that you can use this feature of your brain to your own advantage, deliberately building in the habits you want. Just start doing the new behavior, and eventually, as the habit forms, you won’t have to think about it much anymore.
For example, perhaps you drive a short distance to lunch every day. Try walking instead (wear sneakers to work to remove the excuse). Get your blood flowing, burn some calories, and not only will your body be healthier, but you will also find your head clearer and more creative when you get back from lunch. Walk to lunch often enough, and driving just won’t seem like an option anymore. You’ll be halfway across the street, on foot, before you even think of your car. You will have successfully formed a good health habit.
You will always have to put some extra effort into forming a habit. But if this habit is something that will benefit you in the long run, the effort is worth it. You will not only become a better and healthier individual, but you will also free up some time and energy to focus on other tasks in your life.