Do you struggle with knowing the best steps to take to reach your health goals? Everybody has their own definition of health and tried and true practices that help them achieve this state of being. This is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because there are so many resources out there for us to follow, and it’s a curse for the same reason of having too many options.

How do we determine what our best definition of health is and achieve it? This can be so overwhelming, and this feeling prevents most people from making any progress whatsoever. Becoming healthier does not need to be complicated. In fact, the more complicated we make it, the less likely we are to make any changes.

Let’s break down the steps of creating your health plan. Having a plan allows us to see how to get from where we are to where we want to go in bite-sized, manageable pieces. The first thing I want you to do is to imagine what your healthiest life looks like. Allow yourself to fully dive into this without any restrictions. Take out a blank piece of paper and write it down. Try not to judge yourself, even if you feel like nobody else would understand your vision.

Next, we’re going to reverse-engineer our way to your goal. Create a line on a piece of paper. Put where you currently are on the left side and your dream health state on the right side. Start filling in any steps and milestones you can see yourself reaching along the way. For example, let’s say you want to lose 50 pounds. Your milestones could look like 10-pound increments. For another example, let’s say you want to feel energized every day. Your milestones could look like creating a consistent bedtime routine, waking up at the same time every day, becoming more conscious and aware of your caffeine intake, prioritizing whole foods to balance your blood sugar, and implementing an exercise routine.

Both of those goals may seem like a huge mountain to climb. Therefore, it’s important we create these milestones between where you are now and where you want to be. Plans are completely necessary, and completely useless at the same time because they’re bound to change. With your plan, the next thing we need to do is focus on the first milestone and forget the rest. When we are attached to the outcome of our actions, we are never satisfied with anything we do. You will be successful on your journey toward your ideal health state when you can learn to act on the most important next step and hold a very loose attachment to where you end up in the long run.

Remember, health is a state of being that is constantly changing. Your dream healthy life may look very different in a month or a year. Give yourself the grace and freedom to change your mind as you go and as your life changes, while remaining disciplined enough to put yourself first and keep moving forward. Focus on the task in front of you, and when it feels too hard, break your task down into the smallest possible step: get up. You can do this.

Xoxo

Coach Maggi