Written by: Todd Reinkemeyer:  MS, RDN, LD, NASM-CPT, CFW Wellness Coordinator

We are now ¼ of the way through 2019, which means those resolutions and renewed commitments we made 3 months ago have been put to the test. It has been suggested that it takes 21 days for a new habit to become stable, however, other studies have shown that time period can range up to 66 days and beyond. Numbers will vary, but the intentions of almost all these goals cross a similar midpoint: we desire to build a long term and sustainable habit.

As we dig further into the idea of “sustainable”, we discover that making a long-term commitment to a change is not easy! A few tips I’ve found helpful over the years with regards to health habits and lifestyle changes:

• Lose that all-or-nothing mentality: Success is not binary. We don’t simply succeed or fail when it comes to health
• Enjoy the journey: We often have a concrete end goal in our minds, but one key to building a long-term habit is to make the day to day enjoyable. Small goals help maintain momentum and create sustainability of the change.
• Keep a balanced approach: Veering to the extremes is a sure-fire way to hit burnout and fall back into a negative mindset. Be kind to yourself!
• Own your journey: In this day and age of social media, it’s tough to avoid the comparison trap. Your goals are yours alone!

No matter where you are in your health journey, we can all benefit from sustainable approaches. Our content writers this month emphasize sustainability with a focus on progression tips, long term workout plans, and more.