Seven Habits for Highly Effective Fitness Life

Since I started my health coaching business back in 2020, I have kept a spreadsheet of my clients' habits along their journey. I have had some one-offs, like a client choosing the habit of dancing in the morning as she drank her water. This habit was fantastic because it changed her routine of heading straight for thecoffee in the morning before hydrating!

There have also been some habits that have come up a lot that I wasn't expecting, like shutting down the phone at night and keeping it out of bed to prevent them from staying up too late at night. (Hey, I do it too sometimes, so I get it).

I decided to look into the data and see which habits were the most common of my most successful clients. Enter the seven habits of highly effective fitness:

1. Their weekends look almost identical to their weeks (minus workload). 2. They outsource the things that can become roadblocks. 3. Their friends are supportive and are also into fitness and health. 4. They prioritize sleep. 5. They know their portions. 6. They always know what they are going to eat that day. 7. They schedule their workouts.

Enter the seven habits of highly effective fit people.

Habit 1 - Their weekends look almost identical to their weeks (minus workload).

Simple math. The weekend makes up a minimum of two days out of the week. Two divided by seven rounds up to 29%. Meaning that if you only maintain your healthy habits during the week, and swing the other direction on the weekends, if this were grade school, you would be getting a C-.

Habit 2 - They outsource the things that can become roadblocks.

What I mean by this is TIME. I've noticed that my busiest clients prefer to use services like Instacart for delivering groceries. Most opt-in for meal subscription services like SNAP Kitchen or Trifecta for either all or some of their meals. Sometimes it comes down to deciding to either pay the price of the service or get hit with the cost of getting off track.

Habit 3 - Their friends are supportive and are also into fitness and health.

"It's not what you know; it's who you know," - said someone famous. If you have friends who are into health, they are more likely to invite you to a fitness class, a healthy brunch, or sign up for that event with you! They are more likely to introduce you to other healthy people too. However, if you have friends giving you crap for ordering a salad, having doubt, fear of judgment, or needing to explain yourself only makes the journey harder.

Habit 4 - They prioritize sleep.

Every great day starts with a great night of sleep. A lack of sleep leads to poor decision making, increased appetite, decreased motivation, decreased energy for exercising, and can throw your hormones out of balance. Get a good night of sleep, and the day is just all around easier.

Habit 5 - They know their portions

Counting calories works. In essence, it's simple math, but when the app is gone, when the phone dies, when you are dining out at a restaurant, it's essential to know your servings. Once you know the simple hand-sized method for calculating portions, you'll easily be able to see that most restaurants can easily serve double, triple, and even four to five times the amount that you could typically eat at home.

Habit 6 - They always know what they are going to eat that day.

Food is not an afterthought. My most successful clients plan ahead. Either they have meals planned and prepped, snacks on hand, or they know their go-to spots for dining out on the fly. "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Even getting into the habit each night of asking yourself - "what am I going to eat tomorrow?" Can save time, energy, and bad decisions the next day.

Habit 7 - They schedule their workouts

These clients have a solid routine. They know when they are going to exercise each day. It's on the calendar. They either make it, or they don't. This simple one-time habit saves SO MUCH brainpower. You don't have to leave it up to chance. You know when it's going to happen, so, therefore, it's not looming in your brain all day asking yourself - "when am I going to work out?" We all know that things come up. By scheduling in your workouts, you prioritize yourself first before others can book meetings on your calendar!

Lastly. the final piece of advice I have to tie this all together is to start with ONE of these, focus, practice, and once you get the hang of it, then implement the next! Habits are best adopted one by one. When you focus on too much you risk burnout, falling off the wagon, and inconsistency, which is the exact opposite of what I want for you!

Article by Krista Large

Krista Large is a local nutritionist, DJ and founder of Living Large Wellness. Her mission in life is to help powerhouse women feel as confident in their bodies as they do in their careers through a personalized plan with fitness and nutrition.

281.475.7178 | krista@livinglargewellness.com | livinglargewellness.com