Staying Healthy with USANA: The Hard Part

Eating right. Exercising. Remembering to take those supplements. In my mind, these are the three things I have to do every day to stay healthy.

It seems simple, and it is. But “simple” doesn’t always mean “easy.”

So, what’s the hardest part of staying healthy? Here’s my thought process and how I overcome my mental blocks.

The Hard Part: Starting a Routine

Starting a routine is definitely the hardest part of staying healthy. Stop living in the past and instead think about what you want for your life tomorrow.

Starting a routine is definitely the hardest part of staying healthy. If you’ve been eating poorly and haven’t been working out regularly for the past few months, then skipping the gym today and going out to eat tonight won’t hurt, right?

This mentality gets a lot of us in trouble.

Once we’re out of a healthy routine for a while, bad habits become the norm, and we end up putting on a few pounds, feeling tired from everyday stresses, and not having the energy to work out. Even worse, at this stage, desserts and other tempting foods seem to sneak into our homes and our mouths without our knowledge.

How to Get Over It:

It’s time to stop living in the past. Instead of focusing on what you did (or didn’t do) yesterday, think about what you want for your life tomorrow. If you’re going to want to work out tomorrow, eat right tomorrow, and take all your supplements tomorrow (it’s always tomorrow, right?), then do those things today, too.

Forget yesterday — it’s old news. Start changing today, even if it means baby steps. If you can’t complete a workout like you used to, do half. Just a little sweat will remind your body of how good it feels to be active, and you can start rebuilding your will power to pass on dessert, down more water during the day, and get back on that treadmill for good.

The Hard Part: Continuing a Routine

Continuing your healthy routine is totally the hardest part of staying healthy. If you’ve been good for months, why do you have to work out today, too? Why do you have to skip dessert today, too? Working out just isn’t as fun or exciting as it was when you first started, and maybe you don’t feel like you’re getting the same results you did when you first started. What’s the point?

How to Get Over It:

When you’re in the middle of pursuing a goal, like you’re halfway to losing 20 pounds or you can run five miles but you want to run 10, it’s important to remind yourself how far you’ve come.

Remember: You’re pursuing your goals, not the goals of someone else. Judge yourself against yourself.

Just because you can “only run a mile” while others run 26.2 in one morning doesn’t mean a thing. Think back to when you couldn’t run a mile at all. Or think about all the people who don’t run at all — one of the phrases I’ve seen lately is, “No matter how slow you’re moving, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch.” The sentiment is true. You’re pursuing your goals. Judge yourself against yourself and no one else.

And remember that every day you eat right and exercise, you’re one step closer to your ultimate goal…although…

The Hard Part: Reaching Your Goals

The hardest part of being healthy is after you’ve done the work and reached your goals. What now? Your blood, sweat, and tears have all paid off and you’ve dropped the weight, run the race, or got your blood pressure or cholesterol levels down. There’s no motivation to continue, and you’re afraid you’ll fall back into your old ways.

How to Get Over It:

Make a new goal. Find a new challenge. Reaching your goals doesn’t mean giving up — it means you have a chance to find an even loftier ideal to strive for.

The point is, no matter where you are in your life or what your health goals are, it’s all going to be difficult, and there will always be challenges. But ask yourself this: Is giving up ever really an option? My vote is no. This is your life. Make it what you want it to be, every day.

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5 replies
  1. Herman Friesen
    Herman Friesen says:

    Taking my supplements daily has never been a challenge for me! It made such a difference 15 years ago when I started USANA I could never change that, However to talk to someone every day about how much it has done for me, and to excercise every day I have not been as successful.

    Reply
  2. Line Marcoux Dubois
    Line Marcoux Dubois says:

    Great post! it really hit home…keeping great routine habits for a healthy lifestyle! This is excatly what I did for 25 years without the Essentials, not knowing all that we learnt through the last 15 years with Usana! Being excessive, I hurt myself and was afflicted for many years(7) by a condition (fibromyalgia) that I thought I would never recover. Today 20 years later, I enjoy my healthy lifestyle again, though my biggest challenge has been to put back the exercise part on, as a daily routine, being afraid to hurt again. Eveyday day and every week is a new beginning for me…going out to walk, train, dance or yoga that I love! I am happy to share my story with you, knowing that I will succeed my Challenge, in this post I found tricks to help my with my struggle! Though my husband Luc, at 66, is really staying the course and I admire him so much for being still an athlete doing triathlon!

    Reply
  3. Irene Weiss
    Irene Weiss says:

    I started Usana just about two months ago, and have lost weight. However, with my past life experiences in losing then gaining, losing then gaining, I am afraid that I will gain the weight back. I developed hypothyrodism a few years ago and until Usana, didn’t think I would ever lose weight again. I like your post, as reminds me to break down the challenges into smaller parts and sometimes taking baby steps is just the right thing to do, instead of beating myself up for screwing up.

    Reply

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