Maintaining Healthy Habits-In Five Simple Steps

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide

Updated September 28, 2012

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

If you don’t have a specific plan for sticking with a new habit, it’s all too easy to find that your already-packed schedule won’t allow you the ‘spare time’ necessary to do anything new very often. You’ll be too busy, too tired, or will easily find another excuse to let inertia snuff out your best intentions. That’s why a crucial next step is for you to find a specific time in your schedule that’s allotted just for your new stress management activity. Whether it’s ‘every morning before my shower’, 'during my lunch break', or ‘weeknights at 8’, you need to have a time that you know is set aside for your chosen activity so that you won’t need to continually find a reason to practice your stress relief program.

Many people find it easiest to do things in the morning before they start their day, or at night before bed. Others find snatches of time during the day. The following articles have suggestions for all times of day:

• 6 Great Ways to Start Your Day
• Exercise for Busy People
• 10 Great Ways to End Your Day

Previous

• Step One: Choose Wisely
• Step Two: Build The New Habit into Your Schedule
• Step Three: Enlist Support
• Step Four: Use Goals and Rewards
• Step Five: Check In With Yourself to Be Sure You're On The Right Track

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