3 Steps to a Healthy Balanced Lifestyle

January 25, 2017

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Are you living a healthy balanced lifestyle? Most people would answer, "No". Those same people likely know exactly what is keeping them unbalanced and what would fix the problem. Healthy and balanced lifestyle means taking vacations, eating right, exercising, managing healthy relationships, having work-life balance, and all of those other things that we are all aiming to achieve but most don't seem to make it happen. It is a challenge to obtain and maintain a healthy balanced life, but it is not impossible.

So, how do you achieve a healthy balanced lifestyle? It's as easy as the old Nike slogan: Just Do It! There are thousands of books on the subject, if you need inspiration, you can read a book first. But, don't be fooled, that is a classic way of procrastinating and prolonging the unbalance.

How many times have you started and failed to change your diet? Most likely you know exactly what to do. It is time to succeed. So, take a look within yourself, pull up those proverbial bootstraps, and follow these three easy steps:

Step 1: Plan
Remember the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, "If you fail to plan you are planning to fail." It is as true today as it was when he said it. You probably "plan" to start exercising several times a year, but it never turns into the daily ritual that you "planned" it to be. That's because you let your plan be a passing thought and not an actual "Plan of Action".

Planning is the first step to successful changes in life, not just diet changes. Pick anything that is unbalanced in your life. Do you need a vacation? Hate your job? Been feuding with your brother for 20 years? It's time to do something about it, before it's too late. Make a "Plan of Action" that will help you get to where you want to be.

Write down your diet and exercise plan. If there are other things that need to be changed in your life, write those plans down. Create a vacation savings plan with exact dates and places you want to go. Plan out your job search or continuing education for a new job. Think up ways to win back your brother's love. It doesn't have to be a perfect plan. You can tweak it later. The most important part is getting started.

Set realistic goals and draw a road map to those goals. Don't just draw it in your head. Draw the road map to your goal on paper and hang it where you will look at it every day. You know what you need to do, so write it down.

Your road map must have a beginning and an end with the directions on how to get there. Make sure to call it your "Plan of Action" because it is the action that will achieve the goals, not the plan alone.

Step 2: Take Action
Now, it is time to do something. Get off the Facebook and back into life. If you have taken the time to make a plan, give yourself the respect you deserve and follow the plan. Part of your plan may include tracking progress on a calendar. That is a good way to see your actions make progress. Some get inspiration from watching the scale or fitting in an old pair of jeans. Celebrate the little wins along the way.

You may notice some things that are not working in your original plan. That's ok. You can tweak the plan as you go, but only a little bit. Have some faith in your original plan and ride it out for as long as you can. If you start getting frustrated because you are not getting the results you expected, it is time to move to the next step.

Step 3: Review and Repeat

A very important step in success is looking back and doing a result analysis. Take into consideration the time you spent following your plan, how strictly you stuck to your plan, and what results were achieved. Then, make changes as appropriate.

If you are happy with your results, it may be wise to continue following the plan until you achieve your goals. It may also be time to move on to other goals that will help you with your healthy and balanced life.

If you are not happy with the results, evaluate your original plan and make necessary changes to get better results. Repeat the process of planning and taking action until you have the healthy and balanced lifestyle that you want, need, and deserve.

Important Points to Remember: