THE POWER OF OUR HABITSBack in university I was struggling with a few health issues.

Over time I learned about the key habit forming principles that underpin habit changing, and have since allowed me to:

• Change my diet to a fully plant based, vegan diet.• Completely alter the way I train my body.• Form a regular meditation practice and morning routine.• Chase my dream career and create my own successful

business.

And a load of other pretty cool stuff in between…

IN THIS PRESENTATIONI want share with you the top fifty tips and ideas that will allow you to create lasting changes to your habits.

They’re the Fifty Golden Rules of Forming Healthy Habits, if you like.

Let’s get to it…

1. Most situations we find ourselves in are the result of our habits.

Many of the situations we end up with in life are related to the actions that we’ve chosen to take.

There’s no wonder you’re struggling with low energy if your diet is poor, your stress levels are high, you rarely sleep and you don’t move an awful lot…

Newton’s third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction – you get out what you put in.

2. Prior to changing a habit, strive to understand your current situation.

A map and directions to a destination are useless, unless you know where you are in the first place.

Unless you can figure out where you are right now and how that differs from where you want to be in the future, things can be pretty tough moving forwards.

But that shouldn’t put you off or scare you into doing nothing at all.

3. Understand that many of your habits are initially unconscious.

Unless you’re really tuned in, most of your habits are probably unconscious. They’re on autopilot.

Just like you clean your teeth at a certain time each day without thinking, you may also stand in a certain way that affects your posture without realising it, or make unhealthy food choices without a second thought.

Habit changing is largely about making your habits conscious in the first place, and then altering them.

4. You need a clear reason ‘why’ to change your habits for good.

It’s extremely difficult to create lasting changes and form sustainable healthy habits without having a clear reason ‘why’ for doing it.

If you’re just half-heartedly trying to change a habit because a celebrity or a friend has done the same, you have a weak foundation to build upon.

It’s your personal reason ‘why’ that’ll keep you going when times get a little tough.

5. Your reason ‘why’ should relate to your individual values.

Your reason ‘why’ will relate to your individual values – the things that are most important to you in life. These things will differ for everyone and will evolve over time.

Some people value their family above all. To others, their career or financial status is a big priority. For me, my priorities are my loved ones and my movement practice. Any changes that I bring about in my life are for those two main causes.

Spend some time figuring out what really makes you tick, and make sure that any changes you try to make are aligned with that.

6. Write this reason ‘why’ down, somewhere you will see it everyday.

Using reminders is really powerful healthy habit forming tool, and it’s something we’ll cover again later.

It’s all well and good having your reason ‘why’ stored up top, but actually having it written down somewhere you’ll see it everyday is infinitely more powerful.

Put it on a post it note next to your desk or on the fridge – it serves as a constant reminder to stay close to your chosen path.

7. Only work on one or two main habits at a time.

When you first catch the self improvement bug, it can be difficult to resist the urge to make a shed load of changes all at once.

You want all the healthy habits. You wanna be a plant-eating, hand-standing, meditating machine – right now!

Although that sounds pretty cool, the reality is that attempting to make more than one change at a time significantly decreases your chances of success.

8. Consider which habit change will provide the most bang for it’s buck.

It’s important to really think about what change you’re gonna attempt to make first.

Ideally it would be one that is fairly easy to make, and will also allow you to expand upon it later.

For example, changing your breakfast to something healthy is not too hard a change for most people. Having that healthy meal at the start of the day may give you more energy, which might make adding in a morning run at a later stage a much easier process.

9. Develop a clear understanding why a particular habit will benefit your life.

Is making that habit change actually going to bring about the feeling or state of being that you’re really seeking deep down?

Is training for an ultra-marathon the best thing you could be doing if your goal is simply to be healthier for your family?

Remember that being ultra fit for feats of extreme strength or endurance does not always = long term health.

10. Endeavour to do as much research around the topic as possible .

Habit changing is essentially the same as learning a new skill. Eating healthily, meditating, and running, or whatever you’re looking to start doing – they’re all skills.

And just like if you were to try to learn how to play the guitar, you would probably get guitar lessons – if you were looking to change your diet/exercise/stress levels, it would makes sense that you’d read up about your subject.

That might mean reading books related to the change you’re trying to make, or joining an online course.

WANT MORE?To view the rest of the 50 Golden Rules for Forming Healthy Habits (and receive a free PDF with bonus tips) visit:

http://herohealthroom.com/2015/10/21/healthy-habits-golden-rules/