I would like to know how other people manage to keep up their routines. I really struggle establishing strong positive habits, especially with food for example. Often I will have perfect weeks then fall off the wagon and feel like I’ve undone all the good work. Finding balance is difficult!

Whenever you think ‘I’ve undone all the good work’, remind yourself that’s not true and continue. The more you do it, the better you get.

I also find that life changes make it easy for me to change my habits. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that that is reality. We are always changing - the stories we hear about people who stick to their habits are stories of those people during one snippet of their lives. They too will change. I have come to see that I am not being graded and am not searching for some sort of good score with my habits, but I congratulate myself for the times I reach my goals and look carefully at the times I don’t. If I get out of a positive routine, I look to see if my life is currently too full to support that routine. If so, I decide whether or not I can change that. There are times of life where just sustaining life is a good goal, and times where pushing oneself toward bigger things is a good goal. I guess in the end, I forgive myself for being a human and I try again. :)

I too find Times it is difficult to walk past tempting food especially around the holidays at work but if I do cave I allow myself to enjoy that moment, don’t let the negative self talk make me feel like all my hard work has been a waste.

Break it down. Start with baby steps until it becomes a habit, then move onto a new one. For example, instead of having a muffin and coffee for snack have an apple and 12 almonds instead. Once that’s automatic, start with a new habit such as replacing coffee with tea 5 days a week in the morning. And so on. As well consider the emotional connection as to why you want to change that habit. For example, don’t want to see my daughter worry so much about my health. It breaks my heart to see her so concerned.

You are perfectly imperfect, and so is your life. Don’t dwell on what you haven’t done just keep trying. I was doing great until I was sent out of town for a week, started getting back, then nasty weather sunk my routine. Every good choice is a victory, dwell on your success, do a happy dance. I spend a lot of time in the car which makes drive tries my nemesis. I keep nuts or another healthy snack in the passenger seat, and that helps.

To me the key is keeping up with myself. In yoga the breath is the basis and the form (foundation) comes second. In life my routines and to-be-routines are the form. The basis is me. This reduces stress of the routines I have to perform only for me! It is easier to feel compassion towards myself when I don’t manage to do my exercise. I can ask myself, what happend? How can I get to exercise next time? sometimes I can even make the conscious decision not to go because I have other more important things to do. I can let go and be present next training full of motivation, without regret and be happy.

I totally get that. I feel like it’s important for me to build in space for imperfection or variation because that way when I do miss things or make a less-good food choice it’s on my terms and not just me binge-ing. In other words, if I have a plan or at least room in my mind for failing at the routine (or breaking a streak), then it can happen the way and at the time I want it to.

Finding balance is not easy. Ti establish an habit the first things in my opinion is a sort of "fake it until you make it!". I do new positive things like they are somethings I do/don’t do by years. For example. I want ti quit smoking. I’m acting like I never did it in my life. But the most important thing, like Fabolous says, it’s create the fight condizioni around you that make you do what you want to do. For example, put a glass of water near your bed before you go to sleep. So in the morning you’ve not to: wake up, go to the kitchen, open the fridge, take water and drink. You can open your eyes and the glass is right here, near you. An

We all suffer set backs . How could we not. It’s food. So delicious. However discipline is key. Set small goals and allow room to enjoy small pwrks.

Change in habits is always difficult. However, if I divide it in small steps it is more digestible, like substitute my favourite snacks with a healthier version or start to walk for small distance. Also, telling a friend or joining the group of people with similar problem could help with keeping a track.