The importance of daily rituals

You’ve probably heard someone complain about being in a rut.

But successful people swear by the power of daily rituals and routines. They use them to build the groundwork of their lives and to continue growing.

Here’s no less than Aristotle on the topic: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

• Routines help us manage our time. 
• They prepare us for the unexpected.
• They help us preserve energy, strength and worry for more important things.

Just imagine what a wreck you’d be without any daily rituals.

Think about the habit of brushing your teeth each morning. It was ingrained in you as a child, so you don’t even think about it. And as a reward, you have dental health and social acceptance that would’ve been denied otherwise, right? 

Where do you think you need some new habits now? Here are some examples that lots of people find helpful just to get you thinking:

• Start the day with meditation or light exercise.
• Avoid email first thing in the morning to keep your perspective on stressors.
• Eat a healthy breakfast every day
• Make a daily to-do list that includes exercise or at least some form of intentional movement
• Go to bed and wake up at the same times every night and day.

Habits that support a healthy lifestyle are particularly important. If you want to stay at a healthy weight, for example, then you need to take daily action to eat right and exercise. Would it help to build purposeful action around these ideas into your routine? To meal-prep on Sunday afternoons after your grocery shopping, for example? Or to go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on your way home from work?

Studies show that connecting a new habit to an existing one increases your chances of success. 

Habits are self-care in action. And you are all that you need. 

Andrea x 

Ps, Building Healthy Habits is a big part of my 12 Week Mindset/Movement/Nutrition Program. It is designed to help women over 35 end the cycle of dieting, using a simple science-backed approach to losing weight and keeping it off, so they can fit back into their clothes, feel great and thrive with energy and body confidence. If you’d like to know more, please book a Discovery call with me on https://www.andrearobertson.health/12WeekProgram