The new year often brings a fresh wave of motivation to live healthier, but for many, this tends to look like making big resolutions that fall by the wayside within a few weeks. The cycle of setting ambitious goals only to fall short can be discouraging.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why experts say the key is to build small, sustainable habits that become a permanent part of your life. With that in mind, we asked Life Time fitness experts to share their advice for establishing a routine that lasts long after the new-year excitement fades.<\/p>\n
The most-recommended tip is to start with small changes<\/a> rather than going after unrealistic goals<\/a>. \u201cPick one or two realistic habits you can actually stick with,\u201d says Nick Davis, on-demand performer in the Life Time app and group instructor at Life Time Sky in New York City. \u201cConsistency matters way more than intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n Starting where you are, not where you think you should be, is something Bradford Stevens, on-demand performer and yoga and Pilates instructor at Life Time Sky urges. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be at your best to begin \u2014 you just have to begin,\u201d he says. \u201cThe real progress comes from showing up for yourself on the days you don\u2019t want to. Those days when you only have 60 percent to give, that\u2019s your 100 percent for that day, and that\u2019s totally fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary Onyago, on-demand performer in the Life Time app and five-star ELI group fitness instructor at several Life Time locations in New York City (One Wall Street, Life Time Dumbo, Life Time Atlantic Avenue, and Life Time PENN 1), offers examples of how to start small. \u201cIdentify the area of your life you\u2019d like to enhance and create small but achievable and manageable goals that are a step forward,\u201d she explains. \u201cFor example, if you want to get more sleep, a great lifestyle change would be going to bed five minutes earlier than you typically do. If you want to be more mindful, I would start by adding a two-minute meditation to your day. These simple tasks can turn into habits which can grow with you.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to exercise, the same principle applies,\u201d Onyago adds. \u201cInstead of jumping right into exercising five times a week, start with twice a week. Stick to it for 30 to 60 days and then add a third and fourth day. The goal is to create momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n Habit stacking is a method for making changes by tacking new routines onto things you already do consistently.<\/p>\n \u201cMy best advice as you set goals for the new year is to consider \u2018habit stacking,\u2019\u201d says Danica Osborn, CPT, group instructor and coach at Life Time in Warrenville, Ill., and on-demand performer in the Life Time app. \u201cIf there\u2019s something you\u2019re already consistent about doing, tack on a new habit to this preexisting habit. For example, if you want to increase your steps to 7,000 a day, but you typically come home after work and end up watching TV, save your favorite shows and watch them while walking on the treadmill so you can do both at the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cHabit stacking sets you up for success by pairing a solidified habit with a newer one and often creates a built-in reward system by pairing a new habit with something you really enjoy doing,\u201d emphasizes Osborn.<\/p>\n Davis adds some of his favorite examples of habit stacking: \u201cConsider stretching after you brush your teeth each morning or night or getting out for a walk (or walking on the treadmill) while taking a call.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of chasing physical results, pursuing how you want you to feel can often be a healthier approach.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, think of the intention behind your routine,\u201d says Shelby Hicks, on-demand performer in the Life Time app and group fitness instructor at Life Time in New York City. \u201cHow do you want to feel on the other side of it? Do you want to feel stronger? More energized? Less foggy? Lightened from stress? When you focus on the feelings versus physical results, you\u2019re more likely to build something that lasts. Visualize what it might look and feel like to stay committed and consistent to those feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n Changing up your routine may mean giving up something familiar in order to make positive change. \u201cBuilding healthy habits that last requires prioritizing,\u201d says Davis. \u201cMost of us have full days and routines; when you commit to something new, it can be natural for something else to take a backseat. Make space for what matters most to you.\u201d<\/p>\n That includes choosing to surround yourself with people who lift you up, according to David Freeman, senior director of signature coach excellence, cohost of the Life Time Talks<\/em><\/a> podcast, and on-demand performer in the Life Time app. \u201cAudit your circle and elevate those who support your goals. You can stay accountable by surrounding yourself with people who pull you higher.\u201d<\/p>\n Progress isn\u2019t made by trying to be perfect. Lasting change comes from habits done consistently over time. For example, showing up for a 20-minute walk every day can be more effective in the long run than movement stalling because you couldn\u2019t find the time to get that flawless hour-long workout in.<\/p>\n Choose habits that are simple enough for you to keep doing them with regularity. \u201cEvery time you keep a promise to yourself, you rebuild trust in who you are,\u201d says Stevens. \u201cIf you tell yourself you\u2019re not going to hit the snooze button in the morning and instead get up and take your coffee out into the sunlight \u2014 don\u2019t hit that snooze button. When I stopped caring about what I look like and started focusing on how I performed and kept showed up for myself, that shifted everything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n The post 5 Tips for Building a Healthy-Living Routine That Sticks<\/a> appeared first on Experience Life<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The new year often brings a fresh wave of motivation to live healthier, but for many, this tends to look like making big resolutions that fall by the wayside within a few weeks. The cycle of setting ambitious goals only to fall short can be discouraging. That\u2019s why experts say the key is to build […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-life"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-25 13:48:25","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Try \u201chabit stacking.\u201d<\/h2>\n
3. Focus on how you want to feel.<\/h2>\n
4. Don\u2019t be afraid to let old habits go.<\/h2>\n
5. Strive for consistency over perfection.<\/h2>\n