Happy Monday! We had a fun weekend with a bunch of sports and my annual Declare It Day celebration on Saturday and a low key, snowy to sunny Super Bowl Sunday. I’ll share some of our weekend and our Declare It Day celebration later this week. I’m linking up with Jen and the Not Just a Mom girls today to talk motivation and healthy habits.

According to Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies quiz, I am an upholder. That basically means if I say it, I am going to hold myself to it. It is probably the reason I had a 1200 day run streak, even though my foot and hamstring were really hurting. It is also probably why I am typing this on Sunday night after the Super Bowl.

So what does that mean for my healthy habits and motivation? It means I have to be a little bit careful setting goals and habits.

One of my favorite ways to stay motivated it to tell people about my goals. I think it is why I love Declare It Day so much! On the first Saturday in February, I get a group of girls together and we set some goals for the upcoming year. I like that it is in February because it gives me a chance to recommit to a New Years resolution or it gives me a month to think about how I really want the year to go. Check out my past goals and Declare It Day celebrations to see how they go.

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I keep track of my new habits in a visual way to until they become true habits. I’ve used apps (MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal, and DownDog Yoga) and fitness trackers (Fitbit and Apple Watch) to digitally keep track of habits. I also use my planner to keep track of other habits that aren’t so easily digitized.

I am slowly reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and I am picking up some good tips for how to develop healthy habits in a healthy way.

So, what are the healthy habits I’ve created? They mostly focus on water, exercise, sleep, and food. I have a big Swig tumbler that I drink out of most days. I know that I feel best when I drink most of the cup while I workout in the morning before work and I need to have a second one finished before 11:45/lunchtime. I created this habit using a water tracking cup from That Inspired Chick. Now, that it is a habit I can change my cup up a little more.

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I also know that I feel better when I exercise. I also feel better when I exercise in the morning. I have to leave for work by 7 am so my alarm goes off at 5:15 am to get a workout in. I’d love to do my video and follow it up with a walk or run on the treadmill but I just don’t want to get up any earlier. I have figured out this school year that I may need to set an alarm on the weekends to make sure I have time for a workout and it’s worth it.

My sleep habit is the one that I tend to push to the back more than others. I feel best when I sleep for at least 7 hours. That means I need to be in bed with the lights out at 10. I do a pretty good job going to bed at 10, but sometimes I get sucked into my book or a show (or writing this post tonight).

I have found that meal planning on the weekend makes for a healthier week. I’ve planned our dinners out for years but I’ve recently started planning my lunches in addition to dinner. Being prepared often leads to less impulse lunches out or pantry grabs in the morning before school. I still have a few question marks in my lunches but this plan is better than no plan.

Those are my four healthiest habits. The Atomic Habits book suggested changing your phrasing when you think about your behaviors to make them habits. For instance, instead of I’m trying to exercise in the morning I should think or say I am someone who gets up in the morning to exercise. I’m going to rely on that one this morning when my alarm comes pretty early!

I have a fun week planned on the blog with Tuesday Book Release Day, Show Us Your Books, Let’s Look, Declare It Day, and Friday Favorites. Have a healthy day full of sunshine and books!