Quick fixes in health, fitness, and wellness rarely achieve long-term success. Although your efforts may offer short-term results, they may fail to produce a sustainable outcome.

What we typically see in the media: 30 days to fitness, fad diets, and rapid weight loss declarations to consumers promise the sun and the moon, but the reality of short-term progress without a sustainable plan often leads to those feeling frustration, disappointment, and a sense of being misled. Plans tailored to the masses do not focus on the individual or foundational growth fitting into their daily lifestyle needs.

 Let’s investigate the consequences of most quick fixes:

 Restrictive dieting often leads to a regain of weight in the long term. Not consuming enough calories puts the body into what’s commonly called ‘starvation mode’; the body conserves energy by slowing the metabolism, resulting in fewer calories burned. Selective eating patterns, or an unhealthy obsession with food, can often stem from restrictive diets. These fixations vary from person to person, but most will usually experience distress and anxiety surrounding their food choices.

 Metabolic slowdown is often the result of extreme dieting and excessive exercise regimens. Eating too few calories decreases the body’s ability to convert food to energy, resulting in fewer calories burned and more stored as fat. A lack of quality sleep, too many sugary beverages, and a lack of physical movement also contribute to a slower metabolism.

 Stress and anxiety over extreme dieting regimens often present mental health challenges and disordered eating patterns. Jumping in too quickly to change, fear of being judged, or worrying too much about food choices they cannot control before they address their basic needs contributes to undue psychological pressure. Adopting a more lenient approach around food choices and making practical, sustainable changes with food and other healthful habits leads to more confidence in food and health advocacy.

Lasting change stacks in a positive direction when one can mindfully adopt small, sustainable habits with gradual improvements over time. These transformative advancements leave harmful habits of the past behind as the newer behaviors progress and reinforce positive rewards such as better health outcomes, longevity, and realistic goal setting.

The action-based cue is crucial in forming favorable habits in health and wellness. It’s the mindset that triggers the adoption of new behaviors. Habit stacking is simply attaching a new behavior to one you are already performing. Let’s say you get up and walk most mornings. A great habit to stack would be adequately hydrating with a glass of lemon water soon after.

Another example would be taking three deep breaths to calm your body and digestive tract before you sit down to any meal. If you are prone to opening your phone first thing in the morning to check emails, consider downloading a meditation app (Waking Up) and engaging in a five or 10-minute meditation instead. When you anchor a new habit to an existing well-established habit, these modest changes become manageable and more likely to stick over time.

Initiating the newer behavior creates the routine; the rewards are improvements in your overall well-being. Rewarding your intentions with positive affirmations or having someone close to keep you motivated and accountable for your goals lays the groundwork for consistency and motivation. The supportive framework of positive, incremental steps systematically changes behaviors for the better. Affirmative goal setting, actionable steps, and reinforcement of these routines aid in achieving long-term success.

You cannot force change on anyone. The pressure does not evoke a constructive outcome. Yet, when I ask my clients what they want to achieve in their health and wellness goals, the answers are simple yet powerful. We all want to feel more energized and have better physical and mental well-being.

The following are some critical aspects of how habit stacking advancements and foundational progress accelerate positive results:

 Physical activity: Movement is vital, even just a short walk. Advancements like adding a mile to the walk and including a round of sit-ups or squats are fitness-related stacks.

 Goal setting sets one up for achievable health objectives. Start small with a simple but effective intention. If work productivity needs more efficiency, aspire to review meeting notes with the proper follow-up soon instead of waiting till later. After your lunch break, take 5 minutes for a quick walk to clear your head for the remainder of the afternoon and strengthen your digestive processes. These achievable objectives inspire optimism and keep you motivated on your health journey.

 Cognitive mental energy and decision-making are more structured and easily accessible because you are stacking on established routines, making that habit more automated daily. Checking in with your emotions more often instead of checking off a never-ending to-do list is a stacking improvement, never to be underrated. When you sit down to dinner, share something positive from your day. Instead of a text to check in with a friend or loved one, make a phone call for a short chat to hear a voice and have a conversation.

These self-improvement examples may not always free up time, but they can help you discover effective ways of establishing sustainable routines that nurture body, mind, and spirit.

When you reflect on the life you want to create, remember you are in the driver’s seat. Releasing unfavorable habits and replacing them with positive behaviors are proactive responses that will significantly modify your environment. Gradual change and establishing newer patterns will reward your efforts and bring balance, creating a more robust and reliable foundation than any quick fix.

In good health!