Making schedules and making habits can go hand-in-hand. One of the only differences is that once a habit has been built, you shouldn’t need to schedule for it; it’s just something you naturally do. Unfortunately, habits are things that we most often push to the side, and these are things that we should create to maintain our health. 

The three health-based habits that are specifically being referred to here are: 

• Eating habits 
• Sleeping habits 
• Exercise habits 

Staying on top of your health is one of Achieve’s five [5] pillars in holistic success, and for good reason. It’s tough to do much of anything when we don’t take care of our health first. So making this a habit will help us plan more efficiently for everything else we need to do. 

1. Building Habits into your Schedule 

In your daily planner, schedule times for your meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner, for exercise, and give yourself between six and a half to eight hours of sleep. You may even want to write down what meal you should eat or exercises you plan to do so that nothing gets forgotten or unhealthily modified. 

It’s ok if you need lots of reminders; first, the most important thing is that you are setting habit-building goals and are sticking to them. 

2. Reward Yourself for Sticking to It 

Building new habits can be challenging, and when we remember to stick to something for an extended period, we should feel proud of ourselves! Congratulate yourself- treat yourself! Reminding yourself that you’re doing a great job will help keep the motivation you need to continue moving forward. 

3. What are the Long-Term Benefits? 

a) Eating

According to Chear (Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research), based out of UC San Diego School of Medicine, scheduling your meal times has proven to have many health benefits. “Planning what and when you eat will help you maintain a balanced diet and create a more stable energy source, as you will engage your metabolism at optimal levels throughout the day.”

b) Sleeping

Setting a consistent bedtime schedule is so crucial for your health. According to OASH (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion), sleeping at consistent times will better guarantee that you are more awake and alert during the day and have less trouble falling asleep at night. Getting enough sleep also helps you get sick less often and reduces your risk for serious health problems. Staying at a healthy weight reduces stress and anxiety, and people who get enough sleep are far more likely to be better at using common sense. 

c) Exercise 

Finally, we all know that exercising is essential. Still, as a reminder, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has many wonderful things to say about the benefits of regular exercise. For example, it helps your brain health, reduces your risks for various health problems, strengthens your bones and muscles, improves your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, increases your chances of living longer, and can help manage chronic health conditions and disabilities. 

4. In Conclusion

If your health is lacking, you won’t be able to complete all of your goals for your journey to success. You can’t do much of anything if you are not in good health. It is also detrimental to you in the long-term to retroactively take care of yourself. Ensuring that you are proactive means that you can then focus on the other aspects of your success journey. So, with all of these things in mind, it’s no wonder we hold health as the most critical pillar in holistic success. 

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

– Jim Rohn