What’s your health habit?

Have you read James Clear’s Atomic Habits? It’s a great read if you are feeling a bit frustrated with trying to fit in all the things you want to get done in this world. There are four principles he has created to build new habits. So how can we apply that to health?

Make it obvious!
Where to start? Choose just one simple thing. For me, I forget to take vitamins… so in my bathroom, I have a drinking glass so straight after I brush my teeth, I take my vitamins right there and then. How does this help my health? I have a better night's sleep and less restless legs if I take Magnesium. But, before the glass in the bathroom, countless nights of getting into bed forgetting vitamins and not bothering to get up again.

Make it attractive!
A good night's sleep is always, in my opinion, an attractive health goal. But yours could be anything from drinking more water to doing a plank to practicing mindfulness or breathing… imagine your end goal and put systems in place to achieve it. Creating habits, according to Clear, is the pathway to becoming the person you want to be.

Make it easy!
Start small. 2 minutes a day is all you need to do to start a new habit… that then becomes 10 minutes a day and so on. The benefits of small incremental changes are often overlooked and we lose sight of the value in them. A short walk, dancing in the living room to your favourite song, and a couple of stretches each morning can become a 20-minute daily yoga session on YouTube… whatever it is, the key is consistency.

Make it satisfying!
This principle aligns with my health and general living philosophy… Do something you love.

We get a barrage of information coming at us about what we should be doing and some of it is valid but most of it is overwhelming. While setting out new healthy habits do something that you know you will feel deeply satisfied with. Something that feels like it enriches your life, not adding like you are adding a chore.

How does a health habit fit into osteopathy?
Part of your health habit could be having regular treatments with your osteopath. This could help with managing a multitude of concerns including:

·       lower back pain

·       headaches

·       persistent pain

And, regular visits to your osteopath can help you to stay feeling great in your body and generally well! To find out more about seeing an osteopath for things other than pain, read my blog post here.

So go ahead and make an appointment or take a step toward creating a new health habit for yourself. I look forward to treating you soon.