How many times have you tried to implement new habits into your morning routine?

You’re going to start your day with meditation, eating whole foods, or getting movement in. It’s quite often for most of us, but these new habits never seem to stick for more than two weeks. Why is that?

When it comes to starting something new, so many of us pick these big audacious goals that we want to reach.

For instance, last week, you didn’t work out at all, but this week you set a goal to work out five days for forty minutes each day. That’s a significant change you are adding to your daily schedule. Therefore, you find yourself falling off track two days after or not even getting started in the first place.

For some reason, you never skip walking to your kitchen to make your coffee first thing in the morning, so why can’t you stick to developing a habit of getting movement each morning?

New and Healthy Habits

Well, here’s the thing. That big new habit that you set for yourself, well, it was big. It wasn’t something that you could quickly implement into your life; you had to change many things and carve out the time. So how do you make a new habit stick that leads you to your big goal? One of my favorite sayings is small hinges swing big doors.

There are three rules I like to follow when it comes to starting a new habit. 

The first step is to establish a small habit you want to implement. And when I say small, I mean the first month, let that new habit be just 5 minutes long. I want you to get to a point where you start craving this new habit, and you notice how much better you feel when you practice that new habit. 

Second, make it something you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy running, then don’t run. If you don’t enjoy eating eggs, then don’t eat them. Make it something that you enjoy doing or that tastes delicious. 

Third, add your new habit to a habit you already have established. Do you drink coffee every morning? While your coffee is brewing, can you do a 5-minute meditation? Can you make yourself a smoothie?

Here are some simple 5-minute habits to get you started:

3 New and Healthy Habits to Implement in Just 5 Minutes a Day

1. Five Minute Meditation

Are you wanting to develop habits that guides you into managing your stress and anxiety better? If so, meditation is a great habit to start implementing. While your coffee or tea is brewing in the morning, give yourself five minutes to meditate. See how I added a new habit to your already existing habits.

Meditation can be hard at first; at least it was for me, don’t force it and give yourself that five minutes to close your eyes to just listen.

2. Five Minute Movement

I know what you are thinking… five minutes is not going to help me become more fit or lose weight but remember, this new little habit will help guide you to your ultimate goal. The great part within weeks of implementing this habit, you will be itching to work out longer instead of dreading it.

This is the perfect habit to implement right before dinner. Once you have dinner in the oven, do a five-minute exercise. Find your favorite YouTube workout and bust it out. 

3. Five Minute Breakfast

Do you find yourself running out the door with a granola bar in hand, then see yourself hungry two hours later? Try implementing a 5-minute breakfast habit.

A smoothie is a great new habit if you are looking to have a breakfast that keeps you full for 4-6 hours, tastes delicious (think chocolate-covered strawberry smoothie), and gives you that energy to start your day. And it only takes five minutes to make! While your coffee is brewing, make that smoothie or that veggie egg scramble.

You might be thinking that these are just too small. You have big goals that you want to reach but think of the quote I said earlier. Small hinges swing big doors so start with some smaller habits. Many of us get disappointed in ourselves for not following through on a habit, and I want to remove that disappointment.

Give yourself love and grace by implementing a small habit on top of a habit that already exists.

Let it be EASY and ENJOYABLE! Because when these new habits are this way, we are more likely to stick to them!

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