What can you expect from this blog
Following a routine may seem like a burdensome task but if you really get to the core of it, it isn’t all that bad. In fact, it is great for people who feel lost and are looking for some kind of structure in their lives.
If you are someone who has been on the fence about following a routine and can’t really find the motivation to get started, this blog is for you. Some of the best dietitians in South Delhi have collaborated to create this blog for you with insightful information to help you kickstart your journey. Read on!
Introduction
The other day, I was watching Vanity Fair’s YouTube video titled ‘Everything Mark Cuban Does in a Day’. They have a series where they try to document the daily lives and routines of famous people to get insights into their lives. I have been a Mark Cuban fan for ages now. From his victories in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks to his diverse portfolio of investments, he never fails to inspire us. But what is the secret to his success and the success of many other renowned entrepreneurs? Do they have a magic wand that drives them to their goals? Do they have an extra pair of hands? Is it because they all are vegans? These outlandish speculations are only good to make you feel better but as a team of the best dietitians in Delhi NCR, we know that the reality of embarking on a successful journey is no cakewalk.
Just like Mark Cuban, thousands of successful people have a daily productive routine. Some get up at 4 am, have their coffee, hit the gym, and go to work whereas others may prefer working during night hours and sleeping during the morning. Regardless of the situation, it is imperative to have a routine to follow. Having no routine or structure in your life is draining and deprives the mind and body of things to do.
According to research, more than 40% of our actions are triggered by our daily routines and habits. Your daily routine comprises of everything you do from waking up to going to bed every day. These specific actions organize your day to day occurrences and help you power through your goals. A lot of times clients come to us and tell us that they were trying to fix their routine for a very long time now but they will surely bring some structure to their life FROM TOMORROW.
In my journey as one of the best dietician in Delhi for weight loss, If I got Rs. 1000 every time someone told me something referencing the word ‘tomorrow’, I would have been a billionaire by now. No really, I get it. It takes a lot of willpower to go out of your comfort zone to seek what would be better for you in the long haul. A lot of times what happens is that people get too excited to follow a routine, start with enthusiasm, and when they figure out what kind of hard work is needed to follow up, they abandon that routine and stick to being ‘spontaneous’ with their day.
You need to understand that like any other thing, building a routine does not happen overnight. It takes time to grow and might require extra effort on your part but the result is totally going to sweep you off your feet. There might be times when you feel like giving up, and everyone faces sudden spikes of internal rebellions but it is the will to fight that urge off that sets you apart and makes you focused.
Here are 10 guaranteed ways to help you follow a daily productive routine:
1) Start your day with an easy task
Start your day with an easy, hassle free step that does not require a lot of effort. You can start it by consuming a glass of lukewarm water in the morning. These simple tasks are good for beginners who are looking to take baby steps to start a routine.
When you wake up in the morning after a night’s sleep, your body may be dehydrated. Drinking water first thing in the morning can really give you that hydration boost and ensure that you don’t feel fatigued easily. Drinking lukewarm water on an empty stomach can also help stimulate your digestive system which can aid in better digestion and bowel movements. There are honestly a plethora of benefits of having lukewarm water on an empty stomach, ask any dietitian in Delhi or from wherever you belong. Be it the metabolism boosting capabilities or encouraging weight loss and immune functions, if you incorporate a glass of water into your routine and start seeing the results of doing so, you will be motivated to stick to it.
Many people also like to squeeze a lemon into their morning water or soak fenugreek (methi) seeds in their glass of water overnight for medicinal effects.
2) Set SMART goals
We have done a dedicated blog on what SMART goals are and how they can improve your health and fitness, so make sure to check out the detailed explanation by clicking here. The SMART goal method is a framework that is intended to aid people in creating a defined structure to succeed at their goals. S – Specific, M- Measurable, A- Attainable, R- Relevant, and T – Time bound.
A proven way to make a routine and stick to it is by setting SMART goals. Having a vague goal like “I want to start getting up early in the morning” or “I want to hit the gym” can lead to frustration as vague goals don’t have clear starting or endpoints. SMART goals have been used in professional settings forever and if you work in the field of business or healthcare, you may have used these to evaluate certain measures yourself. Nowadays, even the best of the best nutritionists in Delhi are implementing the use of SMART goals in their clients’ personal lives to attain fruitful outcomes.
3) Remember to give yourself a breather
The intent behind creating a daily routine is to harness your potential in the most productive hours for important tasks and the least productive hours for ordinary tasks. In no way does setting a routine translate to slogging and working relentlessly for hours at stretch. Allow yourself some ‘me time’ where you can relax, unwind, and chill for a while. During this time, you can also keep some flexibility to run errands if necessary.
We are all humans and life happens! No one can really stop the clock from ticking or the sun from setting. Similarly, there are things in your life that may not work as per your schedule. If you have to take your child to an important doctor’s appointment, you cannot blame your schedule for not allowing time to go. In such cases, you have to make some time. That is why our nutritionists in Delhi always recommend you to have some buffer time in your daily schedule to accommodate such situations.
4) Start Journaling
There is a stigma that journaling is only for the rebellious school going kids who have gotten their first heartbreak. This is completely false! In fact, Journaling is one practice that we genuinely wish everyone followed, regardless of age. When you write down your goals and plans for the day, it helps you feel more accountable which pushes you to achieve more. You can also track your progress and make adjustments to your routine if you feel something is not benefitting you. It's great to have something to look back at. Journaling makes you acquainted with all the hard work you did to achieve your goals and keeps you motivated to follow through.
I personally find journaling to be an amazing tool for setting and sticking to a routine by providing accountability, clarity, motivation, and opportunities for reflection and adjustment. You can either just buy a regular notebook and freestyle or you can find some guided journals online and start with that if you think you would not know what to write.
5) Discover Meditation
Meditation has been around for centuries now but has recently gained popularity in the modern world. It is a practice that involves training the mind to focus and quieting the mental chatter. The unparalleled benefits for mental, emotional, and physical health are what will truly help you streamline your focus.
Meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, improve concentration and memory, increase self-awareness and self-compassion, and promote a sense of calm and inner peace. There are many different types of meditation, including mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, and loving-kindness meditation. Do your research and pick which one resonates the most with you and your schedule. Anyone and everyone can practice meditation and the best thing about it is that it can be done anywhere, at any time, making it a powerful tool to help you get focussed. We recommend sparing 5 to 10 minutes twice a day to meditate, preferably in the morning right after you wake up and at night right before you go to sleep.
6) Make it fun
Contrary to popular belief, routines can be fun. Yes, you heard it right! Just because you’re doing things in a structured way does not in any way mean that it has to be mundane or boring. You could do a lot of things to spice up your routine.
- Find a gym buddy, someone who can work out with you and push you to go to the gym every day.
- Find a relatable playlist for when you’re cleaning or cooking.
- Try your hands on cooking classes and try to cook healthy meals.
- Find an accountability partner to help streamline your routine.
You should understand that although it is essential for your well-being to have a set routine in your life, you should always strive to achieve a good balance between structure and spontaneity. Stirring up things once in a while will make you truly cherish your routine without any hindrances to your end goals.
7) Celebrate small milestones
It really pains me to see how people only prefer to see big and noticeable results and completely sideline little changes. No matter how big or small your achievement is, if it is bringing you even one step closer to your goal, then it needs to be celebrated. Not necessarily in a pompous way, but you can celebrate by doing anything that brings you joy. It could be in the form of your favourite meal, buying yourself something you have had your eyes on for long, or if you don’t have the finances to afford these, just give yourself a pat on your back and a pep talk. This reinforces good habits, encourages you to stick to your routine, and leads to an array of opportunities for reward.
8) Try batch cooking
If you are a very busy individual, Batch cooking could really help you save time and energy. A lot of folks find it hard to follow a routine because their erratic schedule does not allow them the time to cook. Batch cooking paves an easy path to a healthier diet by saving you time and reducing waste.
We live in a very fast-paced world where on-the-go foods are preferred over foods that take a lot of time to prepare. Oftentimes this leads to people ordering takeout, eating on-the-go foods that usually don’t have any nutritive value, or skipping meals altogether which is the worst thing to do. To make this easier, you can set a few hours aside once a week to cook nutritious food in batches and then freeze them. This will only save you time and money, but will also ensure that your meals are calorie counted. A lot of influencers, dietitians in Delhi and other states, and celebrities rave about batch cooking. We have had some clients achieve their dream body just by setting one day aside for batch cooking. Try it for yourself to see how convenient it is.
9) Wake up early
‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man good and wise’. As kids, we used to hear this quote in our daily assemblies and not think much of it. However, hearing it now makes us think how accurate it is. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of waking up early in the morning to have a positive start, almost like a ripple effect in the entirety of your day. Waking up early, hitting the gym, showering, having a wholesome breakfast, and then leaving for work gives you so much room for productivity because you will get all the ‘good-for-you’ things out of the way and be focused on the important parts.
10) Report to yourself
Last but not the least, report to yourself. Be your own boss. Some days you may feel like you have slacked off a little and have not made much progress. On such days, reconnect with yourself and see where you went wrong and how to rectify it. Being in touch with your inner self can give you a lot of deep insights that could help you sense loopholes in your current routine. Keep track of the work you are doing and if time allows, create a checklist of what needs to be done and how much you have accomplished. You can also find more creative ways to keep yourself in check like mobile applications, family check-ins, google spreadsheets, etc.
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment…
A routine can really help you establish a sense of order and structure in your daily life thereby allowing you to stay focused on the tasks at hand. When you have a routine, you know exactly what needs to be done. This practice eliminates the need to constantly think about what comes next.
Our registered dietitians, some of the best dietitians for weight gain in Delhi, and the best nutritionists for weight loss at niwi.ai take pride in our ability to help not just create a healthy routine, but also to follow it. We work closely with our clients to understand their goals, and then build sustainable plans that they can follow from the comfort of their homes.
Our nutritionists thoroughly evaluate your body type, genetics, activity levels, and busy schedules to help you plan a truly enjoyable routine.
Ready for a health revolution? Join us on our mission to transform the nutrition landscape!
At niwi.ai, we are on a journey to help thousands of people reach their goals. If you are looking to streamline your focus and have a set routine, you are definitely at the right place!