Dear Cassey: How do you actually stick to a healthy lifestyle?
Hey Keeping My Momentum!
You’re SO RIGHT. The advice for what to do is everywhere. But that’s not the same as advice for how to do it.
I guess that’s because it varies so much from person to person. In order to stick to a goal, you really have to be willing to be honest with yourself and dig deep to find what works for you. It’s something that has taken me YEARS to figure out, but I’m thinking what I’ve learned along the way could help you out!
So, let’s start with being honest with yourself.
That means figuring out your “why,” and fully understanding why your goals are important to you. Notice I said to YOU. Not anyone else. Think about what you’re getting out of your workouts, better eating, etc. and commit to it. Then, be honest about what has held you back in the past. Do you fail to prioritize the time you need to workout or prep your meals? Do you get discouraged after a tough workout? Are you a stress eater? What is it exactly that throws you off track? I think it’s really important to think through these things (or even write them down) and tackle them head on.
Next, set yourself up for success.
If there are ways to make your goals easier, take advantage! Digging into your why and what has held you back in the past should help you brainstorm some ways that you can create a successful environment for yourself. What does that mean exactly? MOTIVATION. Accountability. What can you do now, to make sure you keep going full steam ahead?
Experiment with things like:
- Journaling
- Leaving yourself motivational quotes
- Tracking your goals and progress with pictures, etc.
- Finding outside accountability if you need it – heyyyy POPster fam!
- Using other tools like a workout tracker, meal planner, etc.
Anything that helps you get into your zone. That mindset that lights the fire under you. Sometimes for me it’s as simple as literally writing down what I want to do for the day. Even if I’m feeling lazy, I know that for me, getting to check things off of my to-do list is just super motivating. Maybe that’s weird? Like I said, different things work for all of us!
It’s so important to celebrate ALL of your wins.
What I DON’T want you to do is set a giant goal with the attitude that you won’t feel satisfied until you get to it. That kind of mindset will only make you feel discouraged, impatient, and honestly a little like punishment. Instead, notice all of your wins. Celebrate every time you get your workout in even though you didn’t really feel like it. Be proud when you realize that maybe burpees aren’t that bad after all, and do a happy dance when you make a healthy recipe that tastes amazing. The small things may not be your ultimate goal, but those are the things that add up and get you there.
Finally, be willing to acknowledge when things aren’t working.
Sometimes, all of the motivation in the world just isn’t enough to stick to a healthy lifestyle. Because you can’t force something to work that just isn’t right for you! Perfect example? During my 90 Day Journey, I started out trying to follow a keto diet. And it DID NOT WORK for me. Did I lose weight? Yeah. But I felt pretty crappy and felt like I was spending all of my time trying to remedy how I felt just to stick to it. It got to the point where I just had to go back to the drawing board.
In the past, something like that would have made me so discouraged I’d probably give up altogether, saying I’d “start over later.” But this time, I just chalked it up as part of the journey. I learned from it, and that pushed me to keep learning until I found what DID work.
And of course, remember that falling off track isn’t failure. Brush it off, and just keep going!
If you take anything from this advice, I hope it’s that “falling off track” IS NOT FAILURE. It doesn’t mean that you have to start over, or that you’re even doing anything wrong. You’re human, and change is hard. Expect those bumps in the road and learn from them!
PS – If you have a burning question you want to ask me, I’m taking questions via text at 510-692-4556. Currently this only works for US and Canada. If you’re outside of those countries, you can leave a question below.
15 thoughts on “Dear Cassey: How do you actually stick to a healthy lifestyle?”
There are Array15 comments posted by our users.
Hi Cassey,
I love your video. They are superb. I mixed up the May 5 and May 4 exercise and did the May 5 before the May 4. My time isn’t stable so I did the exercises in the evening mostly. I paused the video a few time during the process but I still finished it. I’m definitely going to complete this 14 days challenge. Thank you!
Hi Cassey!
I’ve recently started watching your videos and made myself a WHOLE workout routine. I find the way you motivate your audience during your videos so so so helpful. I’ve been on my fitness journey for about 8 months now, i find that working out is something i can really stick to, BUT.. My eating habbits are awful, which slows my progress.
I’ve struggled with eating disorders for a few years and I’m finally getting back on track again, but the issue is, well trying to eat right for someone who works out is VERY expensive, so i end up eating unhealthy.
This makes me feel so discouraged.. Do you have any advice for this?
Much love.
I find getting a coach is always helpful for motivation!
Hii Cassey. I love your videos. You’ve been the only trainer I’ve been able to stick to on and off since the past two three years. Last to last month I completed the beginners calender and then went off track for a while due to exams. I’ve been working out again, on and off, but figuring out what to follow and how to fix a time has been a challenge. It’d be great if you can guide me bit through it!
Love
B
You got this!! Do you have an accountability partner that can do the calendars with you?! That’ll be the most helpful!!!
dear cassey,
I have been obbesed with your channel since the beginning of 2019, you have helped me loads and I really appreciate it. Its just that I find it hard to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy things for me, we don’t eat salads or veggie wraps here in Hong kong and we often eat greasy food. Are there any asian healthy foods you can recommend because lots of asian people are struggling with this?
Love,
Blue skies
Dear Cassey,
I am an all or nothing kind of person. Sometimes when I start my day off wrong, I tend to give up eating clean and really taking care of my body by just eating lots of junk food every day. I am aware that I am a stress eater but I really want to be healthy and good always, what can I do ?
Love ,
Blue skies
Dear Cassey,
Thank you for all that you do! I started doing some of your workouts via youtube at the beginning of 2020 but was not very consistent. I can say that your videos are always encouraging and a few months ago I decided to just do the best I could each day. I started with ten minutes of working out and now I can complete a full workout from your monthly calendars. I have gone down a whole size in jeans and look forward to working out each day. The workouts are a great way to let go of stress and reach personal health goals. For anyone who may be reading these comments, you can do it! Start small and keep pushing yourself to reach those goals. I am a nurse and a foster mom and can often find myself stressed out and exhausted. Doing the best I can do each day and finally meeting some health goals has been very encouraging. Thanks again Cassey!
Great post as always! Do you have any advice for how to eat healthy and workout when you are really busy? My life is at the point right now where I go to school, do my extracurriculars, and go to bed, and since I haven’t had time to work out, I’ve resorted to eating very little in order to maintain my weight, and my diet has consisted of candy canes and granola bars since I don’t have time to prepare meals
Planning is key!! Whether it’s meal prepping your meals (or at least knowing what you will do for your meals) and scheduling in your workouts like they are urgent meetings will help a lot! That way you can set realistic expectations for yourself and manage your needs. Keeping healthy foods and snacks around will help, too! You got this!
In college, I took a health education class where the instructor – who was also a coach- said if you remember only one thing from this, remember this: “every meal is an opportunity to make a healthy choice”. That has stuck by me through the years. This way, even on days when I’m not feeling like eating healthy throughout the day, I can indulge in some treats or less healthy foods without feeling guilty knowing that every meal is another opportunity to make a healthy choice- so I can pick right back up in the next meal.
I just started your program… have been doing level 2 for abs and butt for 2 weeks and have not noticed any physical body changes but have felt stronger. How long do results start to show.
I also eat a clean, mostly whole food pescatarian diet. Thanks
Greetings, Dear Cassey!
I just want to express my gratitude towards you and everything you do! You’re such a kind-hearted and cheerful person, you have literally no idea how much better my life is because of you. You helped me get past some of the grimmest days of my life! and I’m so thankful for that 🙂 Please don’t listen to those who throw rude and harsh comments on you because it justifies everything about them and nothing about you. It hurts so much to see you upset. I love your amazing and motivating personality. Just keep smiling always!!
Much love, your admirer
Very well said. There is plenty of information available on the internet about what to do, but it is important to know how to do it. Celebrating small wins and being honest with ourselves is the best way to stick to a healthy lifestyle. Following the unsustainable routine will not only damage us physically but also mentally.
Cassey, do you have any ideas to help keep me motivated and positive about myself? if you could answer this that would be great!! thanks and i love your videos!!💕