It can be the hardest thing when you’re set in your ways. The Her World team share how we did it.
It can be the hardest thing when you’re set in your ways. The Her World team share how we did it.
Climbing the stairs
“I take the stairs to get to my sixth-floor flat in a bid to keep fit. Even when I feel unmotivated, I make it a point to walk up to the third floor before taking the lift the rest of the way up – just doing it (albeit halfway) helps maintain the habit. So far, I’ve managed to climb the stairs at least five times a week.” – Cheryl Tang, intern
Exercising thrice a week
“Since 2015, I’ve been doing high-intensity interval training thrice weekly (I didn’t exercise for seven years prior to that). My tip? Start small. I began with regular 15-minute sessions on the treadmill or stationary bike, and increased these to 30-minute sessions over time. It also helps to identify the specific factors standing in the way of developing a habit; I was too lazy to travel to fitness studios after work, so I switched to Youtube exercise routines I could do at home.” – Jeanne Tai, associate deputy editor
Running twice a week
“My parents and I run every Tuesday and Thursday. While it may seem difficult to exercise after a day at the office, having running buddies really helps. When I’m unmotivated, my parents will encourage me and run at a slower pace with me. When they don’t feel up to it, I’ll nag them! Getting out of the house is half the battle won.” – Aretha Loh, features writer
Eating healthier
“It’s all about making simple decisions. For instance, deciding to have a salad for lunch instead of fast food, so that I’ll have more veggies in my diet.” – Karin Tan, assistant fashion stylist
Reading regularly
“The ironic thing about working in publishing is that I’ve been reading less regularly than before – it’s hard to concentrate on even more words when you’ve spent the entire day trying to craft or edit them. To ensure that I still get some reading done, I save all my books and magazines for flights. Luckily, I travel fairly regularly, and my lack of data connectivity on board flights means I have nothing else to focus on. I once finished two books during a round trip to Melbourne!” – Tan Min Yan, lifestyle editor
Drinking more water
“I never used to be consistent about drinking water until I realised that dehydration contributed to my constant headaches, dull skin and wrinkles. Now, I down a glass of water the minute I get out of bed. I also have a large glass bottle on my work desk that I refill at least twice a day. If you don’t like the taste of water, add some fruit to it to make it more palatable.” – Charmaine Lee, beauty writer
NEED AN EXTRA PUSH?
These apps might help – and they're free too!
Habitica
Build a habit and have fun while you’re at it with this role-playing game. Simply key in your habits and goals, then create a custom avatar. Level up and unlock game features by checking off goals. You can even join a party and battle monsters with friends to motivate one another – party members will lose virtual health if any one member doesn’t meet his/her daily goals.
Habitica is available on iTunes and Google Play.
Habitbull
Tracking and forming habits are made easy with this app, which has a reminder function, and gives you an overview of your progress by way of analytics such as graphs denoting success percentages. There’s even a “streaks calendar” that tracks how many consecutive days you can observe your habit for, as well as an in-built forum.
Habitbull is available on iTunes and Google Play.
Coach.me Forming a habit?
Track your progress and connect with a supportive community through this app. You can even hire a personal productivity coach whom you can message for tips and encouragement for just $14.99.
Coach.me is available on iTunes, Google Play and the Web.
