As a man, your word should be gold. You are someone that can be trusted. If you commit to something, you follow through. When you tell someone you’re going to do something, it gets done…

Take out the garbage? You’re on it. Clean the bathroom? Consider it done. Fix that squeaky door. No problem. The garbage? Right, sorry, I forgot, I’ll do it now…

Okay – so, it’s not always easy to keep track of everything you’ve got going on. Especially when things start to pile up, it can be hard to remember all the things that need to get done in a day. When life gets busy, it’s often our healthy living goals that are the first to be forgotten.

A simple trick to help you stick to it

One easy trick to keep your healthy living goals at the forefront of your mind is writing little reminders to yourself. Use sticky notes to write down the small changes you want to make and put them in places where you will see them regularly, like the fridge, bathroom mirror, or desk at work. Writing down reminders can reinforce your goals and help you stay on track when trying to make healthy changes. Whether you’re trying to get more active, eat healthier, or stress less, follow these simple steps to give yourself the upper hand:

Step 1: Plan it – Consider the healthy living goal you are aiming for and the small changes you want to make to get there. This works best when it’s something that you are trying to get in the habit of doing every day; like starting your morning with a healthy breakfast, going for a 10-minute walk during lunch, or taking a minute to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths

Step 2: Write it – Be reasonable with the action that you are going to take. It’s the small changes that lead to real results over time. Write things like: “Take the stairs”, “Pack veggies and hummus”, “Alcohol free day (AFD)”,  or how about just a good ol’ “:)” to remind you to relax and be present.

Step 3: Stick it – No one knows your routine better than you do. Think of places to stick the note where it will catch your attention when you need it. The back of your door, dashboard of your car, in your lunch box, or in your wallet are all great places to hide reminders. Get creative; if you might miss a note on the outside of your fridge, place it on the inside. As the diligent partner that you are — who always puts the toilet seat down — you could even put one on the back of the toilet bowl.