So you want to be healthier…but where do you start? Sadly, living and making healthy choices everyday isn’t as easy as flipping a switch, hoping all the french fries disappear from your life. In a perfect world, we could all wake up tomorrow and have impeccable health and body image. But when reality settles in, you have accept the fact that you actually have work at it and make each decision consciously—and repeatedly—if they are to become natural.

But again, where do you start? Going through the process of becoming healthier will take time, but the reward will last much longer. In order to help you get going on your way to a healthier lifestyle, here are a few easy steps that will make it much easier to get started and much more rewarding to keep going.

1. Get your head in the game. Being healthy is much more than physical work. As you embark on the journey towards a better lifestyle, it is critical to have the right frame of mind. So get your head in the game—know why you want to do this and what you plan to get out of the work you’re putting into yourself.

2. Set measurable milestones. The best way to develop a healthy lifestyle is to set smaller goals. Take everything in small steps to minimize the pressure you put on yourself. This will make the larger goals more obtainable in the long run.

3. Establish a Routine. Instead of trying to squeeze in meals and workouts between work and sleep, make a routine. Plan your workouts ahead of time and set up weekly meal schedules as a way to create a normalcy in your new healthy lifestyle.

4. Gradually add more. As you start to establish a routine, you can avoid those lulls and drawbacks by adding to your routine. When you set challenges for yourself, it will help to keep your mental state positive and motivate you to never stop.

5. Reward yourself. It won’t help your cause or your state of mind to always push, push, push without celebrating those little victories that you are accomplishing on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. As you hit your goals, give yourself a little treat for making it that far and celebrate the wonderful changes that are becoming a part of who you are!

Following all these steps will help to make “healthy living” a natural part of your everyday life. What seems like work now will only become a healthier and happier lifestyle tomorrow.

[photo credit: ivillage.ca]