Making Health a Habit

Making healthy choices. We all know we should do it. However, many of us struggle to follow through.

In our fast-paced world, convenience often wins out over healthy choices, which is why fast food seems to dominate our options when on a tight schedule. And as attorneys, this can certainly be just as true, as we struggle to take care of ourselves as we take care of our clients.

For me, this was true and it started in law school. Early classes made it hard to justify a healthy breakfast. Bringing my lunch was rarely something I gave myself time for. And hitting the gym often lost out because I had to be in the library. I suspect I am not the only one who had a law school schedule like that.

It wasn’t until my third year that people in my life encouraged me to make healthier choices. Their support pushed me past all my previous shortcomings. Yet even with their constant cheering, it still took weeks for me to really feel like my healthy choices were habits.

And that is because according to healthline.com, it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days for an action to become a habit, with the average being about 66 days. And for busy law students and busier lawyers, there are a lot of things that can get in the way during those 66 days. So, how do we form healthy habits?

For starters, it means making time. It doesn’t have to be long. Allowing yourself 10-15 minutes at lunch or after hours to walk around the block can be an easy start. Going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time can be another (I promise, the work will still be there when you wake up). It is even better if you can set your sleep schedule early enough to have a healthy breakfast.

And I get it, it might not be easy. But we’ve been through the rigors of law school. We’ve proven we can do things that aren’t easy. And if you can pick up a few healthier habits, then the health benefits might just trickle down to your mental health as well.