is it harder to lose weight when you have less to lose

225 HABITS TO TRACK + FREE PRINTABLE HABIT TRACKER

Looking to add positive habits to your daily routine and make meaningful changes in your life? You’re in the right place! Today, we’re sharing a list of 225 habits you can track, plus offering a free printable habit tracker to help you kickstart your journey.

WHY USE A HABIT TRACKER?

Tracking your habits offers powerful benefits that can keep you motivated, help you see your progress, and inspire you to build new routines.

BOOSTS MOTIVATION

Keeping a daily or weekly record of your habits can give you the motivation to stay on track. The “don’t break the chain” method popularized by Seinfeld is a great example of this—watching your progress build up day by day can drive you to keep going.

It also makes it easier to track tasks that you may not love but still need to do.

VISUALIZES YOUR JOURNEY

Tracking habits lets you see your growth over time, from where you started to where you are now. If you don’t hit 10,000 steps every day at first, that’s okay! Start with a goal that feels doable, like 6,000 steps, or aim to reach 10,000 steps just a few days a week. The focus is on consistency, not perfection.

HELPS YOU BUILD A ROUTINE

Filling in your habit tracker each day is a great way to establish a new routine. It serves as a daily reminder to stick with the habits you’re trying to adopt and gives you a visual cue to stay on track.

BREAKS DOWN BIG GOALS

Achieving big goals can feel daunting, but a habit tracker helps you break them down into manageable steps. By focusing on one habit at a time, you’re steadily moving toward your larger goal, one small action at a time.

225 HEALTHY HABITS TO TRACK

MENTAL HEALTH HABITS TO TRACK

  • Practice positive affirmations
  • Get fresh air outside
  • Track your mood
  • Spend time on a hobby
  • Write in a gratitude journal
  • Talk to a friend
  • Release feelings – journaling or talking to someone
  • Therapy
  • CBT exercises from a book like Mind Over Mood
  • Do something you love
  • Practice self-care
  • Practice saying no
  • Get physical activity
  • Have a shower
  • Get dressed
  • Eat healthy meals
  • No social media days
  • Self-Love journaling
  • Listen to happy music
  • Work on a personal goal
  • Find ways to laugh – funny videos, stand-up comedy on Netflix, etc
  • Follow a healthy morning or bedtime routine
  • Give yourself downtime to rest and rejuvenate
  • Practice mindfulness
  • Be kind to yourself – focus on positive inner dialogue

PHYSICAL HEALTH HABITS

  • Track your water intake
  • Use a food journal
  • Walk daily – set a step or time-based goal
  • Meal prep
  • Cooked at home
  • Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
  • Stretch (morning or evening)
  • Get 7-9 hours sleep
  • Eat a healthy breakfast
  • Take medication
  • Take vitamins
  • Exercised for at least 30 minutes
  • Eat 5 servings of vegetables
  • Eat 4 servings of fruit
  • No alcohol
  • Drink water and lemon first thing in the morning
  • Have one fully plant-based meal a day
  • No added sugar
  • No caffeine
  • Take the stairs, park further from your destination or get off the bus one stop early
  • Walk your dog
  • Go for a run
  • Track symptoms – headaches, joint pain, etc
  • Floss daily
  • No sweets
  • Bring lunch to work
  • Lift weights
  • Use sunscreen

SPIRITUAL GROWTH HABITS

  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Daily prayer
  • Write in a prayer journal
  • Study religious texts
  • Attend a religious service (church, temple, mosque, etc)
  • Daily acts of kindness
  • Be humble
  • Serve and show your love to others
  • Show your gratitude to others
  • Look for the kindness in others
  • Practice patience
  • Share your faith
  • Act with Filotimo – popular Greek word and way of living, hard to properly translate but loosely means… 

WORK AND CAREER HABITS

  • Wake up early – aim for 30 mins to 1 hour earlier than your normal time
  • Get to work 10 minutes early
  • Create a concrete agenda for every meeting you set
  • Ask co-workers how they are – be friendly, have a chat
  • Complete your most important task for the day first
  • Add value to every meeting you attend – ask questions, share thoughts
  • Network 
  • Set weekly, monthly goals and quarterly goals
  • Create a daily to-do list (that you actually follow)
  • Respond to emails in the same day
  • Prep for 10 minutes before every meeting
  • Clean your desk at the end of each day
  • Take a course to strengthen skills – work on it throughout the week
  • Get outside for a conference call – walk and talk
  • Talk to your boss – share wins, ask questions, and get to know what they want from you
  • Learn a new skill 
  • Ask for feedback
  • Ask what skills you need for a promotion – then work towards this everyday
  • Close down your work by 5 or 6 pm every night
  • Dress for the job your want (not the one you have)
  • Look for ways to help others
  • Read an industry article every morning
  • Meet your deadlines – always
  • Coffee with coworker
  • Decline meetings you don’t need to attend
  • Social media posting

PRODUCTIVITY HABITS

  • Use the Pomodoro technique
  • Stop multitasking
  • Plan your day the night before
  • Take a 5-minute break every hour
  • Batch task – do similar habits in the same work session, i.e. graphic design
  • Don’t hit snooze in the morning
  • Snooze your phone calls during work sessions
  • Organize your tasks based on the Eisenhower Matrix – which helps you identify tasks to focus on first based on importance and urgency
  • Add tasks to your calendar to block off the time – giving yourself permission to focus on that specific task
  • Plan your week every Sunday or Monday morning (and follow that plan)
  • Write your top 3 goals/tasks in your calendar or planner every day (this will help you focus on what matters most)
  • Use an app like toggl to track your time on projects (especially if you have to track your hours for clients
  • Use a distractions list – anytime something off topic pops into your mind throughout the day, simply add it to the list to deal with later
  • Start the day with your hardest task first – known as ‘Eat The Frog’

HOUSEHOLD HABITS TO TRACK

  • Sweep/vacuum the floor
  • 10-minute tidy-up every night
  • Made the bed
  • Rinsed/cleaned the shower
  • Followed chore schedule
  • One load of laundry a day
  • Unload dishwasher
  • Tidy/clean fridge
  • Clean toilet
  • Clean sink
  • Tidy daily clutter
  • Water plants
  • Make dinner
  • Tackle in-coming paperwork every day (junk mail, bills)
  • Declutter
  • Regularly donate stuff you don’t need
  • Fix one small thing every day/week, etc that’s been bothering you at home 
  • Gardening
  • Walk the dog

FINANCIAL HABITS

  • Track daily expenses
  • Track income – If self-employed review every day or week
  • Follow a daily/weekly budget
  • Pay bills right away
  • Research new ways to increase income
  • Worked on side hustle
  • No online spending
  • Zero spend month (other than essentials – food, bills)
  • Put money into savings
  • Reduce the amount spent on home utilities (gas, water, hydro) – turn lights off, use appliances during off-peak, etc
  • Learn something new every day based on your financial goals – read articles, listen to podcasts, etc
  • Set up automatic money transfers to your savings account and check it weekly or monthly for encouragement
  • Look for ways to save every day and track new ideas and hacks you’ve discovered
  • Use cash for all purchases
  • Make healthy budget meals (that doesn’t sacrifice flavour)

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT HABITS

  • Read everyday
  • Learn from a podcast – The Diary of a CEO is my new favourite
  • Follow a healthy morning routine
  • Take a course 
  • Write one line a day every day 
  • Create a SMART goal and track your daily progress
  • Volunteer
  • Leave a space better than you found it – especially in public
  • Say YES, especially if you’re in the habit of saying no – especially to things that can help you grow as a person
  • Use ‘The 5 Second Rule’ from Mel Robbins – count back from 5-4-3-2-1 and then take action (great for you procrastinators out there)
  • Completed or worked towards something from bucket list
  • Listen to a podcast
  • Learn from a TED Talk 

SELF-CARE HABITS TO TRACK

  • Quality alone time
  • Practice positive self-talk
  • Go on a date with yourself
  • Write down one thing a day you love about yourself
  • Unplug from technology every night 1 hour earlier – then fill your time with something else you’ve been wanting to do
  • Practice deep breathing
  • Create a ‘feel better’ list and use is daily (when needed)
  • Do something that physically feels good – hot bath, using essential oils, getting a massage, etc
  • Ask for a hug
  • Spend time in nature
  • Do something creative
  • Stay true to your personal boundaries
  • Wash face and moisturize nightly

CREATIVE HABITS TO TRACK

  • Brainstorm creative ideas every day
  • Write for 30 minutes a day
  • Spend time learning about artists, writers
  • Work from a different location every day – new locales spark creativity and new ideas
  • Read poetry
  • Write poetry
  • Try new creative outlets – like social media – try Youtube, love sketching – try watercolor
  • Creative reflection and journaling
  • Network with other creatives
  • Allocate time to regular daydreaming (doing nothing and seeing where your mind travels)
  • Use an adult coloring book
  • Work on a puzzle
  • Take a meaningful photo every day
  • Learn a creative skill like brush lettering
  • Make a new recipe – aim for something new a few times a week
  • Work on a craft

SOCIAL / RELATIONSHIP HABITS TO TRACK

  • Call your mom/dad/sister/brother
  • Say I love you to your partner
  • Kiss your spouse
  • Family dinners
  • Date night
  • Be a good listener
  • Do something kind for someone
  • Don’t use your phone when talking to someone
  • Stay in contact with people that matter to you
  • Sex with your partner – especially great if you’re trying to conceive
  • Stop texting and start calling people
  • Have a weekly girl’s brunch or night out
  • Talk to someone you don’t know
  • Don’t complain
  • Look for things you have in common with someone – especially if you don’t get along
  • Reply to text messages
  • Send a handwritten letter (or postcard) to a friend or family member

BAD HABITS TO QUIT

  • Reduce screentime to less than 1 hour
  • Getting takeout
  • Eating fried food
  • Smoking
  • Drinking
  • Mindless eating / binge-eating
  • Buying coffee out
  • Biting nails
  • Drinking soda
  • Mindlessly scrolling
  • Being late
  • Negative self-talk
  • Using screens before bed
  • Staying up too late
  • Skipping meals
  • Procrastination
  • Buying things you don’t need – overspending
  • Too much social media
  • Being rude/angry to the people you love
  • Leaving things to the last minute
  • Dwelling on the negative
  • No phone at the dinner table
  • Any other negative habit you have – focus on ending it and keep track of that!
  • Interrupting people
  • Gossiping

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE HABIT TRACKER TO GET STARTED

Once you download the free habit tracker, you can start by choosing one or a few of these habit ideas to focus on. Before long, you’ll be on your way to building better habits across different areas of your life. This daily habit tracker provides space to monitor your weekly habits, and soon enough, your new routines will become second nature.

TIPS FOR USING A HABIT TRACKER

Set the Right Goal with the SMART Method: Make sure your goal aligns with what you truly want to achieve. If you’re not invested in it, your habit tracker will end up with more empty spaces than you’d like.

Be Honest: Tracking your habits only works if you’re truthful with yourself. Remember, this tracker is for you and no one else.

Have Fun & Get Creative: Use colorful pens, markers, or try different habit trackers to keep things exciting and engaging.

If You Miss a Day, Don’t Worry: Missing a day is no big deal! Just pick up where you left off the next day.

Don’t Track Habits You Already Do: For example, there’s no need to track brushing your teeth (unless you’re teaching this habit to a child). Focus on habits you’re actively working on.

Try Habit Stacking: Add a new habit onto an existing one. For instance, if you already drink a cup of coffee every morning, try using that time to meditate for 5 minutes.

Start Small: Begin with simple habits and build from there. Once you’re comfortable with your routine, you can tackle more complex habits.

Create Time for Reflection: Take a moment to reflect on what you accomplished. What would you change for the following week or month based on what you’ve learned?

Be Kind to Yourself: Habit trackers aren’t about measuring your worth. If you don’t hit all your goals, avoid negative self-talk. Instead, look at what worked, what didn’t, and apply those insights to improve in the future.

HOW MANY HABITS SHOULD YOU TRACK?

I believe it’s not about the quantity of habits, but rather selecting the right ones to track.

Personally, I recommend keeping it to a manageable number—ideally no more than 5 at a time. Tracking too many can become overwhelming and may make it harder to stick to any new habits. But ultimately, you know yourself best, so choose what works for you.

If you’re just starting out with habit tracking, I suggest beginning with one important habit you’d like to introduce into your routine.

CONCLUSION

Incorporating positive habits into your daily routine is a powerful tool for personal growth and development. By tracking your progress and celebrating your achievements, you can build momentum and create lasting change. With the 225 habit ideas and free printable habit tracker provided, you have the resources to embark on a journey of self-improvement. Remember, small steps lead to big results. Start today and unlock your full potential.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WHILE BREASTFEEDING

Motherhood is an exciting and meaningful experience, marked by the joy of nurturing a little angel. Along with playing with their children, most mothers experience uncontrolled weight gain and want to quickly get back into shape. When breastfeeding is added to the daily routine, the task of losing weight becomes a balancing act between ensuring the mother’s health and meeting the nutritional needs of the breastfed baby. There is much debate about whether or not to lose weight while breastfeeding, and how to do so. If you are a mother and are concerned about this issue, this article is for you. We will provide opinions from leading experts on maintaining a healthy weight while breastfeeding.

DOES BREASTFEEDING HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?

Yes, breastfeeding can help you lose weight in a natural way. When you breastfeed, your body uses extra calories to make milk for your baby. It’s like a built-in calorie burner. This means that breastfeeding can contribute to weight loss as your body works to produce the nourishing milk your little one needs.

Moreover, breastfeeding has a positive impact on your body’s recovery after childbirth. It helps your uterus to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size. This process involves the contraction of your uterine muscles, which uses up calories and aids in the weight loss journey.

However, the majority of experts discourage dieting during breastfeeding. This is because your body requires additional fuel to produce breast milk—approximately 500 or more extra calories per day, according to Mary Jane Detroyer, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritionist, registered dietitian, and personal trainer based in New York City.

“We definitely recommend that mothers not go on a particularly restrictive diet—nothing that’s lower than 1,500 calories a day, which wouldn’t permit a robust milk supply,” adds Shannon Davids, MD, an OB-GYN at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. In general, she says, an 1,800- to 2,200-calorie diet a day is optimal for overall nutrition, recovery and breastfeeding.

While certain breastfeeding mothers may experience rapid weight loss due to the calorie-burning nature of milk production, others need to be more conscious in maintaining a balance between their food intake and choices to achieve a more stable weight. Continue reading to discover the foods that are most beneficial—and those best avoided—to assist you in reaching your weight loss goals while breastfeeding.

DIET PLAN FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS TO LOSE WEIGHT

For breastfeeding moms aiming to lose weight, it’s essential to approach a diet plan with care. Your focus should be on a balanced and nourishing diet that supports weight loss while meeting your baby’s needs. Choose nutrient-rich foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. These foods provide important vitamins and minerals for both you and your baby. Opt for whole, unprocessed options for maximum nutritional value.

Staying hydrated is crucial, so make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Breastfeeding increases your body’s need for fluids, and staying well-hydrated is important for your health.

Instead of strict calorie counting, pay attention to portion sizes. Eating smaller, regular meals can help regulate blood sugar levels and provide a steady energy supply. This approach also helps prevent overeating during main meals.

Include healthy fats in your diet, like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. These fats are good for your overall health and can help keep you satisfied, reducing the urge to snack on less nutritious options.

Avoid extreme diets or strict restrictions, as they can negatively impact your milk supply and overall well-being. Gradual, sustainable changes are more effective in the long run.

POSTPARTUM EXERCISES FOR WOMEN

Postpartum exercise is all about staying active and healthy after giving birth. It’s a way for new moms to take care of their bodies while adjusting to the changes that come with having a baby. Starting with gentle activities like walking and pelvic floor exercises, postpartum exercise helps moms regain strength and energy. These exercises are designed to be safe for the post-birth period, considering the physical changes and recovery needed.

It’s important to listen to your body and not push too hard, especially if you had a cesarean section or faced complications during childbirth. As you progress, you can include activities like yoga or swimming, which are gentle yet effective for toning muscles and improving flexibility. Postpartum exercise isn’t just about getting back in shape; it’s also about boosting mood and overall well-being during this special time.

“It’s not just about the extra pounds; your body tissue changes too,” says Susan Clinton, PT, a physical therapist and co-founder of Embody Physiotherapy and Wellness in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. “A lot of people look at a drooping belly as fat to lose, but it’s more that the muscles need to learn to come back into a shortened position to be part of the abdominal wall again.”

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR SUCCESS

If you want to do well in losing weight, here are some extra tips to think about. First, pay attention to how your body feels. If you’re tired or have low energy, take breaks and do less. Let your body rest—it’s really important for your overall health.

Getting enough sleep is also really important. Not sleeping enough can make it harder to lose weight. It messes with your body’s metabolism, which is how your body uses energy. So, make sure to get good sleep to help you reach your weight loss goals.

And don’t compare yourself to others who are trying to lose weight. Everyone goes at their own speed, and remembrt to respect and accept the differences. Tell yourself and others to follow their own way, creating a positive and supportive environment. By listening to your body, getting enough sleep, and not comparing yourself to others, you’re setting the groundwork for a successful and lasting weight loss journey.

FAQ

1. Why am I gaining weight while breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding often leads to a decrease in weight loss ability for certain women due to the release of the hormone prolactin.

2. Which fruits to avoid while breastfeeding?

Strawberries. Kiwifruit. Pineapple. The gassy veggies like onion, cabbage, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, and peppers.

3. Can I eat spicy food while breastfeeding?

Yes. Consuming spicy foods poses no harm to your nursing baby, and there is no indication of any adverse impact on your baby’s health or well-being.

4. How long after giving birth can you lose weight?

It is advisable to wait a minimum of 6-8 weeks after childbirth before initiating weight loss efforts. During this period, your body requires time to recover from childbirth and establish a sufficient milk supply. In the initial months, many mothers achieve weight loss by adhering to a nutritious diet and eating in response to hunger cues.

CONCLUSION

Surely you already have the answer to the question “Does breastfeeding make you lose weight?” Keep in mind that you can safely lose weight while breastfeeding. This involves carefully balancing weight loss goals with the needs of both mother and baby. Seeking guidance from your doctor or nutritionist is a smart move, as they can recommend plans that are right for your health. This ensures a safe and supportive journey. By following the right advice, paying attention to their diet, and making progress step by step, mothers can achieve their weight loss goals while maintaining health for both themselves and their breastfeeding babies.