5 Helpful Habits for Women Over 50

Habits…good ones, bad ones…love them or hate them, they can make life easier. We’ve all heard it takes 21 days to create a habit. I find justĀ getting to day 21 a real challenge. No matter how good my intentions and excited I am to make a good habit stick, it usually drops off after a week.Ā 

According to Gretchen Rubin, habits make life easier because you don’t have to planĀ an action. You just do it. Her bookĀ Better Than BeforeĀ  has some great tools for creating new habits. Naturally, I honed in on the easiest one she mentioned.

The simplest way to incorporate new habits into your routine.
You can see how dog-eared and “used” my book is.

Tie a new habit to an old one.Ā If you habitually do one thing, tack a new behavior to it, which easily becomes a new habit! It works for me and is so easy.

Here are some simple habits I have that keep me at my best. Some work with this tactic, some don’t. Nothing is perfect…we do what we can:)

  • Practice gratitude

    Writing down what you’re grateful for is a daily practice that makes a huge difference in my happiness. It prevents me from taking blessings for granted. I do this while I have my first cup of tea every morning.

  • Ā Compliment yourself

    Our internal voice is a constant. Program her to say nice things about yourself. All too often women focus on the negative and those thoughts get stuck in the repeating loop of our self talk. Make a habit of correcting any critical messages you catch yourself repeating. Rephrase them to be a compliment. There’s nothing to tie this habit to, but your feelings. If you’re feeling blue, check what you’ve said to yourself.

  • Moisturizing

    I slather moisturizer over my entire body after every shower. It’s obvious this habit is tied to my shower. I buy lotion I love the smell of and keep it right beside the shower so I see and use it the minute I step out.

  • Flossing

    Because our gums recede with age, flossing once a day is critical. I never remember at night so I do it in the morning. My hygienistĀ assures me it doesn’t matter when I do it, so long as it’s daily. I’ve tied it to putting on my makeup. Every morning asĀ I sit to put on my makeup, I floss first.

  • Do things you enjoy doing

    It sounds too simple to matter. It’s not. Too often we do the have to’s and everyday busy things, but don’t make sure we do the things that bring us joy. Again, there’s no current habit to tie this to… but your feelings. Tuning in to how I’m feeling tells me if I have done enough of what I love.

My Grandson and I are installing a homemade sign in the veggie patch he planted at our house. I promised to keep Peter Rabbit from eating the veggies while he was away. There is nothing I enjoy more than spending time with him and making him happy.

 

What do you do that makes you happy?

Any habits you’d like to make?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Ā 

 

13 Comments

  1. I like my morning routine…………..
    I NEED TO MOISTURIZE more often like daily……..BUT I DON”T!Always seem to have an excuse…………lets discuss this MORE in DEPTH TOMORROW!
    XX

  2. Great post! James has his own little part of the garden! How lovely!

  3. Your grandson is so adorable! Your habits are all good ones for a happy, healthy life.

  4. I kept a gratitude journal for years. I have boxes full of them going back to 2000. Somehow, over the past few years, I’ve gotten out of the habit of writing in it every night. I think I will try doing it in the morning and see if it becomes a regular habit again. I do believe that expressing gratitude, even silently in your own journal, creates a positive shift in our reality.
    Thanks for the reminder!
    b

    1. Good point about expressing it privately. It works no matter how we do it.

  5. Canuck on says:

    Precious memories for little James. Now that’s a good habit.

    1. The very best šŸ™‚

  6. Carol LaRochelle says:

    Jennifer, what sets you apart from many of the other fashion bloggers, is that you are not totally “into” yourself. Your fashion suggestions are wonderful, but you do not give the feeling that “look at me, I’m great” but rather I’m here to help you decide what is best for you.

    Also, I like that you give the different input from some of the other fashion bloggers, like the blog fest!

    Best wishes for a great day, and believe me, I know how wonderful being a grandparent is, I have four grown grandchildren, all of whom I’ve had a big part in their young lives.mtgere is nothing more rewarding. Carol

    1. Thanks Carol! That’s so kind of you to say. My goal has always been to help women find what works for them. Lucky you having 4 grandchildren!! I feel so blessed to have my little fellow. Wishing you a great day too!

  7. Olwyn Irving says:

    I would like to sign on for the Blab but I am not on Twitter or Facebook. I use email but can’t sign on.

    1. I will post the replay on YouTube and share the link here. You will be able to watch it there for sure.

  8. All are good advice! I have a few habits I need to break…and I love the picture of you and your grandson…so cute!

    1. It was the best time ever!

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