In an earlier post I described myself as having put on a lot of weight, In fact my BMI confirms that I am morbidly obese. It is blindingly obvious that working towards early retirement and the change in lifestyle I desire must be linked with ensuring that I live as long and healthy a life possible. I know that I am a "stress eater" and that losing the stress of being a critical care consultant will help, but I need to reverse a significant number of bad habits.

Trying to completely change oneself overnight is doomed to fail

Perhaps this is where one of the lessons learnt from decluttering may help! in that you must not allow yourself to become outfaced by the scale of the problem but instead focus on one thing at a time. Completely solving a single issue is good for a number of reasons; Most important is that you have finished and solved that problem, each complete victory will make starting the next challenge easier and you will approach the next challenge with the expectation of a more positive outcome, and most important you will not build up a load of unfinished baggage that impairs your ability to manage.

Breaking old habits can be hard, though replacing them with better habits should, at least in theory, be easier.

The Basic Principles
1. Make a clear decision to develop a new habit, starting simple and achievable. If, for example, you intend to read for an hour a day then start by reading for fifteen minutes a day first.
2. Get a buddy (someone who can help when problems arise)
3. Action the habit regularly (ideally daily)
4. Commit to 30 days (it takes this long for the habit to become ingrained and automatic)
5. Leave notes to remind you of the course of action you have decided (post it notes on the fridge, alarms in your phone it doesn't matter simply something to give you an additional prompt.

Ok great lets start by making one change.
Currently I attend a kettlebells exercise on a weekly basis and circuit training sessions also weekly but I have dropped out over the last few weeks.

New Habit Objective to Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. Include brisk walks, runs, exercise classes etc. M to act as my Buddy and I can feel a post it note and digital calendar campaign coming on.

Wish me luck