We’ve all been there. With good intentions, we set a wellness goal like:
“I’ll start working out on Monday.” Or “I’ll eat healthier after the holidays.”
Maybe you meal prep for a week or join a gym. You start feeling motivated and strong, but then life happens: Work stress. Missed sleep. No energy. The initial enthusiasm drops. And before long, motivation and willpower are no longer enough to keep you going.
Who else has been there? I am guilty of saying these phrases when trying to get my health on track and lose weight. You want to change. You even know where you want to end up. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: good intentions alone are not good enough.
Motivation won’t save you.
The problem comes when motivation fades, or when will-power leads to burnout. Now, you’re left to rely on discipline which can feel restrictive.
I’ve lost weight before by pushing myself through a strong willpower and discipline, but I burnt out. Once the momentum dropped, I gained more weight than before in half the time it took to lose it.
That’s when I came to the conclusion that I need to do something that can work even on my hardest, busiest, and low-energy days. Especially, during my luteal phase. Those are the days when nothing goes right and simply getting through the day feels like a marathon race while carrying an elephant on your back.
And so, that’s when I changed my approach. I opened myself up to thinking in a way my grandparents and great grandparents did before me. I started to think holistically about my goals. When thinking holistically, you build habits and routines, “systems”, that support you, day in and day out.
Justin Sung’s YouTube video, “How to build systems to actually achieve your goals,” provides a really good visual approach to this strategy.
Picture this:
You tell yourself, “I’m going to start eating healthy this week?”
But midweek, you’re tired, the fridge’s empty, dinner feels overwhelming. The goal of “eating healthy” doesn’t give you the blueprint on how to achieve this goal on a day where your energy is low and your brain doesn’t want to think anymore. So then, you slip. Giving yourself an excuse to give up and go for whatever is fast and easy.
The lack of not having a system in place for the goal in mind, results in having to restart every time you fall off. That can get exhausting.
What does it mean to think holistically about your wellness goals?
Thinking holistically means zooming out and looking at the bigger picture of the goal, while asking:
What barriers might I face in achieving [said goal]?
On my worst day, how will I still keep going?
Rather than, pushing harder or hustling more, think about using your time and energy in a way that feels sustainable, kind, and realistic. Focus on creating supportive systems, routines, and habits that make progress possible even on your worst days.
Set yourself up for peace of mind.
Health is more than just the gym or what you eat. It’s sleep. Stress. Mindset. Environment. Community. If any one of those is off, your system can break.
Thinking holistically about your health could look:
- Paying attention to your quality of sleep: if you’re sleeping only 5-6 hours a night, workouts feel harder, cravings spike.
- Stress management: a busy job or emotional stress can lead you to skip healthy meals or reach for comfort food.
- Environmental support: is the kitchen full of quick-grab healthy or unhealthy snacks? Is there space to move around in your home, or is there clutter?
Think about how you can shape your environment so success feels easier. Do you need more rest, encouragement, or work-life balance? Maybe you keep healthy snacks within reach or you set out your workout clothes the night before.
The goal here is to set yourself up for success with supportive routines, spaces, and systems that work for you and not depend on willpower alone.
When you think holistically, you set yourself up for ease. not burnout and disappointment.
Create your “Bare Minimum Routine”
Your bare minimum routine is the non-negotiable action you can do even on the toughest days. It’s not fancy or impressive, but it’s the lifeline that keeps you moving forward toward your goals when life feels tough.
The beauty of this method is that it works both ways: on your hardest days, your bare minimum routine will still carry you forward. On your best days, it will naturally expand into something more. It’s a win-win scenario.
Read more how Habit Stacking can help you build a bare minimum routine here.
3 Steps to building a bare minimum routine:
1. Identify barriers.
Nonetheless, let us get honest and understand what can get in the way from finding success: Is it lack of time, low energy, cravings, or even self-doubt? Write these barriers down without judgment. Naming them takes away their power and helps you plan around them.
Example: I want to be more flexible.
What is stopping me from becoming more flexible?
My barriers could be that it hurts, it’s boring, I forget, I don’t have time, I’m not flexible enough, I don’t have space to stretch, etc.
Remember to be honest and compassionate with yourself here. Meet yourself where you are today and not where you wish you were. Bodies change, it’s okay.
2. Problem-solve creatively.
Now that you know your barriers, design routines that still work when life gets messy. The goal here is to reduce friction. Make your routine so simple that it gives you no reason for an excuse. Then, on days when you have more energy or fewer distractions, you can naturally build upon your simple routine.
Example: I want to be more flexible.
At minimum I will stretch for 5 minutes while watching TV. If I feel more energized, then I’ll expand into a longer workout.
This way, you always stay nourished, whether you’re at your lowest energy or feeling more motivated.
3. Replace temporary solutions with lasting ones.
Finally, lets begin to move away from “quick-fix” solutions. You know, like, “I’ll just skip dinner since I can’t make it to the gym.” The good intention is there, but is there something you can still do consistently that will support your workout goal? Start with something small like, “I’ll eat some soup and stretch on days I can’t make it to the gym.” And let it grow as you gain momentum.
Example: I want to be more flexible.
At minimum I will stretch my hamstrings for 5 minutes while watching TV. If I feel more energized, then I’ll expand to stretching my hips for another 5 minutes. So on and so on.
Over time, this approach keeps you consistent and helps you move steadily toward your goals—without burning out. This is an evolving approach that is meant to grow with you and your goals.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when building your bare minimum routine:
- Adjust and adapt when something doesn’t work. Progress is trial and error.
- Discomfort from change is temporary. Discomfort from staying the same lasts much longer.
- Learn your own patterns. The more you understand yourself, the easier it becomes to design systems that work.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, I’m just someone trying to figure it out as I go. Again, I accidently started doing this strategy due to the fact that trends never worked for me before and I wanted to do something that will last me into the future. My grandfather lived to 100, my great-grandfather lived to 99. There has to be some merit to this lifestyle-madness that now we call “holistic thinking”.
This is what I’ve been learning: goals might spark your excitement, but it’s the systems that carry you there. When you start thinking holistically and adding habits into your lifestyle, slowly and mindfully, you get to, “peal-off the Band-Aids”, as some will say, and you start creating a rhythm that actually feels good to you.
Remember you don’t need to do everything all at once. Success, comes from consistently showing up in ways that feel possible. Over time, those small choices become the foundation of what is meant to last. So the next time you hear yourself say, “I’ll start on Monday,” pause. Take a breath. Zoom out and ask: What’s one system I can build today that my future self will thank me for?
I’d love to hear from you: what does your bare minimum routine look like? Share your ideas in the comments so we can inspire each other to keep going, one small step at a time.