Another healthy tip courtesy of Steve Levinson, Ph.D.

Here’s my tip for getting one giant step closer to a healthier lifestyle:

Remember that your good intentions won’t make you healthier unless you follow through on them. The problem is, following through is a whole lot easier said than done. That’s because the human mind, despite its awesome capabilities, does a decidedly lousy job of seeing to it that our good intentions actually drive our behavior. In case you haven’t noticed, the “good” reasons we have for getting healthier often fail to keep us motivated to actually do what we truly intend to do.

Here’s a trick you can use to follow through. Deliberately create a powerful personal reason to follow through – a reason you can FEEL in your gut and that keeps pushing you hard to actually do what you intend to do. My favorite example is deciding to keep your one and only stick of underarm deodorant in your locker at the gym so that you’ll stick with your intention to exercise regularly. Imagine what a difference it would make if you actually felt like you absolutely had to go to the gym every day!

Steve Levinson, Ph.D., President, Behavioral Dynamics, Inc., clinical psychologist, author (Following Through) and inventor who specializes in helping people follow through on their own good intentions.