The Ultimate

HABIT
CHECKLIST
& Mini Guide

Laurence Desmaris Wholesome Living Wellness Coaching-

wholesomelwc@gmail.com 303-618-2983
 The Ultimate
HABIT CHECKLIST
& Mini Guide
Thank you for downloading your Ultimate Habit
Checklist & Mini Guide!
 
Whether you’re trying to create brand-new
healthy habits ... or are getting back on-track
with old ones, this ebook has you covered.
 
With the right approach, creating new habits
that last a lifetime can be so much easier than
you’ve ever imagined!
 
That’s because habits actually have a lot less to
do with willpower and motivation than you
might think.
 
It’s all about finding the path of least resistance
and linking your goals to something meaningful
to YOU.

I'll walk you through the whole process step-by-

step in the pages below.
 
We'll also take a mini dive into the power of
habits – and how to use science to custom
design your habits, one step at a time!
 
Be sure to keep an eye on your email inbox,
because we’ll be sharing even more research-
backed habit strategies to help you level up
your life!

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 Surprising Fact:

As many as 45% of the

things you do each day are

ROUTINES
done out of HABIT –

& Habits
without you even giving
much thought to it!

From the minute you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at night, you operate
out of habit.
 
That doesn’t mean you’re acting mindlessly, but it does mean you’ve already created many
go-to routines that have become ingrained in your daily life.
 
And that’s EXCELLENT news … because we’re going to tap into the power of those existing
routines to help you move closer towards your goals every day!
 
Routines happen so automatically that you might not even think about them as “routines.”
 
For example, maybe you take a vitamin at breakfast … floss your teeth before you brush
them … make your bed as soon as you get up … or grab a workout on the way home
from work.
 
Our goal with this mini guide is to help you seamlessly blend new healthy habits into your
existing routines, so they become part of your daily 45%.
 
We’re not interested in short-term fixes … we’re all about creating lifelong change that lasts!

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Use This Guide
HOW TO
This is more than just a guide. You can use this as a workbook to write your goals and
habits down as we go along. Simply repeat this process any time you want to integrate
a new habit into your life! 
 

Five Simple Steps to New Habits

 
"Ask yourself: What would this look like if it were easy?” – Tim Ferris
 
This proven, easy-to-follow process will have you conquering your goals faster than
you can imagine!
 
Step 1: What’s Your Ultimate Goal?
 
What do YOU want to achieve – what is your goal? It could be anything!

Ultimate Goals Examples:

1.  Run a 5K without stopping in the

next 90 days
2. Lose 30 pounds within 6 months
3. Reduce stress levels by 50%
within 30 days (and keep it low)
4. Save $1,000 in the next 12 months

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

How to Set SMART Goals: (a quick overview)

 
One of the most time-tested ways to help design great goals is to use the SMART
philosophy. Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-
Bound.
 
SPECIFIC: Nail down exactly what you want to achieve. “I want to be able to do 10
pushups with perfect form within 60 days” is better than “I want to be able to do push-
ups.”
 
MEASURABLE: You should be able to know exactly WHEN you’ve met your goal.
Example: “I want to be able to run a mile without stopping” is better than “I want to get
into better cardio shape.”
 
ATTAINABLE: Your goal should be within the realm of possibility. “I want to lose 50
pounds this month” is not realistic, but “I want to lose 10 pounds this month” might be.
 
RELEVANT: Your goal should have meaning for YOU and align with your abilities and
interests. For instance, if you dislike running, setting a goal of running a marathon
wouldn’t be motivating. But if you enjoy swimming, setting a goal to swim 3 times a
week for 30 minute sessions would be a good start.
 
TIME-BOUND: You should set a deadline or end date for your goal. Samples: “I will do
30 strength training workouts during the next 90 days.” Or “I will run a mile non-stop
within the next 30 days.” Or “I will lose 5 pounds by July 1.”

What is your #1 Goal?

Write it here:

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

Step 2: WHY do you want to achieve this goal?

 
Take some time to think about exactly WHY this goal matters to you.
 
What’s so important about it? What does achieving it MEAN to you? How will you feel
once you've achieved your goal? How will it change your life?
 
Will reaching your goal change how you feel about yourself? Will it affect the energy
you bring to your work or relationships? Will you feel more confident, healthier,
stronger?  Go deep on this one!
 
Writing this down will unlock powerful feelings that will help push you past any
resistance that your “body” may give you along the way.

I want to reach
this goal because:

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

Step 3: Choose ONE NEW HABIT to

help you achieve your ultimate goal.
 
Depending on your goal, you might come up with a huge list of "ALL THE THINGS" you
need to do to make your goal a reality.
 
But for right now, we’re just going to focus on ONE ... and we're going to turn that ONE
into a new habit!
 
In fact, one of the strategies that has been very successful for our clients is to simply
integrate ONE new habit every month. Imagine doing this in your own life ... if you
simply created one new habit every month for a year, you’ll have installed 12 healthy
new habits. How incredible is that?! Let’s break it down with some examples:
 
#1. Goal: Run a 5K without stopping in the next 90 days.
 
Your Habit: The FIRST thing you’ll need to do isn’t going out to buy new running shoes.
It’s blocking off time in your schedule … and then RUNNING during that time! For
example: new habit could be running for 30 minutes, 4 days per week (and you’ve
cleared your schedule to make it happen).

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

#2. Goal: Lose 30 pounds within 6 months.

 
Your Habit: The very first thing you need to do to lose weight is NOT cutting out entire
food groups or going on a crazy yo-yo diet. Instead, your first step may be to eat
portion-controlled meals that put you on-track for steady weight loss.

It could also be as simple as swapping out those 2 sodas you drink every day for water
instead! Choose whatever habit is the best for YOU.
 
#3. Goal: Reduce stress levels by 50% in 60 days (and keep it low).
 
Your Habit: You can’t avoid all of the stress in your life, but you can come up with
healthy ways to reduce its impact on you. Meditation is a proven method! Your first
habit could be to block off 10 minutes everyday to meditate (you can do it in one sitting,
or break it into two 5-minute chunks.)
 
#4. Goal: Save $1,000 in the next 12 months.
 
Your Habit: Simple! Your new habit is to transfer $19.23 from your bank account into a
separate savings account every week over the next 12 months.

What is your ONE

new target habit?

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

Step 4: How can you make your new

habit as EASY AS POSSIBLE?
 
This is all about setting yourself up for success by creating an environment that
supports your new habit.
 
Here are a few examples of the Success Steps you can take for each goal:
 
#1. Goal: Run a 5K without stopping in the next 90 days.
 
Your Success Step: It could be laying out your workout clothes and having your running
shoes by the door so you can quickly gear up for your run first thing in the morning – or
packing your gym bag and putting it in the car.
 
#2. Goal: Lose 30 pounds within 6 months.
 
Your Success Step: Since the one habit from above was to use portion control, maybe
you’re committing to using a smaller plate for your meals at home. If you’re out to eat,
maybe you ask for a to-go box when you order, so you can put half of the meal in your
to-go container when your meal arrives (to avoid temptation).

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

#3. Goal: Reduce stress levels by 50% in 60 days (and keep it low).
 
Your Success Step: If meditation is your new habit, you can try downloading an app that
helps you learn breathing techniques or takes you through a guided meditation. Check
out Breathe, Calm, or Headspace.
 
#4. Goal: Save $1,000 in the next 12 months.
 
Setting up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account
takes the manual effort out of saving money.
 
If you do this, you won't even have to remember about transferring the money each
week – the technology takes care of it for you.

What will make

your new habit as
easy as possible?

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

Step 5: Be prepared for slip-ups.

 
This is a BIG ONE. In fact, it might be the second most important step of your new
journey! (The first is getting started.)
 
You must have a plan AHEAD OF TIME for exactly how you will get back on-track if
(and when) you miss a day or two of working out, meditating, or you don’t follow your
eating plan.
 
The fact is, the path to your goal will be filled with ups and downs. It’s how you handle
the “downs” that will make all the difference.
 
Don’t make it a big deal or beat yourself up if you slip off track.
 
Just pick it back up RIGHT AWAY. Not TOMORROW. Today.

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

For example, if you slip off your plan and overindulge at lunch ... that doesn’t mean you
might as well have whatever you want for dinner, and then start again "tomorrow."

Make sure your VERY next meal is back on track with your plan.
 

These are five things that I do when I fall off track:

1. I remind myself of my WHY and the reason this goal is so

important to me in the first place.
2. I acknowledge what happened, and ask myself (without
judgment): “What’s the real reason I slipped up?” Was it too
demanding, did I set unrealistic expectations, was my routine off,
or was it something else?
3. I ask myself: “What can I learn from this situation?” 
4. Then, I put new boundaries in place so I can do a better job of
setting myself up for success going forward.
5. I work hard to get back on track RIGHT AWAY. I don’t wait until
“tomorrow.”

"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

- Abraham Lincoln

How I will get

back on track ...

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 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO NEW HABITS

Bonus Step 6: Reward yourself!

 
Beyond the actual reward of achieving your goal, how will you celebrate your
accomplishment!?
 
Adding a fun element like a reward for reaching your goal can make the process even
more exciting.
 
Will you get a new pair of training shoes or new workout gear? New jeans or an entire
outfit? Or maybe you will treat yourself to a massage or spa day!

A few powerful tips:

1. Make sure the reward is healthy and

aligned with your goals – for example,
if you’ve set a nutrition goal, rewarding
yourself with cake or ice cream sends
a mixed message to your
subconscious.
2. Remember you are in this for the long
haul! Your reward is not a finish line –
it’s simply a positive
acknowledgement of your progress.
3. Set boundaries for yourself outlining
exactly how (and when) you earn the
reward … and stick with them!

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 to Massive Change
STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS
Have you ever gone into full “beast mode” and tried to switch up your entire lifestyle
overnight?
 
This works for some people (rarely!) … but for most of us, it’s not realistic or sustainable.
 
We end up beating ourselves up for a lack of discipline or motivation. The reality is
though, that it has more to do with our automatic habits and routines (that 45%) that
ends up derailing our success.
 
Setting yourself up to succeed is EVERYTHING! That’s why we recommend layering in just
a single new habit every month.

Layering is a time-tested, researched-backed strategy. In fact, there's even a name for it ...
it's called habit stacking.

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HABIT
Stacking 101
Do you remember those existing routines and habits I
was talking about earlier?
 
Well you can actually integrate your new habits into
your existing routine so that they become automatic,
also!
 
This process is outlined in the book Atomic Habits by
James Clear.

An example of an EXISTING routine:

Do you wake up in the morning, drink a
glass of water, and then take a shower?

Here’s how to HABIT STACK that routine:

As soon as you’re done with your shower,
you meditate for 10 minutes. So your NEW
routine is: wake up, drink water, shower,
and then meditate!

Another example would be to add running to your “get-home-from-work” routine. As

soon as you get home, you could change your clothes and head outside for your run.
 
If you want to develop a NEW habit of planning your meals, stack it on top of your
“cleaning the kitchen” routine each night.
 
See how that works!?

Every time I I will

(behavior prompt) (new habit)

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 to Create a Habit?
HOW LONG DOES IT REALLY TAKE

There’s no one “right” answer when it comes to how long it takes to create a habit.

A famous study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it
can take between 18 and 254 days, depending on the person and the habit they are
trying to create.

But ... there is ONE factor that seems to shorten the amount of
time it takes for a behavior to become automatic – and that’s
getting in more repetitions!

Example: Let’s say you decide to begin meditating. If you commit to meditating 5 or 6
times a week, it likely will become a habit faster than if you meditate just 2 to 3 times a
week.
 
Basically, what this all boils down to is that it’s not necessarily an amount of TIME that it
takes to create the habit ... rather it’s the NUMBER of times you perform the action.
 
Just keep that in mind as you’re planning out your habits and goals!

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MONTHLY
Habit Tracker
HABIT HABIT

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30

Goal Goal

Reward Reward

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MONTHLY
Habit Tracker
HABIT HABIT

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30

Goal Goal

Reward Reward

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 for a Healthy Lifestyle
HEALTHY HABITS

Kickstart  your healthy Habits with my 7

day Metabolism Jumpstart program

This program isn't about starving your body,

fasting, juicing, eating strange foods or taking
lots of supplements. Instead, it's about giving
your body exactly what it needs to naturally
produce energy. And in this program, you'll also
let go of what doesn't serve your body
(emotionally and physically) and reclaim your
power!

https://ldesmaris1.wixsite.com/metabolism-jumpstart

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