How I Use Happiful to Support My Health and Fitness
When I designed the Happiful system, I built it to be practical and customizable. Everyone has different priorities, and you can use Happiful to help you achieve goals in any part of your life. Health and fitness have always been a high priority for me, so I use Happiful’s tools and principles every single day to make sure my actions line up with my long-term Vision.
One of My Values
Fitness is one of my core Values, and every morning, I recite my Values out loud. This keeps them top of mind and makes me mindful that my daily choices should reflect what matters most. I’m also programming my subconscious mind to know that fitness is important to me.
The Power of Affirmations
I also use Affirmations every day to program my mindset. One of mine is:
“I am a disciplined athlete in fantastic shape. I love working out every day. I eat only when hungry, I eat only healthy food, and I stop when 80% full.”
Repeating this out loud every day strengthens my identity as a healthy, disciplined person. It also guides my daily decisions. If I’m tempted to skip a planned workout, I motivate myself with “I love working out every day.” Pretty hard to skip a workout after that! If I’m tempted to get something to eat out of boredom, I remind myself “I eat only when hungry,” and that helps me refrain from unnecessary snacking. When faced with a restaurant menu, I remind myself “I eat only healthy food,” and it helps me to order the salad instead of fries.
Anchoring in My Vision
My written Vision paints the picture of where I’m headed:
“I am completely healthy, full of energy, feel great, and am in fantastic shape. My body is lean and muscular. Each day, I enjoy some form of exercise: walking, hiking, running, biking, lifting weights, rowing machine, Peloton bike, playing tennis or pickleball, or skiing. I take input-free wakeup walks and do breathwork and meditate every day. I’m calm and relaxed and easily get a great night’s sleep every night.”
Reviewing that Vision every day is highly motivating to me, and programs my subconscious mind to help me get there. It doesn’t just describe the outcomes I want; it describes the daily actions I will live to achieve that Vision.
Goals That Keep Me Focused
I break my Vision into measurable Goals.
1-Year Goals: under 13% body fat, muscle quality > 92, 26-week average VO2 Max > 47, and a 100-lb bench press for 10 reps.
5-Year Goals (age 69): under 14% body fat, run 5 miles in under 9 minutes per mile, VO2 Max > 45, and maintain the 100-lb bench press for 10 reps.
These may not be the complete, perfect fitness goals, but they give me something specific and achievable to shoot for. They keep me accountable and let me track progress in a concrete way.
The Ideal Day Checklist (IDC)
Pre-commitment is powerful. My Ideal Day Checklist includes:
Stretching
Checking and recording body metrics
Breathwork and meditation
Tracking my sets of upper body, lower body, and core strength work
At least 30 minutes of Level 2+ cardio
Eating only healthy food
Planning my food and exercise for the next day
My printed Ideal Day Checklist sits on my desk, and when I check off those items each day, I know I’m living in alignment with my Values and Vision.
The Happiful Planner
Each evening, I write down my planned exercise for the next day and schedule when it will happen. By making a specific plan in advance, I eliminate decision fatigue and excuses. When the time comes, all I need to do is follow the plan I already committed to.
Closing Thought
Health and fitness will not happen by accident; they will only happen by design. By weaving Values, Affirmations, a clear Vision, measurable Goals, daily Pre-commitments via the Ideal Day Checklist, and scheduled actions into my routine, I know I’m setting myself up not just for today’s workout, but for the energy, strength, and longevity I want for the rest of my life.
