Do you want to live an unparalleled life? Then answer these two questions. What are you most grateful for? What do you love to do more than anything else in the world?

If you want to transform the life you have today into the one you dream about, these two healthy lifestyle habits are the cornerstone of change.

My three favorite ski partners are my mother, sister, and my buddy Lynn. Unfortunately, I don’t get to ski with mom and sis as often as I would like since they live back in the Midwest. However, Lynn and I get to spend a lot of time finding stashes of the fluffy white stuff on the world-class mountains of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. At the end of a day with Lynn, my legs are wobbly, my ribs hurt from laughing, and my cheeks are sore from smiling.

Waking yesterday to find another 6 inches of that fluffy white stuff in my driveway, part of me was smiling at the anticipation of a powder day with Lynn. The other part of me was tired and stressed by the prospect of shoveling once again.

Tahoe has already received more than 600 inches this season, big even in a community where it’s commonplace to measure storm snow in feet versus inches. The record-setting snow is great for skiing, but treacherous roads and endless shoveling have added extra stresses to life.

The now 55-minute drive from home to Squaw confirmed the info on my iPhone, high winds and steadily falling snow would likely impede lift operations, and my powder dreams were starting to slip away.

Walking my skis over to the KT lift line to stake my place in line an hour before the lift is scheduled to open is a powder day necessity if you want first tracks. The fierce winds and blinding snow gave me an ice cream headache. As I was beginning to question my sanity, there was Lynn with a wide toothy grin, pointing to her skis to let me know that we were close to the front of the line.

For the next two hours, we giggled like teenagers as conversation bounced like a pinball from husbands to skiing and life in general, waiting as patiently as kids on Christmas morning for our ride to the top to unlock the mountains of untouched powder.

Our hopes were dashed when ski patrol announced the lift was close for the day.

What does my abbreviated ski day have to do with healthy lifestyle habits?

Healthy Habit #1 Attitude of Gratitude

Most of us, including me at times, don’t appreciate our blessed lives. It’s often easier to look at the things missing from life versus what we have.

It would have been easy to focus on the nasty roads, the blowing snow, or the frosty temps. Instead, we focused on being in the fresh air and enjoying our time together.

The next day, the skies were blue, the sun was shining, and the mountain finally opened. What should have been an unparalleled powder morning for all who were fortunate enough to be there was filled with complaining; the ski patrol was hogging the fresh snow, the lifts weren’t opening fast enough, the lines were too long, blah blah blah.

It pained me to think that despite this glorious day and amazing conditions, there was a myriad of people who couldn’t count their blessings and enjoy the day. How sad.

If you really want to be happier, do this to develop a healthy lifestyle habit #1

Get a notebook, and each morning, before you do anything else, jot down five things for which you are most grateful. Do it every day for two weeks. One caveat, you can’t put the same thing on the list twice.

At the end of two weeks, there will be 70 different things! When you get down or feel like complaining about your life, review your list.

Healthy Habit #2 Have Fun

Have you ever heard a young baby belly laugh? It’s an amazingly pleasing sound that softens almost every heart. That little one is focused completely on the fun at that moment. When is the last time you had a belly laugh?

Have you ever watched children play? They fall, perhaps skin a knee and shed a few alligator tears. Five minutes later, the tears and knee are a memory as they start playing again. Kids don’t let the small stuff ruin their entire day.

If you really want to transform your life, try this to develop a healthy lifestyle habit #2

When was the last time you had fun? What were you doing? Please write it down in your notebook. Now make a plan to do it. Make a plan to do something fun every day.

We have the power to change our minds and our habits. If you start each day with an attitude of gratitude and then have a little fun, you may be surprised at how quickly your life begins to change for the better.

What makes you grateful, or what do you do to have fun? Post in the comments down below.

Just in case you find it hard to have fun, check out this video and see if it brings a smile to your face.

 

 

 

 

 

CJ Johnson’s Fitness Transformation Blog
Train Smart · Live Bold · Age Well

Email: CJ@agewellwithcj.com
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