Here is one of the most surprising truths I’ve learned about building habits:
Even your strongest habits are always one rough week away from slipping.
I used to think that once I locked in a habit, that was it. Job done. On to the next.
But recently, I’ve realized something important: habits don’t stay fixed. And even the most well-ingrained ones will fade if you’re not intentional.
When they do start to slip, it can feel like you’re failing — like you’re going backwards.
But here’s the thing: the goal isn’t perfection. You’re human. You’re not infallible. You should actually expect them to slip from time to time.
What matters most is noticing when it’s happening — and then regrouping and recommitting. That’s how you turn one step back into two steps forward.
A Quick Update on My Own Habits
With all that in mind, I want to give you a quick check-in on where I’m at with my foundational health habits.
I haven’t done one of these in a while. Honestly, I stopped because it started to feel a bit self-indulgent. But actually, I think it can be quite useful. These updates show the reality behind the scenes — especially when life throws things at you.
I’ve had some major changes in both my personal and professional life lately. So I think this is a great time to show what it really looks like to keep pushing forward with your habits — even during transition and uncertainty.
So, here’s where I’m at with each of my eight foundational health habits: what’s working, what’s slipping, and where I’m putting my focus next.
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- Alcohol
Status: Solid — 100%
I’m nearly four years sober. I still like to track this daily, and I’ve ticked the box every single day for the last four years. But, for me, alcohol is the rare habit that’s completely locked in. It doesn’t waver — it’s just who I am now. So, no issues here.
- Sleep
Status: Slipping — Needs Focus
Sleep is an interesting one for me at the moment. I got my average up from 6.5 hours to about 7.5 hours a few months ago. But recently, it’s dipped again — closer to 7 hours or just under.
Why? Some of it is just summer light creeping into the bedroom. Some of it is life changes. And actually, a fair bit of it is occasional evening procrastination with my phone or a film. All of these add up and have caused a bit of a dent in arguably my most important foundational health habit.
The biggest thing for me to focus on right now is a solid evening wind-down routine. When I don’t get my 7+ hours, it’s almost always because I went to bed too late.
- Protein
Status: Strong — But Under Pressure
My goal is 150g of protein per day. Normally, I’m solid here. But, I’m currently in a calorie deficit, and when I have to choose between hitting my protein or staying within my calorie target, I prioritise calories.
That said, I still manage to stay around 80% consistency. So while it’s being challenged a bit, protein is holding steady, and it’s just one to keep an eye on for now.
- Caffeine
Status: Strong
My goal is two cups before midday, none after. I find it pretty easy to stick to this. When I don’t, it’s a very intentional decision to break it (and I keep these to no more than six per month to stay over 80% consistency). This one’s really not a struggle.
- Water
Status: Strong
The goal is three litres a day, and I’ve got this one nailed. I’m usually nicely at around 90%+ consistency, and I don’t find it challenging at all.
- Whole Foods
Status: Struggling — Needs Attention
This is still my achilles heel. I do love a sweet treat. I am hovering around 50–60% consistency and still haven’t cracked the code to break through into 70–80%.
The main issue is Fridays and weekends. If I can tighten those up, I’ll see a big improvement. This one is definitely still a work in progress — but I’m chipping away at it and I know I will get there.
- Steps
Status: Slipping — New Constraints
Steps have dropped recently — down to about 60% consistency.
The reason? I’m solo parenting my daughter more often now, and long walks just don’t happen as easily. Funnily enough, she’s not a fan of them — and once I pick her up from school, the window for hitting steps really shrinks.
Where I need to focus is fairly straight-forward. I need to prioritize getting steps in between 9am and 3pm.
- Meditation
Status: New — Off to a Good Start
This is my newest habit. I’m 10 days in and I’ve meditated 6 times, which already puts me at 60% consistency.
I’m enjoying it more than I thought, so I have a good feeling about this. It feels like this could be one of the fastest habits to climb into the 70–80% range — certainly faster than whole foods!
The Bigger Picture: It’s Not Linear
I’ve been tracking these habits on paper for over three years now. At the end of each month, I enter the data into a spreadsheet so I can see patterns over time.
And here’s the big takeaway from looking at that data: Progress is not linear.
You’ll see solid green months where everything’s humming along — and then months where things slip, often due to life events or a slip in focus.
Sleep is the best example of this. I had managed to get it consistently over 80%. However, recently, it has dipped into the 70’s. Steps have also dropped from an albeit shakey 80%, down to 57%.
But you know what? That’s OK. Because this isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness and intentionality.
If a habit slips, the answer isn’t to get bent out of shape and the question isn’t “Why did I fail?”
It’s: “Why did this happen? And what am I going to do about it?”
Here’s the big idea I want to leave you with:
Wherever you find yourself, just push for as much green on the board as you can.
You’re going to slip, that’s entirely normal. I’m slipping on one or two habits at any given time, as you’ve seen
What matters is noticing, regrouping, and recommitting. That’s how you stay intentional and that’s how you keep growing.
Here’s the call to action:
- Write down your own foundational health habits.
Use with the eight I’ve shared: alcohol, sleep, protein, caffeine, water, whole foods, steps, meditation. After a lot of experimentation, I truly believe these are the foundational layer of becoming a healthy, disciplined and capable person.
2. Track them daily.
Keep it simple. No apps, just use a notepad. It;s important to make it visual.
3. Review often.
Check-in multiple times a day. Over a longer time frame, look at what the picture is telling you — and adjust as you go.
If you’re already tracking your habits — well, that’s of course amazing. I would then ask yourself this:
Which 1–2 habits do you think are solid, but actually there are a few early signals that they might need your attention right now? Where could a little more focus bring them back to green?
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