How to Make Healthy Lifestyle Routines Stick in Midlife

Have you ever started a new healthy routine—walking more, eating better, or getting to bed earlier—only to feel like the motivation evaporates after a couple of weeks? You’re not alone. Many women struggle with staying consistent, especially during midlife, when hormonal changes, busy schedules, and life’s many responsibilities make it feel impossible to keep new habits.

The good news? Staying consistent isn’t about willpower or motivation—it’s about building systems and routines that work for your life, your body, and your long-term goals.

In this post, I’m sharing 12 science-backed tips to help women in perimenopause and postmenopause finally make healthy lifestyle routines stick—and build habits that support longevity, energy, and confidence.

Watch the full video on YouTube to hear me walk through each tip and give practical examples for your daily routine: [Watch Here →]

The Gen X / Midlife Perspective

As Gen Xers, we grew up in diet-culture thinking. If your health has been defined by drinking Diet Coke, 1,200-calorie “plans,” sugar-free bars, grazing on multiple small snacks instead of meals, “earning food” with exercise, or simply trying to be skinny, it’s time to shift gears.

Statistics show that women in the U.S. are now living to an average age of 81—10 years longer than when our parents were born. The leading cause of death for women is heart disease, a disease that’s preventable 80% of the time.

Outdated diet trends do not support sustainable habits for preventing heart disease or building strong bodies that allow independent living well into our 70s and 80s. We’ve always been an independent generation, and I don’t see us wanting to slow down as we age!

Midlife can be challenging due to the “double whammy” of hormonal changes and juggling a million responsibilities—work, helping older kids, caring for aging parents, and more. These pressures often push us right back into the exhausting “all-or-nothing” mindset that drains energy and leaves us feeling overwhelmed.

But being consistent isn’t about wanting something badly enough. True consistency comes from setting up your life—your systems—to actually support the kind of life you want to build.

There’s a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology that followed people building new habits. The researchers found it takes, on average, 66 days—not 21—to make a behavior automatic, and some people took over 200 days. Why? Because consistency is built on repetition over time, not motivation. Motivation fades—but well-designed systems keep you going.

12 Tips to Make Healthy Lifestyle Routines Stick

TIP 1: Know Your “Why” & Challenge Old Beliefs

Consistency starts with understanding why you want to change—and questioning the beliefs that have held you back. Stop telling yourself, “I’m not disciplined,” “I always fall off,” or “I can never look as good as Suzie Q.” Beliefs are just stories we tell ourselves, and you have the power to rewrite them.

TIP 2: Build a New Identity

As James Clear says in Atomic Habits, “True behavior change is identity change.”

• Instead of “I want to walk more,” Say, “I’m becoming the kind of woman who moves her body every day.”

• Instead of “I want to eat healthier,” Say, “I’m someone who fuels my hormones and energy.”

Identity drives action. Action creates routines. Routines create results.

TIP 3: Use Tiny, Buildable Habits Instead of Big Overhauls

Big, dramatic changes often fail. Small, achievable habits create momentum.

Instead of saying, “I’ll work out for an hour every day,” try:

• 10-minute workouts

• 3 sets of 1 full-body exercise

Small wins lead to consistency—and consistency leads to results.

TIP 4: Stack New Habits With Current Ones

Attach new habits to things you already do, like:

• After brushing your teeth → practice balance exercises

• After pouring coffee → drink 8 oz of water

• After sitting at your desk → take three deep breaths

Your existing habits become the triggers that make new routines effortless.

TIP 5: Make Your Environment Work for You

Remove negative triggers and add cues that make consistency easy.

• Stop buying junk food if it leads to mindless snacking

• Keep your phone across the room to improve sleep

• Place vitamins near your coffee mugs

Your environment should cheer for your new habits, not sabotage them.

TIP 6: Don’t Stop It, Swap It

Instead of cutting things out completely, make small swaps.

• Replace your regular bread with a higher-fiber, anti-inflammatory option like Carbonaut or Base Culture.

• Same meal, better nutrition, minimal effort.

TIP 7: Reward Consistency, Not Just Outcomes

Celebrate showing up—not just the results. Tracking your effort builds confidence and reinforces habit formation.

TIP 8: Avoid All-or-Nothing Thinking

Flexible routines stick better than rigid ones.

• Missed a workout? Do part of it instead.

• Craving comfort food? Include it while keeping the rest of your meal balanced.

Doing something is better than doing nothing.

TIP 9: “Never Miss Twice” Rule

Clear says, “Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”

Perfection isn’t the goal—consistency over weeks and months is.

TIP 10: Track Your Behavior & Build Accountability

Track sleep, workouts, water, protein, or fiber. Use checkmarks, apps, accountability partners, or a coach. What you track improves.

TIP 11: Keep Your New Habits Quiet at First

Sharing new goals too early can give your brain a false sense of reward, making progress harder to sustain. Build momentum quietly. Let results speak for themselves.

TIP 12: Pursue Longevity, Not Diets, and Aim for 1% Better Every Day

Quick-fix programs promising “lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks” aren’t sustainable. True transformation takes months or years, especially during midlife. Focus on being 1% better today, 1% better tomorrow, and so on.

That’s how routines stick. That’s how you build longevity. That’s how you finally feel like yourself again. Building consistent healthy lifestyle routines is possible, especially when you start small, design supportive systems, and focus on sustainable progress.

Want to see these tips in action? Watch the full video on YouTube where I walk you through each strategy step-by-step: [Watch the Full Video →]