What Does It Take to Build Healthy Habits?
We are all creatures of habit. Our habits literally govern our lives. We wake up at the same time each day, put the same leg first into our pants when getting dressed, brush our teeth, take the same route to commute to work, and follow the same pattern every day. Research shows that around half of our daily actions are driven by repetition.
So why then is it so difficult to form new healthy habits?
I personally have been tripped up with forming new habits and never achieved my ambitious new year resolutions. I would boldly sit and write down what I wanted to achieve for the coming year, and it went something like this. I will get 10 hours of sleep every night, I will go to the gym 7 days a week, I will cut out carbs completely, etc. I did not even make it until the 2nd or 3rd of January, and I had failed, felt it was too hard, and gave up completely only to repeat the same process the next year. This diminished my self-esteem making me feel even worse about myself.
Behavioral scientists who study habit formation agree that many of us try to create healthy habits in the wrong way. Like me, we make bold resolutions to start exercising or losing weight without taking the steps needed to set ourselves up for success.
The neuroscience behind habit formation believes the most effective way to build lasting habits that lead to change is by incremental progress and dedicated commitment. They also believe that the first step towards creating long-term change involves building routines, not habits themselves.
Habits and routines are not interchangeable. A habit is a behavior done with little or no thought, (think of brushing your teeth), whereas a routine is a series of behaviors frequently, and intentionally, repeated, (think of your morning run or meditation that you must intentionally do even if you do not feel like it). To turn a behavior into a habit, it first needs to become a routine. Unlike habits, routines are uncomfortable and require concerted effort, whereas with habits that are already formed, avoiding them would feel bad.
So here are 5 tips to build healthy habits.
1. Start Small:
Big behavioral change requires a high level of motivation that often cannot be sustained. The idea of starting small has been well researched and the experts suggest starting with tiny habits to make the new habit as easy as possible in the beginning. Taking a daily short walk could be the beginning of an exercise habit, or eating an apple a day could lead to a healthier diet.
2. Do it every day:
Habits take a long time to build but form faster when we do them regularly so start small. You are more likely to stick with an exercise habit that you can do without overwhelming you such as a walk around the block. Do that every day, rather than committing to going to the gym three times a week. Once the daily walk around the block becomes a habit, you can explore new, more intense forms of exercise.
3. Stack your habits:
The best way to form a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit. Look for patterns in your day and think about how you can use existing habits to create new, positive ones. The morning routine is often our strongest routine, so that is a great place to stack on a new habit. A morning cup of coffee can create a great opportunity to start a new one-minute meditation practice, or you might choose to do squats whilst you brush your teeth. Remember it is consistency and a little goes a long way. Once it becomes a habit it will motivate you to want to do more.
4. Make it easy:
Clear the obstacles that stand in your way. Some examples might be to take your exercise clothes out the night before or choose an exercise that does not require you to leave the house, such as a YouTube workout. Remove junk food from your pantry so that you are not tempted to eat it. Dr. Wood, the author of the book “Good Habits, Bad Habits”, suggests that we are sensitive to small friction. He demonstrated this in a study. Researchers changed the timing of elevator doors to close so that workers had to wait around 30 seconds for the doors to close as opposed to the normal 10 seconds. The research found that many people found it better to take the stairs than to wait those extra few seconds.
5. Reward Yourself:
Try amalgamating enjoyment with a habit. For example, listen to an audiobook you enjoy whilst going for a walk, watch a Netflix show whilst walking or running on the treadmill, or plan an exercise date so the reward is time with a friend. It is important because we all need immediate rewards and we will not get that from diet or exercise. The reward from our efforts takes a long time to see the results.
Give this a go, however, an important side note is don’t forget to be compassionate with yourself as you embark on this journey. Long-term change does not happen overnight. There will be highs and lows, but you can do it! Use some of these tools to guide you especially when you fall off track. It is not about falling off; it is about how quickly you catch yourself and bring yourself back to your intention and your goal.
Now, go get started 😉
