5 Hacks To Conquer Healthy Habits (For Life)

“My resolution is to….lose weight…exercise more… improve my cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure…. eat better.”

Haven’t we all made a similar resolution at the beginning of the week/month/year only to feel like a failure a month later because the health kick only lasted for one day/week/month?

There is a reason that there is a joke about the gyms being full in January and empty in February. The feeling of failure and shame that follows a failed resolution keeps some people from even trying.

Habits (and people) are a little more complicated than just making a resolution, but a little understanding of ourselves and our brain can help make healthy habits stick.

HABITS

Habits are the brain’s shortcut for knowing what actions to take day by day, minute by minute without having to think about it.

Imagine how much time and energy it would take your brain if it had to make every decision over and over again each day. Sounds like a plot from the movie “50 First Dates”.

Forty to fifty percent of what we do in a day are automatic habits, and our brain is trained to take action without even thinking about it.

Some habits help us and some habits don’t. If you are resolving to make new habits then you are wanting habits that help you become someone else or have different results than your current habit – a healthy person, a fit person, or perhaps a non-smoker.

Unfortunately the intention to do something new (“I will exercise 3 times a week”) lies in a different part of the brain than the old habit (“After dinner I sit on the couch and watch TV.”). The programming for the old habit will always be there, but we can train the brain to make a new habit.

STEP ONE: Start SMART and Small.

Small steps that feel easy help people move forward and gain confidence. Becoming vegan overnight is not likely to last, but taking a step in that direction helps us learn new skills in a way that keeps the brain from feeling overwhelmed.

Also, it helps to make the new step clearer than saying “I will get healthier” or ‘I will lose weight”. SMART goals 1) state the specific action that will be taken, 2) tell how it will be measured, 3) make us pick something that is attainable and realistic, and 4) says when we will review our progress.

An example of a SMART goal would be: “I will exercise 3 times a week for 20 minutes for the next 2 weeks. My book, “Wellness is More Than Weight” goes into more detail on SMART goals (https://knowaboutnutrition.com/books/)

STEP TWO: Cue it Up

Like other animals we are wired to find the things (cues) in our environment that will help us survive – food, water, a mate. We see a candy bar and all of a sudden we want a candy bar.

It helps to make what we want to do more obvious (put workout clothes at the door where we walk in from work, have a water bottle at our desk, or have a bowl of fruit near the refrigerator) and hide what we don’t want to do (put the chips where we can’t see them).

People who were thought to have more self-control were actually just better at avoiding tempting situations.

If you already have a consistent habit, you can make that the cue for a new habit. For example, “When I go to the refrigerator for a snack, I will drink a glass of water.”

STEP THREE: WANT power

Make it desirable. We mostly desire what will give us a surge of dopamine, the pleasure chemical made in the brain.

We see something (a cue) and we anticipate the hit of dopamine it will give us. TV, video games, junk food, and social contact are all situations that give us a surge of dopamine. But not all of these desires are healthy if overused.

Pairing the want with a need helps make a habit more desirable. For example, only watch a favorite TV show while exercising or finding a friend who is doing the habit we want and joining them.

Understanding why we DON’T want the old habit, and why we DO want the new habit is helpful. “I have to exercise” can be replaced by “I get to exercise, and I always feel good afterward.”

STEP FOUR: Make it Easy

Repeating a habit leads to physical changes in the brain such that a repeated action will eventually become automatic.

Author James Clear suggests starting with a two-minute habit to make it as easy as possible to get started. Two minutes might involve just tying your athletic shoes or finding one new recipe.

Remember the old habit is still programmed in the brain, so continue to make it hard for the old habit to take place. The ice cream that requires a trip to the store instead of a trip to the refrigerator isn’t likely to be eaten.

STEP FIVE: Reward yourself

To get a habit to stick it helps if a person can feel immediately successful.

Rewards can include a Fitbit showing fireworks for a completed goal or placing a checkmark on a calendar when an exercise routine is completed. These can give us a surge of pride.Notice how good it feels to eat a salad or how much strength has been gained from regular exercise.

On the other hand, one can notice the effects of bad habits – an aching belly because of too much junk food or fatigue due to lack of exercise. This awareness is helpful in avoiding these undesireable habits.

CONCLUSION

To conquer healthy habits for life it is important to focus on progress, not perfection.

A lapse in eating or exercising doesn’t mean that healthy eating and activity need to be thrown out the window. A lapse is a great learning opportunity and a chance to get back to healthy habits again. A lapse is a chance to again ask the question “Who do I want to be? ”.

For some people an accountability partner is key. This is not a sign of weakness, but a proven way to maintain healthy habits.

Be gentle with yourself. Habits are not changed overnight, but a little understanding will mean those habits can last longer than a month and indeed become a habit for life.