You don’t have to be superhuman to create meaningful, healthy change in your life. Build healthy habits one step at a time!
When it comes to healthy behaviors like exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep, it seems like some people manage to do it effortlessly. You may wonder – are they just naturally motivated? Do they have more willpower than I do? What’s their secret?
Oftentimes, it comes down to having good habits. When you build good habits through consistency, it enables you to repeat the action over and over without as much difficulty.
Building these habits takes effort, but the rewards are great. Learn more about the importance of habits and check out some strategies for creating good habits and eliminating some bad ones.
The Importance of Habits
What if healthy habits like exercising, meditating, and reducing your sugar intake don’t seem to come naturally to you? What if you’re stuck in some bad habits, like eating junk food or scrolling on your phone for hours?
Experts say it isn’t that some people are superhuman and some aren’t. Instead, it comes down to habits. When you form habits, you eliminate temptation from the equation. For example, instead of “choosing” to exercise each day when you wake up, when it’s a habit, you don’t even have to think about it. Your “autopilot” takes over, and you get it done. It becomes as much a part of your day as brushing your teeth or driving to work.
Tips for Building Healthy Habits
What does it take to build a new habit? How do you make drinking more water or going to bed earlier into a habit? How do you eliminate your habit of having a beer every night after work? Check out these tips for building good habits based on suggestions from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association:
- Set specific goals: Many of us have tried telling ourselves things like, “I need to eat better” or “I will start exercising more,” but without specifics, these goals probably won’t work. Ask yourself: What am I going to start doing? How often? How will I achieve it? Change “exercise more” to “I’ll take a 15-minute walk five days a week.” Even better would be, “I’ll take a 15-minute walk right after dinner Monday through Friday.” These specifics eliminate the guesswork and make it harder to put it off.
- Make it fun: A habit is easier to build if you get some enjoyment out of it. For example, if you are miserable when you run, it may not be the best habit to form. Instead, your exercise plan could include Zumba with a friend or rollerblading with your kids. If you enjoy happy hours with your coworkers but want to stop the habit, switch to smoothie hours or walking meetups instead. You’ll still get to enjoy the time together, but you’ll be creating a new, healthier habit instead.
- Avoid cues: When you recognize certain cues associated with your bad habits, you can try to disrupt them. For example, is there a certain fast-food restaurant you always stop by on your way home from work? If so, drive a different way home. Do you grab a snack or a glass of wine every time you turn on the TV? If so, keep a healthy snack or drink in your refrigerator as an alternative when you’re watching TV.
- Be flexible: Yes, habits are about consistency, but if you’re too rigid, it may backfire. For example, if your workouts are supposed to be at 7 a.m. every day, but something throws you off, try a workout after dinner instead. Don’t abandon a goal just because you get off track once in a while.
- Treat yourself with kindness: If a friend told you they skipped their morning workout or had an entire bag of chips before bed, would you call them a failure? Would you say their progress has been ruined? No, you’d be reassuring and kind. You’d remind them that it’s OK to slip up. Do the same for yourself.
- Brace yourself for discomfort: Changing your habits takes effort. Bad habits are hard to break, especially when your brain’s reward system encourages you to keep doing the bad behavior. When you’re still forming a new habit, it can be hard to keep going while you wait for the new behavior to become second nature. Give yourself time, and remember that it will get easier.
- Consider the “why” behind your habits: This works for both good and bad habits. If you have habits you’re trying to break, stop to ask yourself why the habit exists. Why do you binge eat when you’re watching TV? Why do you stay up late scrolling on your phone when you should be asleep? If you can get to the reason why, you may have a better understanding of how to stop. In the same way, having a “why” behind a good habit can be motivating. Do you want to exercise more so you can be there for your kids and grandkids? Do you want to meditate at night so you can be more productive and focused at work?
- Celebrate your wins: As new habits are forming, take time to celebrate. If you’re walking more, save up for a new pair of shoes. If you’re drinking more water, buy a new water bottle to keep you motivated.
- Get support: Let people know what you’re doing and get their support. Seek out a running group if you’re trying to start. Find a friend who wants to give up happy hours on Friday and do something else together. Ask your partner to help you prioritize your new meditation habit. In addition, the American Heart Association created the Habit Coach, an online space full of videos, tips, and stories so that you can feel less alone as you try to change your habits.
You don’t have to be superhuman to create meaningful, healthy change in your life. Build healthy habits one step at a time!