4 Tips to create healthier habits
An object in motion tends to stay in motion.
Most of us have no problem committing to our training session once we are at the gym, on the road/trail running or walking into our class. However, it’s getting to that point, creating the motion to do the healthy or hard session that we know will benefit us. That’s the part that can be a bit tricky.
If you’re someone who finds themselves frequently running into barriers when it comes to healthy habits, then this article is for you!
Basically, you need to break out of old normal habit patterns which are inhibiting your ability to DO. These old normal habits are your status quo, so anytime you are wanting to break out of these habits to DO something you need to muster a fair amount of will power & energy to override them and that gets old really quick.
Here are 4 Tips to create healthier habits & get you started on breaking the old habits & ringing in your new healthy habits!
4 Tips to create healthier habits:
Define your task.
Make it as easy as possible to begin.
Find a way to make it more fun or interesting.
Stop publicly sharing your goals.
1. Define your task.
Specificity is your friend when it comes to taking action. The more focused and detailed your pursuit is, the more likely you will be to get it done. Just think about the following 3 statements:
“I’m going to eat healthy today.”
“I’m going to have a salad for lunch.”
“I’m going to eat a vegetable and lean protein with each meal and avoid eating sugar today.”
Which person do you think is going to have the most success with their healthy eating today?
Ding ding ding! If you said person number three you are absolutely correct. This person took an approach that set them up for success in their meal choices for the day. Notice that they didn’t have to do anything special to make this happen. The short amount of time it takes to plan how you will attack your healthy habit will pay tremendous dividends in the end!
2. Make it as easy as possible to begin.
As we talked about before, there is always a certain amount of will power & energy required to start a new habit or task. If we can reduce the amount of will power & energy you use, it will be easier to get started.
So how do we actually do this? There are a ton of ways.
Let’s say the habit is to go to the gym at 6am tomorrow morning. What are all the things that could make your trip to the gym happen successfully? You could:
Set your alarm so that you have enough time to wake up, get ready, and drive to the gym with 10-15 minutes to spare.
Set up your morning coffee and a simple breakfast so it’s ready to go.
Set a bedtime alarm reminding you to shut down the tech and get ready for bed at a desirable time.
Pick out your gym clothes and anything else you need to start your day off as a success.
Organise childcare or a friend/partner to look after the kids for 40mins.
Coordinate with a friend to carpool together to class or join you in the garage gym or park. (This is a great way to stay accountable!)
The less you have to do the easier it will be to take action. Eliminate as many barriers as possible that would present as an obstacle to your goal.
3. Find a way to make it more fun or interesting.
If you struggle to prepare healthy meals or need to find more interest in your exercise maybe, you just haven’t found the approach that works for you.
If you are a member at a gym, try connecting with other members in person or via their Facebook community page. Be brave and say “Hi, I did this…in my workout today, how did everyone else go?” you will find others looking to connect. Then you can start checking in on each other, maybe organize a training session together or even meet up for a training session at a park nearby.
You can also organise a personal training appointment, this will hold you accountable for your actions on the days you don’t have a PT session, just knowing the appointment is coming can hold you accountable.
If cooking and eating healthy is a struggle, try to come up with a ritual that makes meal prep more fun. Invite a friend over, crank up some tunes, or binge watch one of your favorite shows while you chop veggies and cook up your meals for the week!
4. Stop publicly sharing your goals.
Studies have shown that people who publicly announce their goals or intentions are actually less likely to follow through on them. When you tell someone “I’m going to lose 5kg” or “I’m going to hit the gym 5 days a week” it feels good in the moment. According to the study, that sense of completeness you feel will make you less effective than if you were to keep the goals to yourself.
So, what should you do instead?
Write down the goals you have or some of the changes you want to make. Discuss a plan of action with an experienced coach or mentor who can tell you what it will take for you to get there. Keep it secret. Keep it safe. Get it done.
There you have it, 4 tips to help you get started towards creating your new healthy habits.
When you hear that alarm go off in the morning and your first instinct is to hit that snooze button remember this from Marcus Aurelius, “Is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?” Remember it is human nature to seek comfort. But it is our most basic desire that we are satisfied in the process of finding comfort. Hold yourself to a higher standard. The delayed gratification of getting out of bed for a run or to hit the gym will improve your life and sense of fulfillment in the long run. The warm bed feels good in the moment, but you’ll sleep easier knowing your actions are aligned with your words.
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