We are, as it is often said, creatures of habit. Whilst some of these habits are clearly beneficial, over time we often tend to develop ones that are unhealthy and unproductive, and even though we know they are, we still keep doing them. We acknowledge we‘d probably look better, feel better and improve our health long-term plus be more productive at work and in life if we ate better, drank less alcohol and caffeine, exercised and slept more. Thing is, our default behaviour is unfortunately often unhealthy, so if you do want to improve your health, well-being and life generally how can you realistically form better habits – and most significantly, keep them?
1. Start small.
The mistake many of us make when trying to change our bad habits is to aim too high, making unrealistic and generally unachievable goals. We go too fast, try to change too many things at once and then get overwhelmed, demotivated and think of ourselves as a failure with zero willpower – launching back into unhealthy behaviours to help us forget. For example, if you want to lose weight saying you are going to do this by suddenly hitting the gym everyday and/or running 5K daily and only eating raw vegetables, you are unlikely to stick to this for long. If at all. Far better instead to start by, say, taking a daily brisk walk or doing a five minute exercise routine every morning in your front room and gradually introducing healthier food (say trying a different vegetable or fruit every few days) into your diet - because that is achievable and more likely to result in a permanent healthier habit.
2. Pair a new habit with an existing one.
Habits form through repetition, such as brushing your teeth, until they become automatic. Tacking a new habit to an established routine can be an effective strategy when forming a new one – something known as ‘habit stacking’. For example, why not take your supplements straight after you clean your teeth (and keep your supplements in the bathroom to help remind you too). Try it for a few days and you’ll soon ‘lock in’ your new habit until it becomes second nature.
3. Set reminders.
Whether you use apps, sticky notes, a blackboard, alarms or smartphone notifications, using prompts can be a great way to remind yourself to perform your new habit. For instance, the free Health & Her app also allows you to set reminders (at a time that works for you) to do your pelvic floor exercises, drink more water, take your supplement or HRT, or even do a monthly breast check - and will ping a reminder to your phone as a little nudge.
4. Same time, same place...
As far as possible, try to perform your new habit at the same time and in the same place every day. Being consistent helps to embed it firmly into your daily life. For example, if you want to cut down on your drinking and exercise your brain a bit more but your usual end of the day habit is to sit down with a glass of wine in front of the tv in your usual chair, try moving to a different chair so your hand doesn’t automatically reach for where you usually position your wine. Pour yourself a non-alcoholic wine, a tea or soft drink and don’t switch on the tv but read a chapter of a book or listen to an audiobook instead. Alternatively, set another different, alcohol-free, routine in motion: go for a swim or try cold water swimming, join a choir or running club and get into the habit of doing that as a matter of routine.
5. Be patient.
Researchers studying how long it actually takes to develop a new habit found it took between 18-254 days (that is, an average of 66 days) for it to become automatic behaviour. i Yet in our 24/7 world where we have news on tap and anything delivered to our door at the press of a button, we now expect things to happen ridiculously quickly. But think about it… it has probably taken decades of unhealthy behaviour to get to where you are now, so it’s likely to take more than a few weeks to reverse the trend.
6. Keep track of your progress.
Keep a diary, a notebook, record things on your phone or use an app like the Health & Her one to monitor how you are getting on. This should help to not only identify what it is you want to achieve but also to chart your progress and motivate you to keep going. Also, let your friends and family know what you are trying to do so they can encourage and support you.
7. Simplify life.
You are far more likely to form healthier new habits if you clear away any obstacles that stand in the way. For instance, if you have a habit of snacking while watching tv don’t keep unhealthy snacks like crisps and chocolate in the house. If you want to get out of the habit of eating processed food, batch cook meals from scratch when you have time and keep them in the freezer to bring out when needed. If you want to exercise more, put on your gym kit first thing, or keep them by the door so you it acts as a visual reminder.
8. Treat yourself.
Giving yourself a ‘reward’ when you have successfully completed your new habit can reinforce the behaviour. This can be as simple as acknowledging your success (ticking it of on a list or posting it online) or physically rewarding yourself with a non-food or drink treat such as a swim, a sauna or a massage.
9. Don’t give up.
New habits might take time to ‘stick’ but the more often you do them the more often they are likely to be successful.
If you do encounter setbacks, and let’s face it, life does have a bad habit of getting in the way of our best intentions, be patient with yourself and try to get yourself back on track. Perhaps remind yourself of all the new habits you’ve kept and what you did right to achieve them?
10. Manifest the future.
Focus on how changing your habits might heal your body and brain and generally improve all aspects of your life – health, career and relationships. Vividly imagine yourself as the person with the new positive habits you want to be.
Additional tools and resources
- Download the Health & Her app. Not only will it help you track your experiences and periods, but it can help you to identify current bad habits and create positive ones. By tracking how you feel (physically and mentally), you will gain insights that allow you to see the positive impacts of those changes and new habits.
- Download a habit tracking app such as Habitica, HabitNow, Streaks and Habitify.
- Read Just One Thing: How simple changes can transform your life by Dr Michael Mosely; Tiny habits: the small changes that change everything by B.J. Fogg and Good habits, bad habits: the science of making positive changes that stick by Wendy Wood
- Join online communities and forums where you can share your journey, get inspiration and get support from others trying to create better habits.
