You are the kind of person who has healthy habits

Healthy habits. Those words may conjure up feelings of guilt or perhaps feelings of pride – but how are healthy habits built? Can they be maintained long term?

In short, all habits are built on repetitive behaviours. No moral judgement attached. We are simply the results of the things that we do, day in and day out. Are ALL the things we do helpful? Probably not, but chances are a lot of our habits keep us clean, safe, organized and on the right side of the law. Healthy habits are no different – they exist when we consistently do the things that promote health instead of the things that impede health.

What is consistency?

Ever struggle with figuring out what “consistency” looks like? It’s not all or nothing! Consistency is doing something more often than not. Put mathematically it could be thought of as pursuing your goal with a 2 out of 3 approach. For example, could you have healthy meals 2 out of 3 times per day? Could you walk for 2 days in a row and then miss a day?

Approaching new habits with a 2 out of 3 mindset can free you from all or nothing thinking and provide you with an easy way to get back to your healthy habit faster. Does it feel better to aim for 2 out of 3 than to aim for 28 days straight? It’s possible that after 28 days you might feel fatigued and give up on your new habits entirely.

Just knowing this may be helpful. We should also acknowledge that habits can be tough to change, our brain likes predictable patterns and known outcomes. Think about when some of your habits formed – were you a child or a teen? Are those habits ones that you are committed to keeping in your adult life?

Build awareness of habits

Start to create awareness around what you do – researchers estimate that over 40% of what we do each day is done without conscious thought (2)! While this is a good thing – we would be so overwhelmed if we consciously made EVERY decision all day long – it also means we do many things without question.

Think about the habits you would like to change, identify the feeling behind that intention. Are you excited to eat more healthy meals? Do you want to feel better? Are you so tired it takes multiple coffees to get you through the day?

Don’t live in the extremes

Start with small wins to move you forward and avoid all or nothing thinking. As Robyn Conley Downs so perfectly says it, “When we limit ourselves to extremes, we miss out on all of the beautiful options in-between”. If we want to eat healthy, is this only valuable if done at each and every meal? No! Consistency matters! Following the 2 out of 3 pattern IS consistency, you are moving forward with a new habit more than you are moving away from it.

I’ve always personally believed that something is always better than nothing. Walking for 10 minutes in the morning is better than zero minutes, eating a healthy breakfast is better than skipping it and choosing to add greens to my burger is better than eating it plain. Small shifts truly add up!

As discussed by James Clear (author of Atomic Habits), there is power in tiny gains. If you are able to improve by just 1% each day, this leads to being 37 times better at the end of a year (1)! Instead of a massive change, focus on small adjustments and build over time as the habits are reinforced through your behaviour.

Practical Tips

What tiny changes could you consider? Here are some ideas:

Drink 1 more glass of water
Walk 10 minutes
Add greens to one meal
Meditate for 2 minutes
Journal for 3 minutes
Go to bed 15 minutes earlier

Think about an area you struggle with in your health and commit to one, easy change. Seriously, it should be a pretty easy change. Maintain this change, see yourself sustaining it and remember that you are the kind of person who has healthy habits.

If you’re looking for more guidance on habits, James Clear has a great Habit Guide that you can access here with great tactical tips: https://jamesclear.com/habit-guide

And if personal guidance is what you need, I’m here to help – click on the “book now” button to schedule a free discovery call where we can chat about where you’re at and where you’d like to go. I would be honoured to guide you through the habit change that serves you best!

References:

Clear, J. (2020, February 04). How to Build New Habits: This is Your Strategy Guide. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://jamesclear.com/habit-guide
Witthuhn, B. (2020, February 11). The Neuroscience Behind Habit Change. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2020/02/11/the-neuroscience-behind-habit-change/