How to Develop a New Healthy Habit

Introduction

 

While some habits are hard to break, others are easier to develop. If you’re trying to change a behavior that doesn’t serve your health, such as smoking or eating unhealthy foods, making the switch can be even more difficult. But if you want to make changes for the better—like eating healthier or exercising regularly—these tips will help you form new healthy habits:

Identify why you want to form this habit.

 

Identifying why you want to form this habit will help you stay motivated. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, then it may be helpful for you to identify what happens when people don’t lose weight–for example, they become more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or heart disease.

If your goal is more general (such as “I want more energy”), try thinking about how that would impact other parts of life: “If I have more energy at work, then I can get more done and feel better about myself.”

Think about the benefits of forming this habit.

 

You should also think about the benefits of forming this habit.

What will it do for you? How will it make your life better? How will it help you achieve a goal (or even just make a good day better)? What are the benefits that would motivate you to stick with a new healthy habit and make it part of your daily routine, even when things get busy or hard–and they always do!

Consider how you’ll feel once it’s firmly established.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and lose sight of your long-term goals. When you’re trying to develop a new habit, it’s helpful to step back and consider how you will feel once it’s firmly established. Will you be proud of yourself? Will your life be better? What do you want from this new habit?

If someone else asks why they should do something, ask them what would happen if they didn’t do it. If their answer isn’t convincing enough, then chances are good that no one else will find their reason compelling either!

Write down what triggers your unhealthy behavior, then brainstorm other activities that can replace it.

 

To develop a new healthy habit, you first need to identify the triggers that lead you toward unhealthy behaviors. For example:

• You eat fast food when you’re stressed or tired and don’t have time to cook at home.
• You drink wine with dinner every night because it’s part of your family’s routine and makes everyone happy (yourself included).

Once you’ve identified those triggers, think about what could replace them instead–either on an individual basis or as part of a larger lifestyle change. Maybe replacing the fast-food run with a walk around the block would be more productive; maybe substituting one glass of wine at dinner with sparkling water will help keep calories in check while still giving everyone something familiar and enjoyable to drink together as they wind down from their day. Write down these ideas so that next time this situation arises, it’ll be easier for you to stick with them!

Make a plan for when and where you’ll do this activity and how long you’ll do it each day or week.

 

• Schedule your new healthy behavior at a time when you’re most likely to stick with it. For example, if you want to start exercising in the morning, make sure that once you get home from work or school, there aren’t any other things competing for your attention (like homework or chores). You’ll need enough time before bedtime so that it doesn’t interfere with getting enough sleep.
• Don’t try to do too much too soon. If this is something new for you, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying all of these steps at once! The best way forward is one step at a time–and every little bit counts!
• Don’t worry about making mistakes; just keep trying! Everyone makes mistakes when learning new habits; what matters most is whether we learn from them and keep moving forward toward our goals instead of giving up because we didn’t do everything perfectly right away (or ever). Give yourself credit every day for whatever progress–big or small–you’ve made toward developing healthier behaviors in life: taking steps towards better health could mean deciding not eat out as often anymore or drinking more water throughout each day instead of soda pop…even if those changes seem insignificant now they are still important ones nonetheless because they help build momentum towards living healthier lives overall.”

Having a plan will make it easier to stick with a new healthy habit over time

 

If you’re trying to develop a new healthy habit, having a plan will make it easier to stick with that habit over time. Having a plan means that you are prepared for the obstacles and pitfalls that are likely to come your way. You won’t be caught off guard when something unexpected happens or feel like giving up because it’s too much work.

In addition, having a plan helps us avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the things we need do in order for our new healthy habit take root in our lives. For example: if I want my home office clean so I can work from there regularly (a new healthy habit), then instead of simply cleaning up at random times throughout my day when I feel like it–which rarely happens anyway–I might decide instead just before bedtime each night that this will be “clean-up time” where I clear off my desk surface, throw away any trash sitting around, etc., so that next morning when I sit down at computer desk ready start working again everything is nice tidy organized place where nothing distracts me from getting real work done!

Set a time to do it.

Setting a time to do the habit is key. If you don’t, your brain will always find an excuse not to do it. You might think that “I’ll just do it later” or “I’ll just skip today,” but those thoughts can snowball into many more excuses in the future.

By setting a specific time for each day and sticking with it, you’re making yourself accountable for doing the habit–and that’s how you build good habits!

Decide why you want to do it.

• Decide why you want to do it.

It’s easier to stick with a new healthy habit when you have a reason that goes beyond “I should.” Why do you want to get up at 5:00 AM every morning? Is it because of your work schedule, or because you want more time for yourself? Maybe it’s both–that’s fine! But if your answer is “because my boss told me I had to,” then chances are good that once your boss leaves town or changes their mind about the early wake-up call, so will your motivation for rising early.

• Make sure the reason has nothing to do with what not doing this behavior means (e.g., “I don’t want diabetes”). This kind of “should” is not powerful enough motivation on its own; if anything, these types of reasons only make us feel bad about ourselves when we fail at our goals (and let’s face it: we all fail sometimes).

Take small steps.

Small steps are easier to handle because they’re more manageable. They allow you to take on one challenge at a time and build up your willpower gradually, rather than trying to tackle everything at once. Small steps lead to big changes because they get you into the habit of doing something new–and once you’ve got the hang of it, it becomes second nature! Smaller goals are also more likely to be sustainable over time (and less likely than larger ones) because they’re easier for your brain and body to adjust itself around; if we aim too high from the beginning (e.g., “I’m going vegetarian”), then we might find ourselves overwhelmed by all that’s required in order for us accomplish our goal successfully.

Finally: measuring progress is easier when working with smaller increments; every step counts towards making change happen!

Get support from family and friends.

A supportive family and friends can be a great source of motivation, but it’s also important that you don’t rely on them too much. If you’re working toward a goal that’s important to your health, make sure that you take responsibility for your own actions. Your friends and family are there to help when things get tough; they shouldn’t have to take over completely!

To get the most out of your support network:

• Ask for their help in specific ways. For example: “I would love it if we could go on walks together this week.” Or: “It would be great if we could plan our meals together this month.” This will help them know how best they can support you without being too much or too little involved.
• Reward yourself along the way instead of waiting until reaching the end goal before celebrating success (this goes back again into breaking down big projects into smaller tasks).

You can develop a new healthy habit, but it takes work and dedication

You can develop a new healthy habit, but it takes work and dedication.

• You will have to make time for your new habit. If you want to learn how to cook more, start by scheduling in an extra hour every week for researching recipes, grocery shopping and preparing food (or less if you already know how).
• You will have setbacks along the way that may discourage you from continuing with your goal. When this happens, take some time off from working towards your goal and then get back into it when things feel better again.
• You should expect that there will be times when things are hard–and other times when they’re easy–as part of developing any new habit; however, if these struggles persist over long periods of time without improvement, then something needs adjusting!

Say yes to new opportunities.

• Say yes to new opportunities.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when you’re trying hard not to eat junk food or drink too much alcohol. But when you say yes more often than no, your life will be more interesting and fun–and that can help keep temptation at bay! If someone offers you a piece of cake (or asks if they can share their chocolate), maybe just try one bite instead of saying no outright. Or go out dancing with friends even though it’s been months since your last time on the dance floor.

• Think about how good it feels when someone compliments your work or appearance–then imagine how much better those feelings would be if they came from yourself! The best way I’ve found is by keeping an exercise journal: write down what exercise goals have worked well for me in the past; note how certain exercises make me feel physically (stronger) or mentally (more focused); write down specific things others have complimented me on regarding my body type/size/shape so I have tangible evidence whenever self-doubt creeps in again later down the road; then finally write down what kinds of foods I want most often during times when cravings strike hardest so there’s still hope for future success even though the temptation may seem overwhelming right now.”

Start small and think big.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity of a goal, especially if you’re trying to do something new and healthy for yourself. But there are ways around this problem!

• Start small. Break down your goals into smaller pieces so that they’re more manageable. For example, if your goal is to lose weight by running at least three times per week, start by working out one day per week instead of seven days straight off the bat–it’ll be way less intimidating and easier to stick with once you start seeing results!
• Think big picture first: What does success look like? What will success mean in terms of quality time spent with friends/family members; improved self-confidence; increased energy levels; healthier eating habits? Focus on those things rather than just getting through each workout session without quitting (though those things will arrive too!).

Think of it as a journey. You’re not going to be a wildly successful runner overnight, so take the time to enjoy the ride! Focus on making small improvements each week and celebrate those successes instead of feeling like you have to immediately become an expert runner in order to feel good about yourself.

Expect resistance, but don’t give up.

When you’re trying to make a change, it’s natural to feel resistance. You may resist the idea of doing something new or different–even if that “something” is good for you.

Resistance can show up in your thoughts and emotions, as well as in behaviors like procrastination or giving up halfway through a task (or even before starting). You might think:

• This isn’t going to work for me.
• I’m not cut out for this kind of thing; it’s too hard!
• Why bother? It won’t help anyway!

Reward yourself for progress, not just for the finish line.

You may be more motivated by rewards for progress than you are by the end goal. After all, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals when they feel so far out of reach and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep going. When we think about it like this, it makes sense that rewarding yourself for every little step forward will make sticking with healthy habits easier in the long run.

Reward yourself as soon as possible after accomplishing a task or reaching a milestone–don’t wait until the end of the month or year! You want to keep encouraging your brain (and body) into action so that they continue making positive changes without getting stuck in a rut where nothing seems worth celebrating anymore because everything feels like too much work anyway. *

Examples: * A post-workout smoothie at home instead of going out with friends after work.* A walk around town before dinner instead of sitting down right away.* An extra hour on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram instead of watching TV after work

Generate support from others.

Once you have a new habit in mind, it’s time to get your support team on board. This can be as simple as mentioning your goal to friends and family and asking them for help keeping you accountable. If you’re trying to lose weight, ask someone who has lost weight before how they did it–they’ll be able to give great advice based on their own experience!

The more people who are invested in helping you achieve your goals, the better off everyone will be.

Healthy habits are easier when you surround yourself with people who want to help you succeed

When it comes to developing healthy habits, you’re more likely to succeed if you have a support network. A support network can be any group of people who want to help you achieve your goals and will hold you accountable for your actions. This could be your family or friends, but it also might include coworkers who want to improve their health as well.

You can find people who would be willing to help by asking around and looking at what resources are available in your area (e.g., local health clubs). If nothing comes up right away, start by asking friends if they know anyone who could use some encouragement with their diet or exercise routine–they may know someone whose spouse is struggling with weight loss or someone else who hasn’t been exercising regularly because he/she feels intimidated by the gym atmosphere at his/her local gym; these are both situations where having another person around could make all the difference!

It’s also important to find people who will hold you accountable for your actions; if you tell them that you’re going to do something, then they should expect you to follow through. If this sounds like too much of a hassle, consider joining an online support group or forum where people can share their stories and tips for success.

Conclusion

We all have things we want to change in our lives, but it’s often difficult to do so. We may have tried and failed repeatedly; we may even feel hopeless about ever making our dreams come true. But there is a way to get what you want: by creating new habits that will help turn your life around in ways that are both positive and sustainable over time.