Introduction
Do you want to include exercise in your regular routines, stop smoking, or start eating healthy but have difficulty being consistent?
Building good habits and implementing them in your lives may sound pretty tricky but trust us, it's not impossible.
So, rekindle that willpower, raise that hope and start working! You have to put in a little effort to produce great results. If you don't know how to do this, don't worry because we have your back!
Why Do We Suck At Building And Implementing Healthy Habits?
We don't even know you, but we can close our eyes and tell you that you have a long list of resolutions you made on New Year's Eve that consist mainly of habits you want to adopt this year. Your list of resolutions and visions probably look like this:
- Get that Kim Kardashian Body or Dwayne Johnson muscles.
- Eating a bowl of greens and healthy food.
- Read good literature to enrich your knowledge.
- Become the boss girl (so you can finally upload an Instagram video showing your outfits and mixing your cold coffee; beneath it, you write the magical caption - manifested this).
If you haven't completed any goals on the list, welcome to the club! The funny thing is that we all know what to do to get our life in order and the importance of implementing those good habits, but we still don't do it. For Instance:
- We know how to get into shape and build those muscles - by exercise and eating healthy!
- We know how to learn more about the world - by reading books and articles instead of wasting time on social media.
Well, folks, sadly, the reason why you still haven't achieved your goals is that your lizard brain wants instant gratification. The mind knows what's best for you, but your desires take control of the steering wheel and steer you away from your goals.
Another reason you cannot achieve great goals is because you rely too much on willpower and motivation. Yes, you get those bursts of energy at 3 am to get your life together, and that's good, but sudden bursts of energy aren't going to produce more outstanding results for you - consistent efforts will.
You start setting unachievable goals when you have that 3 am motivation boost. How do you expect someone who has never walked in their lives, eats junk food every day, and sleeps while reading a book to suddenly read 100 pages a day, work out in the gym for 3 hours, and instantly shift to the keto diet?
It's not wrong to set goals for yourself, but when you set the bar too high, the chances of you not achieving them and getting demotivated after failing are high. The key point you should remember here is that keeping a flower in the sun isn't the only thing that will keep it alive. It needs an environment that provides water, air, and soil rich in nutrients to grow.
Taking The First Step To Build Good Habits
You know your goals - you have made lists upon lists for them. But, before you do anything, you need to have a strong ‘why,’ and by that, we mean that you need a good reason why you want to build those habits and stick to them. Think about the time that made you think you need to change your life and contemplate how making this change will benefit you.
This is the first and most crucial step that you need to take if you want to move forward because if you don’t have a good reason, you’re dead in the water: If you don’t have a good reason for building new habits, then going to the gym, reading a page of a book or walking outside will seem like a challenge to you. Your brain does not like to face obstacles, and that’s when it signals its panic center (mayday! Mayday! This person is thinking about ‘change.’), which leads to doom.
Think about it this way:
- You are not just going to the gym because running on the treadmill for 30 minutes five days a week is a compulsion but because you’re building a new body in which you will be happy.
- You’re not just learning to like vegetables because your nutrition told you so but losing weight so you can fit into your dream wedding dress.
- You’re not just dragging yourself out of bed early; a single parent is waking up early to work on that side business to boost your income and provide for your small kids.
The list above may have inspired you to craft a strong ‘why.’ So, if you get your reason, let’s discuss the science behind developing good habits.
Extra Tips On How To Build Healthy Habits?
If you ever get time, we suggest you read Charles Duhigg's book,'' The Power Of Habit.'' Duhigg suggests that there are three main parts of a habit - they are as follows:
- Cue: What triggers your reaction? What causes you to do things that will hinder the development of good habits? For example, it can be a feeling of stress because of work pushing you to eat more and not move because you are busy working all day long
- Routine: This refers to the adverse action you want to cut back on or a positive action you want to do. For example, you eat even when you are full, you smoke more than five times a day, you drink alcohol more than recommended, or you want to go to the gym, walk 5 miles a day and read books regularly.
- Reward: After implementing a good habit in your daily life, you need to notice the positive results, even if they are minor. For instance, when you wake up early in the morning, you feel fresh and energetic; you are more productive than when you woke up late and feel good about yourself.
Your body isn't smart enough to make good decisions that would benefit itself. If it senses any pain or discomfort, it immediately wants to relieve that to feel pleasure. Here are a few effortless ways how you can build habits:
1) Find a group of friends that will help you build those habits e.g. you can form a group of walk buddies that you can go with every morning.
2) When you can't get yourself to follow through on a healthy habit you want to build, set a harsh consequence for skipping it.
3) Try not to skip your habits for more than two days because two will become thirty in a blink of an eye.
4) Try pairing your habits with something that you love to do. For example, whenever you clean the dishes - you give yourself a treat by listening to your favorite podcast.
Conclusion
Developing a good habit may seem like a complex task, and the only way you can handle the obstacles in your way is by building the proper routine for yourself and identifying your triggers. Follow the guidelines we discussed above, and you will build your habits in no time!
