Creating Habits That Stick
So…how are we feeling after January?
Did you decide that February was the start of your “New Year” too?
I think we all needed that first month free trial, and now it's time to get down to business.
First things first, it wouldn’t be me if I didn't check in on your health and wellness goals to see how they’re going.
We're approaching the times where that “New Year” motivation inevitably starts to fade away. And without the proper habits in place, its easy to find ourselves letting those goals we wanted to accomplish fall to the wayside. Life just gets in the way sometimes, trust me, I get it.
So here are a few habit building tips to keep those goals at the forefront of your mind as we “actually” start the new year, lol.
Tip 1: Visualize
Pull that vision board back out! And if you never got it done, it’s time to get clear on what we want to accomplish. Get specific! The more detailed you are here, the better. Goals that are specific and measurable (able to be tracked) are guaranteed to stick better than your basic “tone up, lose weight” blanket statements.
Tip 2: Baby Steps
The key to building habits that stick is to break those big goals down into bite sized pieces. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by our goals to the point that we literally do nothing. We can avoid that by making small, gradual steps towards our goals. For instance, if your goal is to workout 3 days a week for an hour and half, maybe start by choosing one or two days to workout for an hour and see how you feel. Remember you can always adjust as you need to.
Tip 3: Build a Routine
Habits thrive on routine. Build your new habits into your daily/weekly schedule by giving them a dedicated time block. One of my favorite cheat codes to adding new habits into my routine is habit stacking. Habit stacking is fusing a new habit you want to develop with one that you already have implemented in your daily life/routine. This link between the two habits not only reinforces the current habit, but helps make the new habit a more automatic response.
Studies show that this method increases the likelihood of success when building new habits as it’s connected to an already “automated” response in your head.
So for example, every morning I brush my teeth. But my goal for 2024 is to start taking some time in the morning to express gratitude and set my intentions for the day. I can build my moment for gratitude into my daily routine by stacking it with my dental hygiene routine. Now as I brush my teeth, I’m telling myself how great of a day I’m going to have and how grateful I am to have breath in my body. Boom. Linking a current habit with a new one.
Every morning I drink a cup of coffee, but I want to start my day with a glass of lemon water for better gut health. So as I make my morning cup of joe, I make sure to drink my water during the process. Now I’ve linked a current habit to one I’m trying to build. Over time, your brain associates the two actions, making it more automatic.
Step 4: Track Your Progress and Treat Yourself!
You have to celebrate the small wins! Every workout, every healthy choice, every step you take towards your goal should be celebrated. Now I’m not saying buy yourself an expensive gift every time to take a step towards your goal, but you should at least take some time to give yourself a “gold star”. Maybe that’s just an inward “I’m proud of you”. Maybe it’s a new workout set for the gym. Maybe it’s taking yourself out to your favorite restaurant after you hit a certain milestone. Whatever it is, your brain and the habit building cycle THRIVE off rewards. Be sure to jot down your accomplishments in a journal, or take pictures to look back on in a few months! Post that workout selfie! You want to be able to see how far you’ve come on the journey. Things like this will help to keep the momentum alive in the moments where motivation is fleeting.
Tip 5: Learn How to Pivot
Life is always going to life. There will always be disruptions to your habits and routines. And it's easy to let those things deter you, throw you off your path, or make you want to give up completely. But we have to learn how NOT to see these moments as a reason to give up and “start over” in six months. Instead, we use these hiccups as a chance to take a deep breath, shake back and get into the journey again. This mindset shift alone is going to be a game changer for creating habits that stick.
In conclusion, we have to take intentional steps towards building habits. We do this by having a clear view on our goals and taking baby (consistent) steps towards them.
By building routines around your habits and giving yourself a "gold star" when you stay on track.
By learning that every bump in the road is not a reason to give up and “start over”, but a chance to have grace with ourselves and bounce back.
These intentional steps are what is going to create habits that stick. I hope this post was helpful for you, and please share with anybody you think may need it.
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Talk with you soon!
-Coach Joi
