How to develop healthy habits - and stick to them
It’s easy to make grand new year’s resolutions – the hard bit is sticking to them. If by the time you read this your good intentions are perilously close to falling by the wayside, have a look through the following 7 ways you can start to develop positive, healthy and most importantly, sustainable habits.
Re-think your goal
Stop thinking about what it is you are trying to achieve and start focusing on why instead. If you want to stick to your new habits, you need to think about why it is meaningful to you. Try asking yourself how you want to feel if you continue with this new habit. For example, rather than the goal being to lose weight, the why might be to feel fitter and stronger, or to be a positive role model for your children.
Take it one step at a time
It can be useful to have a bigger aim in mind, however it is key to break it down into smaller steps. If the end goal feels too overwhelming it is common to try and tackle too much in one go, resulting in a loss in focus and a feeling of failure before you’ve even begun. Over time progressive, consistent smaller steps will accumulate and lead to much bigger change.
Change your environment
What is going on around us has a huge influence on our behaviours. Be honest with yourself about the things, people or places that may have an impact. Create an environment that supports your new habits and remove any barriers that have the potential to stop you from taking positive steps. Don’t be afraid to tell friends and family of your intentions either. They can not only support you, but a feeling of accountability to others can help you to stay on track.
Make a plan
Although it sounds obvious, planning the time and place you will undertake your new habit each week will help you stick to it. So don’t just say you will go for a walk every day, actually put it in your diary. If you can make it a regular time each day, then even better.
Measure progress
Keeping a track of your progress not only keeps you accountable, but it also helps you see how far you have come. Additionally, if things haven’t gone quite as you planned, you can work out what changes you need to make to move forward. On that subject …
Accept that setbacks will happen
We’re all human - setbacks are a natural part of life and accepting that they are likely to rear their head will help deal with them when they do. Try to see it less as a roadblock and more as an opportunity to adapt. If something is getting in the way of your daily walk or meeting-free Friday, think practically about what needs to change to make it happen. The most important thing though, if you do drop the ball, is to be kind to yourself, draw a line under it and move on. Tomorrow is a new day.
Find the joy
It will become increasingly difficult to maintain new habits if they become a chore. Right from the outset find ways to instil in them something you enjoy. Listen to a podcast on a walk or go to bed 20 minutes early and read a book - whatever it might be that brings you your own personal brand of joy. This process of rewarding yourself with something you enjoy is the final piece in the puzzle to forging successful and sustainable healthy habits.