CREATING HEALTHY HABITS

As we look at ways to reach our optimal wellness, it will always be necessary to break old habits. Replacement is one way to do this efficiently. We can take an unhealthy habit and replace it with a healthier one. So, if it is our habit after dinner to sit down and turn on the television, we can take that time to complete a small task instead. 

If you have the energy, and after dinner stroll is always delightful in good weather. If you are tuckered out by that time of evening, opt for a task that expends less energy. Has it been on your to-do list to organize the papers scattered all over your table or desk? Sit down and tackle those instead. The task will keep you more mentally engaged than watching tv and you will feel lighter having crossed something off your to-do list. 

Not quite ready to give up your relaxing television time in the evening? That’s okay! You can still move forward by creating a brand new habit to stand on its own. Research shows that the best way to do this is to stack it (Stowen, 2017). Take a habit you already have and add a new one to it.

Let’s say that you have an interest in taking a new supplement each day. Most likely you will unconsciously chose a time of day that is already associated with a habit. Many people chose to take supplements with a meal or with their morning coffee. Well, it is technically a habit to sit down for a meal at certain times of the day (usually breakfast, lunch, and dinner). So, creating a habit of taking the supplement has a higher chance of sticking since it is stacked on an already formed habit.

You may consider taking a supplement to be easy and not require much effort. So, what about habits which are not very appealing and require much effort, like exercising. It’s not always fun to start a strength training routine, and it can be so easy to say you’ll do it later only to find that later never comes. The key is to find a pleasant habit to stack it on. Do you enjoy sitting down in the morning with a cup of coffee and delightful breakfast? Well, put your routine between turning on the coffee pot and sitting down to enjoy that cup. Do you habitually sit down to watch a television show in the afternoon? Schedule your routine for right beforehand! Placing your pleasurable habit after a more drudging one you want to create can make it feel like you end on a good note, thereby making the less pleasurable habit feel more… well, pleasurable. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/