You want a better life! So you’ve decided that today is the day you’re going to start making healthy habits a daily part of your life. This is a brave and commendable decision, as changing bad habits, or adopting new, healthy ones, is not easy, and things can often seem overwhelming. New habits can take anywhere from one to two months to fully become things you do without even thinking about them, but don’t even think that far ahead. Not yet. Begin by just starting!
Easier said than done? Try taking some inspiration and motivation from the experts:
Find Your “Keystone Habit”
“Exercise leads people to unknowingly create other, often unrelated, good habits,” says author Charles Duhigg. For example, many people find that when they exercise regularly, they eat more healthily, stop using their credit cards as much and procrastinate less at work. “For many people, exercise is a keystone habit,” says Charles. “Once you start changing your exercise habits, it sets off a chain reaction that changes other habits as well.”
Reward Yourself
This doesn’t mean having a slice of cake after doing an hour at the gym. What it does mean, though, is identifying something that you know you want, and making that a reward for doing something that you know you should. Katherine Milkman, at the University of Pennsylvania, calls it “tying a want to a should.” Do what you’re supposed to do, then reward yourself with a treat.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
John C. Maxwell
Surround Yourself With The Right People
Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Yale University, author and public speaker says “When your friends quit smoking, or become nicer and more cooperative, this affects you. Similarly, when you make a positive change in your life, when you start running, for example, it ripples outwards, affecting your friends, and their friends.”
In other words, hanging out with people you want to be like is a great way to adopt new habits. Start today!