Forming a new habit
You’ve decided that you’re going to embark on a health journey to start feeling better in your body. Your goal is to get from point A to point B, but you’re not totally sure how to get yourself there. The road feels long, winding, and at one point even disappears from view. It might feel daunting and scary to go it alone. That’s where a seasoned health coach can help you navigate the twists and turns, provide insights on the potential roadblocks ahead and illuminate your strengths that will help you get past them.
Along the way from A to B, there are lots of mile markers (aka milestones). Think about those markers as mini-goals that you set for yourself and achieve - completion of these goals is confirmation that you’re getting closer to your destination.
Now let’s think about what you need in order to get yourself to each of those milestones. Well, you need comfortable shoes, energy and proper nourishment to keep you fueled…all the right gear to set you up for success. Think of healthy habits as those positive, supportive tools that will carry you to your ultimate destination of wellness.
So how do you implement those healthy habits?
Here’s an example: let’s say you want to start exercising. What can you do immediately to get the gears in motion?
First, examine your current routine and context! What existing habits do you start your day with? Do you hop in the shower? Meditate on your yoga mat? Or take the dog outside? What good habits do you do throughout the day on autopilot? How do we get this new positive habit to stick like others in your routine? Can we replace one bad habit with a better one?
Ponder how your new habit fits into this current picture. If you really want to make it a priority, determine where you can fit it into your day.
Consider where the roadblocks may lie between you and your goal to get in the exercise. How can you manage those and overcome them to set yourself up for success?
What’s the social context with this new habit? Do you need to communicate this new goal to your significant other, friends and family for moral support and/or buy-in to make it easier for you to establish the new habit?
How often can you plan to repeat the new habit so that your mind and body get used to acting on it? The goal is for the action to feel more natural to you, the more you do it.
What cues will help you to enact the new habit? Try adding a reminder in your calendar that’ll pop up on your phone, or stack your new habit on top of an existing one - for example, if you’ve got 5 minutes to wait while your coffee is brewing, that’s your cue to roll out the workout mat and get in a few yoga sequences, sit-ups and push-ups, or a quick dance routine!
Remind yourself of the end result or feeling you’re trying to achieve by instilling this new habit. You want to exercise more regularly because it makes you feel good in your body, you know it will help you protect your health, and it will help you lose weight and/or gain muscle in the process. This positive result is your ultimate “reward”, every time you repeat it.
What new good-for-you habit have you been thinking about implementing into your life? It helps to spend a few minutes thinking through these tips and mapping out how you can set yourself up for success!