With these four tips, you will create healthy habits that will be sustainable and will give you momentum for success.
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We are creatures of habit, like making coffee every morning, brushing our teeth, and taking our daily walks. So why is it so hard to create healthy habits and make them stick? Science says it takes 21 days to form a new habit. That’s three weeks and completely doable with the 4 tips below.
Here are the best tips for sticking to and creating healthy habits:
1. Habit Stacking
I could write a whole blog post about habit stacking. I recently came across this idea and it’s been incredible for helping me add new healthy habits to my routine. Research shows that the easiest way to create a new habit is to back it to an existing habit.
So if you want to start a new healthy habit of drinking more water and you already have a habit of waking up and making coffee, set a full water bottle next to the coffee pot so you can drink while your coffee is brewing. Or one of my favorite habits that I’ve been doing for years is if I watch tv in the living room at night, I always take the time to stretch during my show.
2. One Habit at a Time
Set yourself up for success by adding just one healthy habit at a time. If you want to create a habit of working out in the morning, lay out your outfit the night before and put it in a place you can’t miss it.
Studies have shown that starting with a small habit can make the habit stick and give a sense of accomplishment that will turn into momentum for more healthy habits. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast could lead to better eating habits. Or get your squats in while you brush your teeth each day. Making it easier by not overwhelming yourself with too many new habits at the same time, will automatically help you be more successful.
3. Practice Daily
Habits can take a long time to form and it takes a lot of energy to do something different or add something new to our routine. The more often you practice your new healthy habits, the faster they will form and you’ll be more likely to stick with them.
If you want to practice gratitude each day, figure out a time that will work in your day-to-day schedule. Maybe set your alarm for 5 min earlier so you have time to journal. It might be helpful to set aside some time each week to plan out when you will practice your healthy habits.
4. Recognize Your Hard Work
Make your new habits fun for example, play your favorite podcast while you walk. Have a friend over to meal prep with if you’re trying to eat healthier. Or treat yourself to a coffee after a full week of meditating each day.
Start small and commit to one healthy habit at a time until you have it down. Then you can add in another one and use the tools that helped make you successful the first time around.