Habit Loops and Healthy Environments
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the thought of improving your health?
Knowing what you want to accomplish is typically the first step in reaching your goals. The next step is to identify what habits and behaviors need adjusting to create the desired outcomes for the new life you want. Try these steps to create what you want:
Use structural tension to organize your habits- Identify and write down the habit you intend to change. An example is healthy weight management. Create tension by listing your current reality, meaning what you need to change and/or what you deal with on a daily basis. Follow up with secondary selections or habits you can develop to give yourself the best chance of reaching your desired results.
Set up a habit loop- A habit loop consists of a cue, a routine, and a reward. Create a cue or a stimulus to activate your new habit for most people that is a reminder on their phone or a sticky note. Then, choose one secondary choice and write that down. This is the habit you want to install. To “close the loop,” note the reward you’ve experienced once you complete the habit loop. This might be drinking more water or eating small frequent meals. Doing these things likely helps you to feel more satisfied and in control of your health.
Identify the habits to install- Before you install a habit, ask yourself three questions:
Is it appealing? Do I want to do it? (at first, the answer might be no, but over time that will change)
Is it achievable? Can I do it? It’s important to set realistic expectations and make small changes over time. This drastically increases success in the process.
Is it easily activated? How easily can I execute - is there a prompt to remind me to do it? If I want to walk more, would setting my sneakers by the door act as a reminder to do so after work?
Connect present action to immediate and long-term rewards- Connect your present actions to your future self. Visualize, or write your current actions, and then determine how they affect your future self. When you do this, you are more likely to make decisions based on what you want long-term, not what will satisfy you right now. Hopefully, the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term satisfaction of continuing the habits that have left you feeling unhealthy.
Once you learn to create what you want, installing and continuing your healthy habits will be easier. Our environment influences our habits more than we think, and we often compete against them. Making a conscious effort to control and create your environment can make changing easier. Here are some tips on how to create a conducive environment for change:
Create friction- Focus your energy on making it hard to continue bad habits. Move your television out of the bedroom to promote healthy sleep habits. Take another route to work to avoid your favorite coffee shop. Stock the fridge with water to stop yourself from reaching for a soda. When you do this, it makes healthy habits easier to do.
Control your environment- Controlling your environment means equipping it with everything you need to succeed in implementing the changes that you want. It is more than removing temptations; it’s about making sure you have what you need to exercise, drink water, or practice the healthy motion. This helps ensure your success rather than just hope for it.
Task association- Task association is a way to train your brain to complete a task automatically. Light a scented candle at night while practicing mindfulness. Each time you do, your brain will associate that task with that scent. This can also be practiced in other ways. For example, if you frequently eat at your desk, remove all snacks from near your desk to associate your desk as a place of work, not eating.
Healthy support system- All of these tasks are more difficult when you start to implement change yet don’t have support. Continue to build your health bubble and promote optimal health and wellbeing. When others are aware of the lifestyle you are leading, they will either align themselves or be considerate of the efforts you are trying to make.
The best part of implementing some of the suggested strategies above is that you might have a positive impact on family and friends around you and inspire them to improve their health as well. Ask me anytime for ideas on how to make this process a success!