Embracing Sustainable Healthy Habits
As January rolls in, it’s the perfect moment to set meaningful goals for the year ahead. Are you prepared to take action? Sticking to health objectives for a full 364 days can be challenging. It’s often easier to promise yourself that you’ll start fresh tomorrow, leading to skipped workouts. After a long day at work, deciding between ordering a pizza or cooking a nutritious meal can feel daunting. To create a successful health plan, it’s crucial to establish goals that foster easy-to-implement and sustainable habits.
At Total Health and Fitness, our mission is to support you in achieving your objectives and cultivating long-lasting habits that promote overall well-being. Our fitness programs are designed to seamlessly fit into your daily routine. Building healthy habits is essential, which is why we offer a variety of options you can integrate into your lifestyle. Even small adjustments can significantly enhance your health and help you meet your resolutions.
Strategies for Developing Sustainable Habits
You might wonder if there’s a secret to forming habits that stick. Charles Duhigg, a business writer for the New York Times, delves into the psychology of habits in his book The Power of Habit. In a discussion with NPR’s Fresh Air, he introduced the concept of the “habit loop,” a three-part psychological framework that outlines how habits are formed:
- The Cue: This is the initial trigger that sets your habit in motion. Habits often arise from routine actions. If you want to incorporate more fitness into your day, consider using your commute or your morning coffee as a cue to go to the gym. To drink more water, pour a glass every time your alarm goes off or refill your bottle whenever it’s empty.
- The Routine: This phase involves the actual behavior you want to establish. Committing to this new habit helps train your brain to perform it automatically. Research suggests it can take up to 66 days for a behavior to become habitual, but the effort is certainly worthwhile.
- The Reward: After completing the habit, give yourself a reward to reinforce the behavior. This could be enjoying a healthy snack, treating yourself to a smoothie, or taking a relaxing walk—anything that positively reinforces your new routine.
The process of habit formation engages a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, which is also crucial for memory, pattern recognition, and emotional regulation. As a behavior becomes habitual, the basal ganglia take over, making the action automatic and freeing up your brain for other tasks.
Duhigg explained to Fresh Air, “In fact, the brain starts working less and less. It can almost completely shut down… This is advantageous because it allows you to allocate your mental energy to other activities.” He noted, “You can perform complex behaviors without even being aware of it.”
Simple, Sustainable Habits to Adopt
- Start with Breakfast: Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. A nutritious morning meal sets a positive tone and encourages healthy choices throughout the day.
- Stay Hydrated: Water is vital for your well-being. It keeps you hydrated, boosts energy levels, enhances metabolism, and contributes to radiant skin.
- Enjoy the Outdoors: Making time to get outside can be rejuvenating. Fresh air helps alleviate stress, reconnects you with nature, and contributes to your physical fitness.
- Incorporate Vegetables: Not only are veggies delicious, but they’re also packed with essential vitamins and nutrients that promote health.
- Move Your Body: Whether you choose to exercise at home, in a gym, or with a trainer, staying active is crucial for both physical and mental health.
