Creating Healthy Habits this Spring: Staying Positive and Taking it One Day at a Time
March 20 is a day I always remember, not only because it’s my
Grandma’s birthday, but because I use it as a day to reflect and refresh my
plans for the future. At first glance this may sound like a lofty to-do for one
day, but I use the first day of spring as a time to make healthy resolutions and
plan for the rest of the year to come. Some people use New Years, others use
their birthday, but I like the idea of creating a plan to grow and mature that
coincides with nature around me.
This March 20 was no different than any other. After first
calling to sing Happy Birthday to my Grandma, I ventured out on a hike to one
of my favorite places in L.A. After walking for little over an hour I found a
nice spot to stop and reflect. I looked at all the trees and plants around me
as they began to awaken and thought of my year so far. I compared my situation
to that of the beautiful foliage that surrounded me, new and refreshed and
ready for the next season of life. I also thought of where I hoped to be when
the foliage began to change and fall approached. Where did I want to be? What
did I want to be doing? And most importantly…how was I going to get there?
This spring my thoughts all centered on one theme…”I want to
be healthier”. I think this is a thought that goes through many of our minds at
times. However I also think it is one that many write off as being hopeless or
creating time frames of achieving a more healthy lifestyle that are unrealistic.
How many of you out there have heard the saying “it takes 21 days to form a new
habit”? I have heard it time and time again and always think that it sounds
like such a long time. What if I told you to create a habit actually takes longer?
A health psychology
researcher, Phillippa Lally, at the University College London published her research in the European Journal of Social
Psychology on this exact topic.
Lally and her research team sought out to find exactly how long it takes
to form a new habit. The study looked at 96 individuals who were given the task
of creating a new habit. On average it took 66 days for the behavior to become
automatic…that’s over two months! At first I too was a little discouraged. Here
I was thinking 21 days was a long time, now I see the research says it may take
me over 2 months to start eating healthier. It was hopeless right? WRONG!!
After looking at the research
I came up with a few tips to making a habit stick and have them listed here.
1. Start Small
Many of my
friends, family and patients have come to me with goals like “I am going to
exercise every day”. While their enthusiasm is commendable, I often find them
feeling defeated and let down after they miss one day of exercise in the first
week. I too have fallen victim to this as well in the past, but have found an
easy solution…start small. If you’re a “no exercise” person, begin by setting a
goal to exercise one day this week, then two days next week and so on. By
creating small changes in your daily routine I have found people are more
successful and can celebrate the small victories at the end of the week.
2. Make a Plan
The worst
thing someone can do is decide on a habit they want to change and have no idea
of how they plan on making it happen. While researching Lally’s original work,
I came across another publication that had a planning worksheet that could help
an individual organize thoughts and document progress. I decided to use the
sheet to help with my “spring resolution” planning. The tool was simple and
easy to use and so far has been very helpful in documenting my progress. For
many of our readers out there, the planning tool may be something you can do
with a caregiver or loved one so that together you can be on the same page.
Here’s the address to the tool and article
3. Don’t Get Discouraged
66 days is a long time
and everyone will likely have a day they miss on their path towards developing
a healthy habit. Don’t let this get you discouraged! The research also found
that missing a day or two did not seem to affect an individual’s eventual
success. Now this isn’t to say missing multiple consecutive days won’t hinder
your habit formation, but a slip up every now and then is no big deal. If
anything, use the missed day as a time to reflect on what went wrong and
re-evaluate your plan for the future.
In the end we all have some
things about our lives that we would like to see changed and some habits that
may make us healthier and happier people. I hope these hints will lead you down
a path of success and assist you in meeting your goals. And don’t forget, you
always have the staff at re-active to help you along your way.
References
Lally, Phillippa, et al. "How are
habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world." European Journal of Social
Psychology 40.6 (2010):
998-1009.
Looking for some help in creating healthy habits--check us out at www.reactivept.com
Looking for some help in creating healthy habits--check us out at www.reactivept.com
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