5 Ways to Make Habits Stick

Habits occur when we repeat a behaviour so often that it gets moved from our conscious brain into our subconscious brain.

The magic occurs when these habits are helpful to our long term health and well being . a classic example is brushing our teeth or putting on a seat belt. The wonderful thing about habits like this is there is no internal dialogue. There is no umming and hahing. They just happen - Huzzah!

A few years I took my daughter's slightly naughty pony to a lovely horse trainer. The pony was rearing which is unsafe for a child. The pony had developed bad habits. He set us up with a great mantra

"Make the right easy.
Make the wrong thing hard"

We have expanded on this. The right thing is the thing that is helpful to your health (like eating well, going to bed on time)The wrong thing is things that harm your health or stop you from doing the right thing (eg scrolling on your phone, eating junk food.

5 Ways to Make Habits Stick

#1 - Make the Right Thing Simple

This concept leverages the power of small steps. Rather than focus on the overall big habit change. Focus on the first small step you need to do.

Examples of this are having your exercise clothes ready to put on first thing in the morning or deciding that you are only going to commit to walk for 5 minutes (most people will walk longer).

#2 - Make the Right Thing More Enjoyable

This why people buy fancy exercise clothes because putting them on ads to the enjoyment of exercise. This is why I swim in a warm pool rather than a cold pool.

Another idea is to save a podcast to listen to on a walk. This is why low carb food works so well because it is tasty and full of flavour (as opposed to a salad covered in vinegar).

#3 - Remove Any Barriers to Doing the Right Thing

If there is something you want to achieve but you aren't doing it, identify the things stopping you. For example, if you want to get up and go for a walk but find yourself checking Wordle and playing games on your phone, then put your phone in another room.

Another example is if you want to go to bed but find yourself stuck in the chair watching Netflix and the thought of getting changed, washing your face and brushing your teeth all feel too hard, then make it a rule that you get ready for bed before switching on the telly.

#4 - Pair the Right Thing with an Existing Habit

Most of us already have an existing habit. Adding a new one that links to an existing one is an effective strategy. A few weeks ago we suggested standing on one foot while you brush your teeth. This is an example of habit stacking.

Another one is if you have a coffee every morning then add one minute of meditation following this coffee.

#5 - Accountability

A new habit is not automatic. The neural pathway is not established and the rewards often are not immediate. This is where people don't always follow through. An effective strategy is to add some external accountability until the habit is automatic. Ways to get accountability are to document it on a calendar or in a diary.

Other ideas include a contract with yourself which might look like this- Have a reward if you follow through. eg "I will get a massage when I strung 10 days of low carb eating in a row". and consequence if you don't eg " If I don't achieve this goal, I will donate $100 to charity".

With love

Dr Lucy and Dr Mary XX

Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy are the founders of Real Life Medicine. They help women who have been on every diet under the sun, optimise their health and achieve long lasting weight loss without feeling miserable or deprived.

They do this with their 3 step framework that

• Improves metabolism
• Develops mindset skills
• Provides tools to implement it easily into busy lives

With this comes increased energy, vitality and confidence.

You can avoid chronic disease and stop living life on the sidelines!