Making New Habits Easier
“This is a long one, so grab a cuppa and get comfortable😊”
There are usually many different ways to achieve your health goals. For example, if you want to improve your gut health, you may need to:
Improve your stress resilience and associated nutrients
Change the variety of food you eat
Support the function of the gut – breaking down foods, motility, improving vagus nerve tone, etc
Support microorganism diversity and balance in your small and large intestine
Etc etc.
The best approach (or a combination thereof) is based on your history and symptoms.
Developing new habits is one consistent factor in any change, including improving your gut health. Habits are actions you do consistently over an extended period of time.
Failing to develop new habits can be the sole reason someone does not achieve their goals. They have the ability, knowledge, and support but don’t change consistently to create better health.
Here are a few tips to help you develop new consistent healthy habits:
It is challenging at first. You not only need to let go of old habits but be aware and consistent in developing new ones. You may encounter challenges you did not anticipate, such as losing the support of key people. Creating new habits is not easy at first, but you must overcome this difficulty. There is no other way to say this, but you need to suck it up and stick with it. It will get easier, I promise.
Habit linking - it is easier to link a new habit with an existing one. We all brush our teeth twice a day, at least. I often recommend taking new supplements when you brush your teeth. I have just as many supplements in my ensuite medicine cabinet as I do creams and lotions…maybe more now that I think about it. Why? Because I brush my teeth and then take my supplements each morning and night.
Make it obvious – at first, there is the simple awareness or reminder to do something new. This is where people get off on the wrong foot – they forget. Forgetting is especially true in highly stressed people. Therefore, you may want to leave your herbal tonic on the counter, so you see the bottle as a reminder to take it. You may leave a glass of water next to your monitor at work, so again you see the glass, which triggers you to drink more water. You can set up notifications on your phone to remind you to drink more water, take a break, get outside, and eat.
Make it easy – planning is the number one way to change your diet. If you don’t plan, you will revert to old habits as they are familiar and easy, but maybe not so healthy. Create a menu, go shopping, and prep your food ahead of time. Look at the menu before you go to the restaurant so you can choose your meal before you even sit down to eat with your friends and family. Put a set of gym clothes and shoes in the boot of your car so you can get to the gym or take a walk at any time. Buy yourself a new water bottle. If you plan, you are more likely to implement new habits more easily.
Be kind to yourself – you are literally rewiring your brain when you create new habits. The brain prefers the existing way as it is known and, therefore, safe and pleasurable even. If you fail, then try again as soon as possible. If you forget your morning supplements, be sure to take your evening ones. If you get caught out (failed to plan) and eat based on old habits, then eat based on your new habits the very next time you eat. Don’t wallow in self-pity; get back to your new habits at the very next opportunity.
Be honest – there are a myriad of ways to achieve your health goals. For example, you may want to exercise regularly. So you get up early three times a week but find it easier to exercise at night on the way home from work. You may find taking a capsule easier than taking a powder supplement. Any new habit is hard, but there are times when the WAY we are changing is more challenging than it needs to be. I recommend trying a new approach for at least two weeks before changing to overcome the inherent difficulty of new habit formation.
The other side of being honest is your self-talk. People often tell me, “I am just not a compliant person” or “I can’t remember to do X.” You are setting yourself up to fail with the sort of language. You are very capable of making changes – every single person can make changes. By labelling yourself as not compliant or not incapable of remembering, you are saying that the change is not a priority. That’s fine, but be honest. Failing to make changes is not about ability; it is about priorities.
As someone who is making new healthy habits, I am finding this to be challenging still as I enter my fourth month. But each week is more manageable. I learn a tip or hint to make change easier. I feel better, so I am more motivated to keep going. I have setbacks, but I get back into it. I forgive myself when I revert to old habits. In the first four weeks, I was not sure I wanted to make these changes, to be very honest with you. But I kept asking myself a few questions:
Did my previous approach (and therefore habits) work? Nope, so I needed a new one(s)
Did I give it my absolute 100% effort? If not, then I am to blame, not the process. Try again.
If I don’t make these changes, what is the alternative? Is this acceptable – the answer is always no.
These questions keep me going. And yes, it was hard at first, but it gets better each week. And each week, I am closer to achieving my health goals.
Keep in mind the above points when creating new healthy habits. And reach out if you want guidance and support to make new habits easier.