Creating lasting healthy habits
Why is it so hard to quit smoking, go to the gym, practice safe sex, or eat healthy? Everyone knows these things are healthy and yet many of us struggle to commit.
The best place to start is exactly where you.
Be honest with yourself when assessing how you feel about making an upcoming change. Prochaska and DiClemente (1983) developed the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior that outlines five stages of change: 1. Precontemplation, 2. Contemplation, 3. Preparation, 4. Action, 5. Maintenance. At the first stage you have not really considered making the change. In stage two you are flirting with the idea. In stage three you are fully preparing (i.e. throwing out your extra cigarettes, or packing your gym bag, or throwing out junk food, etc.). In the fourth stage, you are making steps towards the change, and once that change is in place, you may find yourself in the fifth stage where you are working to maintain the change. Change is a process, and you have to start somewhere. Also, you may find that you do not take a linear path through the stages and that is OK too!
Pre-Contemplative Stage: Why bother?
This is important. There are many reasons why you may want to make a change and it is essential that you get in touch with them. Linking a behavior to an underlying value is like finding an unlimited supply of fuel. Consider what is authentic to you, not what your doctor, spouse, mother, or society would say. Are you doing this because you value health, want to set a good example for a family member, for financial security, attractiveness? When you find yourself struggling to commit to a change or maintain it, remind yourself of these deep-seated reasons. What might you say to yourself to help trigger your motivation?
Build motivation by projecting into the future
Challenge yourself to imagine how your life would be different if you made the change versus if you did not make the change. Then project out 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. How would it impact your friends, family, finances, health, and livelihood?
Preparation Stage: Set yourself up for success
The trouble with motivation is that it waxes and wanes and never seems to show up when you need it, particularly if you are struggling with low mood. And so, if you are waiting for inspiration to strike, you may be waiting forever. Here are some ways to stay focused:
1. Incentives! Reward yourself, choose a small reward for short term gains and a larger reward for long term gains. Choosing a reward is very subjective- it must be easily attained, personally valuable, and consistent with your overall goal (obviously a cookie is not a good reward for eating healthy!).
2. Link change to a very specific, routine behavior. This will help you build a lasting habit. For example, let’s say you wanted to start stretching. You could link stretching to your morning bathroom routine. Immediately after exiting the bathroom, you stretch for five minutes. This removes the temperamental variable of motivation and willpower and creates lasting habits.
3. Prepare your environment. If you want to quit smoking, throw out all reminders of smoking so you will not be triggered. If you want to eat healthy, remove junk food from your home. If you want to go to the gym, research gyms and find one near you, and then pack a gym bag and put it by your door.
Action Stage: Goal setting
A SMART goal is a goal that meets a very specific set of criteria. SMART is an acronym that stands for the following:
S = Specific: Make sure there is no ambiguity.
M = Measurable: Provide clear specifics of how much you will do.
A = Attainable: You should feel at least 70% confident that you will accomplish the goal. Any less and you should scale back the goal. You want to be successful so you can build your momentum. However, if the goal is 100% attainable, you want to scale up to give yourself more of a challenge.
R = Relevant: This goes back to the question of values. If this is not something you care about, why bother? Maybe it is time to choose a different goal.
T = Time-specific: Be clear on exactly when you will complete the goal.
Here is an example of a goal that is NOT SMART: “I will be healthier by the end of next year.” In contrast, a SMART goal would state: “I will start walking three times per week for 15 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays immediately after I drop my son off at school, starting this Monday. This goal is SMART because there is no ambiguity. At the end of the week, we will know if the goal has been met.
Whenever committing to an action, in the words of Yoda, “Do or do not do, there is no try.” If it is too dauting of a change, then recalibrate your SMART goal by scaling back. Think of committing to action like jumping into a pool. You can start at the poolside or jump from an Olympic high-dive, either way, the actual act of jumping looks identical. You are moving in the right direction- a jump is a jump is a jump- and you can decide when you are ready to commit to the jump!
MAINTENENCE stage:
Once you have made a change you enter the maintenance stage, where you might start to reap the benefits of intrinsic rewards. These are the rewards from the behavior itself. For example, while eating healthy is not always enjoyable or easy at first, you may build momentum when you get natural rewards after a few weeks, such as: more energy, improved focus, and a healthier body.
Or, maybe you are finding that you are struggling to stick with your SMART goals. Remember that change is a process and relapses may be part of that journey. Try to approach any set-backs with curiosity instead of condemnation. This will help you be more objective and learn from the experience. Every obstacle is an opportunity to find a better solution. So be patient, remember why you want to change, take steps to prepare for that change, and then commit to action! Best wishes on what is likely to be bumpy but worthwhile ride.