How to build healthy habits

Habits are usually routine things you do without thinking about them. Good examples include brushing your teeth, locking your door, or taking your vitamins and medications each day.

Some more examples of healthy habits include:

• Going to bed at the same time each night
• Having a healthy breakfast every morning
• Walking or exercising for at least 30 minutes a day

Habits can be difficult to build at first. But it's worth it – the benefits of building healthy habits are exponential as you age.

Here are some practical tips to help you create lasting healthy habits.

1. Start small

Making big lifestyle changes can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on trying small, manageable changes that you can sustain over time.

E.g. If you want to exercise every day, begin by committing to 10 minutes of light exercise you enjoy each morning.

2. Define what success is for you 

It’s important to be specific about what you would like to accomplish.

For example:

• A goal to improve your balance and prevent falls is great, but this doesn't tell you what it means to succeed. Instead, you could aim to complete 30 minutes of balance exercises per week. Then pat yourself on the back when you achieve that clear goal!
• Telling yourself you need to 'eat healthier' is also fine, but not necessarily enough. You need to know what nutrients to look for, and what to avoid. Set yourself clear goals, such as aiming for your 3 fruit and 5 veg a day, and replacing sugary drinks with sugar-free.

Clear definitions help make your goals attainable.

3. Make a plan

Achieving your goals is more likely to happen if you develop a plan that outlines when you’ll work towards that goal. This allows you to stack new habits onto old habits, which helps the new ones stick.

For example:

• If you plan to complete 30 minutes of balance exercises per week, you could decide to do your exercises each morning after breakfast. This can help create a mental link between breakfast and exercise, which makes sticking to your new habit easier.
• It's also much easier to eat healthier if you plan your meals with a weekly meal planner such as this one:

4. Be prepared

You're more likely to work towards your goals with healthy habits when you can see the things you need to complete them.

For example:

• Keep an exercise mat and water bottle in a visible place (such as by the breakfast table) so that it reminds you to complete your exercises when you want to complete them.
• Use your meal planner to buy groceries and prepare your food ahead of time. When it's time to eat your healthy meal, all the components will be ready for you to put together or reheat with minimal effort. This makes it so much easier to stick to what you've decided to do (and less likely to impulse buy junk food)!

5. Track your progress 

Keeping track of your habit building can help you see your progress and stay motivated.

Habit tracking is simply recording the new habits you’re trying.

E.g. If you're trying to develop a habit to walk 30 minutes a day, you could record each day you completed that goal on your calendar.

6. Celebrate your progress 

If you track your progress, over time you’ll be able to see how successful you have been in achieving your goal, and what factors might be in play on days when you haven’t been able to stick to your plan.

Remember, it's not about being perfect, but about making progress each day.

Set yourself a reminder to celebrate when you hit your goals to keep you motivated!

7. Be accountable 

Holding yourself accountable can help you maintain your habits.

You can do this by telling someone what you’re doing and sharing your progress with them to help you stay on track. Find a workout buddy, check in with other friends making similar changes to their habits, or join a group.

8. Enjoy the ride

Another way to stay on track is ‘temptation bundling’.

The idea is to allow yourself to have some fun while you’re working on your new habit.

E.g. Turn up your favourite music when you’re doing your balance exercises. This creates a mental link between your new habit and pleasure, so you’re more likely to stick to it.

9. Be flexible 

Forming healthy habits can make your routine a bit boring. Mixing it up can help you maintain your progress.

Try doing something new, change the time or venue of a habit, or go a little outside of your comfort zone to make it more interesting.

Using your imagination is a great way to stick to new habits and keep your brain healthy.  

10. Don't be too hard on yourself

Be kind to yourself! If you don’t turn up every now and then, enjoy having a rest instead. Don’t let it throw you off track! Take the rest day in your stride, do something nice instead if you can, and don’t beat yourself up. There’s always next time!

Bonus tip! 

Talk to others and encourage them to join you! If you’ve found great ways to start and stick to new healthy habits, share your experience with others!

Join our Facebook Group ConnectUp and chat to other like-minded people about what you’ve been up to, chat to friends about what you’ve learnt, or support others in making some changes that will help them too. You could be a positive influence on others and even create your own healthy ageing community!

Get in touch with LiveUp

If you need more information, take the LiveUp quiz or get in touch with one of our helpful team on 1800 951 971.

References

Kirgios, E. L., Mandel, G. H., Park, Y., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., Kay, J. S., & Duckworth, A. L. (2020). Teaching temptation bundling to boost exercise: A field experiment. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 162, 271–286. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074959782030385X 

Clear, J. The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and how to track your habits. https://jamesclear.com/habit-tracker 

Clear, J. Habit stacking: How to build new habits by taking advantage of old ones. https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking 

How to use this information

LiveUp provides free information to help you make informed decisions about your health. This information is for general and educational purposes only, is not intended to provide a comprehensive guide, and does not replace medical advice. Everyone is different, so some of these tips may work better for you than others. You should use your own judgment and seek medical advice when applying this information to yourself, to determine if it is suitable in your circumstances. Your use of, or reliance on, this information is solely at your own risk. Independent Living Assessment Incorporated is not responsible or liable for any injury, loss, or damage caused as a result of your use of, or reliance on, this information.

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