It’s January which means that motivation and goal making are at an all time high. Here is a breakdown of the seven most popular good habits people would like to form and the science behind making them happen.
Exercise
Exercise is like the golden key for your health which is why this is the top resolution made by Americans every year. It plays a huge role in the aspect of your well being that everyone holds to it as a habit worth forming. However, this is one of the hardest habits to form and takes a while to get it to stick. Most habits are known to take 28 days to form, studies show that it takes at least 66 days for a regular exercise habit to form. Even worse, seeing results is the biggest motivator for exercise but it takes a lot of time and work to actually see results.
To form the habit, and to see lasting results, try reducing friction and increasing motivation. One suggestion is to use a calendar, one you can hang in your gym locker, in your work out space, or one you can keep in your gym bag, and put a big X on the date every time you go to the gym. It encourages you to compete with yourself (“Hey, I went twice last week, this week I’ll go four times”) and allows you to be more honest with yourself and the work you’ve done. Also focus on going in, doing the work, and getting out. People who spend a lot of time measuring results through measurements and mirrors, are more likely to de-motivate themselves.
Reading
Most of us know that reading is good for our brains but find it hard to read consistently. Looking around it’s hard to find a conclusive point as far as ideal reading time, but there are a few that mention 30 minutes a day being a good place to start.
To form the habit the key is to pick books that are on a topic you enjoy. If you hate romance, don’t read one. If you love history, narrow it down to history period, subject matter and genre (biography, journalism, text book, ect.). It may take some time but you’ll figure out what you enjoy reading. When you sit down, don’t look at the whole book. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed. Start with 10 or 15 minute increments and work your way up to 30-45 minutes.
Flossing
Recent studies show that there is a link between gum health and heart health. It’s even suggested that taking care of your gums can help reduce the risk of having a stroke. Plus bad breath is always a downer.
Flossing is a habit that we often make harder than it should be. If you’re using a traditional floss, try using individual flossers instead such as Plackers. If you’re good about brushing your teeth try making yourself follow the rule “I must floss my teeth before I can brush them.” This creates a cue which helps achieve success when forming long term habits.
Sleeping
Many of us end up staying up to late goofing around on the computer or tossing and turning in bed. First you need to figure out what are the actual rules of sleeping. The 8 hour rules is now outdated and many experts say to toss it out the window. Researchers say that the time you need to sleep depends more on the person than the actual number of hours. In the end you need to figure out how to put yourself on a sleep schedule that works for you and helps you get good sleep leaving you refreshed in the morning.
Forming this habit has three options. Expend a lot of energy during the day- exercise in the afternoon to help deepen your sleep. But don’t exercise too late. Reduce time spent looking at LED backlit screens especially near bed time. Watch your caffeine, alcohol and cigarette intake. All three of these are pretty bad for sleeping. For more sleeping tips check out this article.
Eat Breakfast
The easiest way to form this habit is to make yourself a morning ritual. Grab your cup of coffee and your breakfast right after you wake-up and before you do anything else. You don’t have to do anything fancy. Grab a piece of fruit or a bagel this will train your body to eat before you do anything else.
Save Money
Budget. I cannot stress how important it is that before you can save even a penny you have to create a budget that works for your finances. You can set up automatic with drawls, alerts to help you know when your account is getting low or if you’ve gone over spending goals for the month.
Eating More Vegetables
Some people just can’t seem to stomach vegetables but we all know that a serving of fruits and vegetables makes for a healthy diet. In order to form this habit, decide what is really stopping you from eating your veggies.
If you just forget to eat them, or include them in your meals, start eating them before you meals. This will make it easier to remember them and you’ll have the added benefit of eating less of your main meal.
If you don’t enjoy eating vegetables, try different cooking methods. Mixing vegetables in with your meals can help mask the taste of some of the less desirable vegetables.
Four More Tips
Instead of forcing a habit into your life all at once, try breaking it into small chunks.
Remove the road blocks. If you realize you’re avoiding a certain part of the habit, find a way to remove that obstacle from your path.
Maintain accountability. Whether self accountability or finding an accoutabilibuddy, remaining in a relationship with discipline is key.
Focus on positive reinforcement. Don’t look at the fact that you haven’t lost a pound yet, focus that you’ve been going to the gym regularly for a certain amount of time, and reward accordingly.
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