Your Complete Guide to Making Healthy Habits
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Updated July 01, 2014.
Despite our efforts to be mindful and fully aware of our actions every day, unconscious behaviors tend to rule. In fact, researchers estimate that about half of what we do is governed by habit; actions repeated so often and in such similar contexts that they've become virtually automatic. So if good intentions and goals play such a small role, how can you make sure your lifestyle is a healthy one, based on habits which promote your longevity? Read on!
Healthy habits are really the mainstay of a lifestyle that will help you age slowly, avoiding disability as the years go by. You can make the task of building habits a bit easier by investing time early in the process, and creating a kind of roadmap first. The US National Institutes of Health suggest a three-point approach, with preparation, action and maintenance phases. Prepare for a goal by considering the pros and cons of the habit you're trying to establish, and be realistic about the potential stumbling blocks you may encounter. Tracking your progress in a journal can help you identify which circumstances interfere with or support your new actions. Maintaining your fresh habit can be challenging once the initial motivation - and diligence - wear off, so try and be attentive if a change in routine or boredom derail your efforts. Have a plan to reestablish that habit and cheer yourself on for making the effort!More »
While you may know the general areas you're trying to improve - eating a plant-based anti-aging Mediterranean diet or getting enough regular exercise, for example - knowing which first steps to take can be a challenge. Why not pick one small behavior you can easily work into your day that will get you moving in the right direction? Here's a list of easy longevity "shortcuts" to get you started, from getting more fruits and vegetables in a morning smoothie, to making one quick call to a friend for that stress-relieving social connection we all need.
We know that eating junk food or watching too much TV could be hurting our health. Outside of addictive habits like smoking or drinking beyond moderation, just spending hours online or exercising too little can have a profound effect on what we eat, how fit we are, and our health in general. So how do you break a habit that you know is bad for you? After you've identified the poor habit you'd like to stop, take a moment to examine the circumstances, location, or time of day that tend to trigger it. Then look at the routine which keeps it firmly entrenched, along with the hidden payoff (like stress relief, or distraction from work) that the less-than-desirable behavior delivers, and you'll be much more likely to swap a bad habit for a better one.
Conventional wisdom declares that a habit takes 28 days before it's firmly rooted in your daily routine. But research out of the United Kingdom suggests it can take much longer than that. Published in the European Journal of Social Psychology in 2010, the study looked at the time it took for habits like eating a piece of fruit with lunch or exercising 15 minutes before dinner to become automatic, thus requiring little thought or conscious effort. The average duration was 66 days, though it ranged from a minimum of 18 days, to a maximum of 254 (more than 8 months!) The lesson? Behavior change can be time-consuming, but if you create a routine that supports the healthy behavior, and anticipate events that might short-circuit your efforts, those healthy habits are more likely to last over the long term.More »
When it comes to living a healthier lifestyle, it's never too late to make major changes, or minor tweaks. Research published in The American Journal of Medicine reveals that adopting a number of beneficial lifestyle habits like eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, or getting at least 2.5 hours of exercise a week resulted in a significant drop in the risk of heart disease and overall mortality in just four years. This held true even for subjects who didn't make the leap to healthy habits until they were in their mid-50s. While adopting a better lifestyle will yield more health benefits the earlier we do it, our bodies remain remarkably resilient and benefits can be gained no matter at what age.More »
As good lifestyle habits become established, they proceed without much attention - but even the most diligent among us need a motivational push now and then to keep our healthy behaviors on track. Visualizing yourself easily adhering to your exercise or nutritional plan through self-hypnosis or meditation can help, as can more unusual techniques like perusing photos of what you might look like in the future. If going it alone saps your energy, try hooking up with a buddy to share goals, strategies and support, and to keep things fun.
Bottom line: Our brains are wired to relegate as much of our daily behavior as possible to the realm of unconscious routine. With a bit of work we can make sure our habits are working for our longevity, rather than against it.
Sources:
Dana E King, Arch G Mainous, Mark E Geesey. "Turning Back the Clock: Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle in Middle Age." American Journal of Medicine (2007) 120, 598-603. Also: Interview with the lead author conducted February 6, 2013
David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, Mengju Wu and David Kurlander. "The Pull of the Past: When Do Habits Persist Despite Conflict With Motives?" Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2011 37: 1428.
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ipham/docs/WW_WIP20130122_Habits.pdf
Phllippa Lally, Cornelia H M Van Jaarsveld, Henry W W Potts and Jane Wardle. "How are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World." European Journal of Social Psychology 40; 998-1009 (2010).More »
Updated July 01, 2014.
Despite our efforts to be mindful and fully aware of our actions every day, unconscious behaviors tend to rule. In fact, researchers estimate that about half of what we do is governed by habit; actions repeated so often and in such similar contexts that they've become virtually automatic. So if good intentions and goals play such a small role, how can you make sure your lifestyle is a healthy one, based on habits which promote your longevity? Read on!
How to Build a Healthy Habit
Healthy habits are really the mainstay of a lifestyle that will help you age slowly, avoiding disability as the years go by. You can make the task of building habits a bit easier by investing time early in the process, and creating a kind of roadmap first. The US National Institutes of Health suggest a three-point approach, with preparation, action and maintenance phases. Prepare for a goal by considering the pros and cons of the habit you're trying to establish, and be realistic about the potential stumbling blocks you may encounter. Tracking your progress in a journal can help you identify which circumstances interfere with or support your new actions. Maintaining your fresh habit can be challenging once the initial motivation - and diligence - wear off, so try and be attentive if a change in routine or boredom derail your efforts. Have a plan to reestablish that habit and cheer yourself on for making the effort!More »
Top 5 Habits for Healthy Aging
While you may know the general areas you're trying to improve - eating a plant-based anti-aging Mediterranean diet or getting enough regular exercise, for example - knowing which first steps to take can be a challenge. Why not pick one small behavior you can easily work into your day that will get you moving in the right direction? Here's a list of easy longevity "shortcuts" to get you started, from getting more fruits and vegetables in a morning smoothie, to making one quick call to a friend for that stress-relieving social connection we all need.
- Read more: Fix yourself an anti-aging breakfast
How to Break a Bad Habit
We know that eating junk food or watching too much TV could be hurting our health. Outside of addictive habits like smoking or drinking beyond moderation, just spending hours online or exercising too little can have a profound effect on what we eat, how fit we are, and our health in general. So how do you break a habit that you know is bad for you? After you've identified the poor habit you'd like to stop, take a moment to examine the circumstances, location, or time of day that tend to trigger it. Then look at the routine which keeps it firmly entrenched, along with the hidden payoff (like stress relief, or distraction from work) that the less-than-desirable behavior delivers, and you'll be much more likely to swap a bad habit for a better one.
- Read more: Why are bad habits so tough to break?
Which Habits to Quit
We usually know which actions are taking time away from healthy behaviors, or those which are simply annoying. Beyond biting your nails, checking your phone too often, or grabbing a pastry from the vending machine when your energy dips in the middle of the day, here's a list of habits that could have a serious impact on your lifespan. Find out the top 10 things to stop doing, for better longevity.More »
How Long Does it Take to Make - or Break - A Habit?
Conventional wisdom declares that a habit takes 28 days before it's firmly rooted in your daily routine. But research out of the United Kingdom suggests it can take much longer than that. Published in the European Journal of Social Psychology in 2010, the study looked at the time it took for habits like eating a piece of fruit with lunch or exercising 15 minutes before dinner to become automatic, thus requiring little thought or conscious effort. The average duration was 66 days, though it ranged from a minimum of 18 days, to a maximum of 254 (more than 8 months!) The lesson? Behavior change can be time-consuming, but if you create a routine that supports the healthy behavior, and anticipate events that might short-circuit your efforts, those healthy habits are more likely to last over the long term.More »
Is It Ever Too Late to Start Healthy Habits?
When it comes to living a healthier lifestyle, it's never too late to make major changes, or minor tweaks. Research published in The American Journal of Medicine reveals that adopting a number of beneficial lifestyle habits like eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, or getting at least 2.5 hours of exercise a week resulted in a significant drop in the risk of heart disease and overall mortality in just four years. This held true even for subjects who didn't make the leap to healthy habits until they were in their mid-50s. While adopting a better lifestyle will yield more health benefits the earlier we do it, our bodies remain remarkably resilient and benefits can be gained no matter at what age.More »
Simple Ways to Get Motivated
As good lifestyle habits become established, they proceed without much attention - but even the most diligent among us need a motivational push now and then to keep our healthy behaviors on track. Visualizing yourself easily adhering to your exercise or nutritional plan through self-hypnosis or meditation can help, as can more unusual techniques like perusing photos of what you might look like in the future. If going it alone saps your energy, try hooking up with a buddy to share goals, strategies and support, and to keep things fun.
Bottom line: Our brains are wired to relegate as much of our daily behavior as possible to the realm of unconscious routine. With a bit of work we can make sure our habits are working for our longevity, rather than against it.
Sources:
Dana E King, Arch G Mainous, Mark E Geesey. "Turning Back the Clock: Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle in Middle Age." American Journal of Medicine (2007) 120, 598-603. Also: Interview with the lead author conducted February 6, 2013
David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, Mengju Wu and David Kurlander. "The Pull of the Past: When Do Habits Persist Despite Conflict With Motives?" Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2011 37: 1428.
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ipham/docs/WW_WIP20130122_Habits.pdf
Phllippa Lally, Cornelia H M Van Jaarsveld, Henry W W Potts and Jane Wardle. "How are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World." European Journal of Social Psychology 40; 998-1009 (2010).More »