Now that you have committed to a health goal, built up support and accountability, mapped out the steps to get you from where you are now to your health goal, and chosen your first SMART change to make, it’s time to turn that change into a habit.
My purpose with this step is to convince you that a) forming new habits is a skill to be practiced, and b) how long it takes to form a habit is not as important as knowing when the action has become a habit.
Let’s get started…
Quick to Be Awakened and Quick to Fall Asleep
Have you noticed that as a society we are quick to notice changes that should be made but then forget about them shortly after? Something a Pastor said resonates with me even today… He said that too often we are quick to be awakened to others’ needs yet quick to fall asleep to those needs. He was talking about injustices today, but I think we can also apply it to making changes in our own lives.
Over the past 25 years, obesity in America has doubled and several health conditions (such as heart failure, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer) are also on the rise. This has awakened many to the need for eating healthfully. However, when it comes to doing something about it, we quickly forget and revert back to old habits. But it’s so important for us to make wise, healthy lifestyle choices, especially when our health is at stake.
Pause: Heart check
You know, I hate being a hypocrite, so I have to just take a moment to say that I am convicted about this. I am not good at turning changes into habits.
It’s actually quite funny how there are plenty of ‘bad’ habits that weren’t so hard for me to form. But when it comes to replacing the ‘bad’ with the ‘good’, those ‘bad’ habits come back with a vengeance. Just when you think you’re in the clear, the real test comes.
I guess it’s true what they say… Old habits really do die hard.
The good news is you’re not alone! We’re in this together and we can overcome it. We can beat those statistics that say obesity and the diseases mentioned above will continue to rise.
To do just that, let’s break down what it’s going to take to turn your healthy lifestyle changes into habits.
What’s a Habit, Anyways?
If you look up ‘meaning of habit’, you’ll find lots of information out there. Warning, some is good information and some is clickbait. I found a few articles that do a good job in defining a habit.
In an article by Hull, et al., a habit is defined as something triggered by a certain situation and formed through repetition and reinforcement. In a study by Wood, et al., participants said a habit is when an action doesn’t take much thought to perform. (You can find the list of articles I found at the bottom of this post.)
So, a habit is an action you do without thinking, whether it’s intentional or not. Brushing your teeth is a good example, or eating something when you’re hungry. You don’t really think about those things, you just do it.
How Long Does it Take to Form a Habit?
One of the more popular questions I get is, how long does it take to form a habit?
According to a study by Lally and colleagues, it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit. However, the time to form a habit ranged from 18 days to 245 days amongst the participants in the study. If you google how many days it takes to form a habit, you will find all kinds of answers.
Why don’t we have an estimate on how long it takes to form a habit? Well, it’s complicated.
The problem with setting an expectation for when you’ll form a habit is twofold – not every habit is created equal and how you think, act, and respond is unique to you.
When I say that not every habit is created equal, I mean that there are many factors that come into play when forming a new habit.
For example, are you replacing an old habit? Or are you trying something completely new that you’ve never done before? Do new habits come easy to you, or do you have to work a lot harder to make them stick?
As you can see, forming habits is complicated because we are complicated. So let’s not worry about how long it will take. Let’s focus more on the signs of when an action has become a habit.
Strategy to Turn Change into Habit
Before giving you my own opinions about habits, I wanted to dig a little deeper into what the science says. After reading several articles, most of them said that it’s easier to replace an old habit than to stop an old habit.
Most also agreed that the best way to form a habit is to connect the action you want to a habit you already have. For example, if you want to eat more veggies, you could place the veggies in front of an item that you use frequently in the fridge. That way you see the veggies every time you reach to get that item out. Or if you want to cut down on sodas, put your healthier alternative in front of the sodas. This way, when you open the fridge to grab a soda out of habit, you are reminded of your desire to cut down on sodas.
Ultimately, you don’t just need a plan to make your change. You need to have a strategy on how to turn it into a habit. A change may happen a few times, but a habit will last a long time.
To Sum Up Step #4
Ok, so if you skipped to the bottom here’s what you missed…
- A habit is something you do without thinking
- There is no magic number of days to form a habit (Hence why you form habits and not do habits – do you see the difference there? It’s more than just an action)
- Turn a change into a habit by pairing the action with a habit you already have
What Now?
I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom: where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.* Notice it does not say where your heart is, there your treasure will be. Instead, you practice where you want your treasure to be and your heart will follow after.
The same goes for where we want to form habits – you practice the habit and your heart will follow after. What you can do now is to take note of the habits you already have.
How did they become habits? What was the most recent habit you made and how did you do it? What habits do you do now that you could pair with a habit you’re trying to start? Do you need to journal your progress or have an app to track how well you’re doing?
After you figure out the answers to those questions, you’re ready for the final step. You know what to do!
References
Statistics
Obesity: https://stateofobesity.org/obesity-rates-trends-overview/ (Figure at bottom of page)
Heart disease: http://newsroom.heart.org/news/latest-statistics-show-heart-failure-on-the-rise;-cardiovascular-diseases-remain-leading-killer
Diabetes: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf
Cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics
Psychology Journals
Gardner B, Lally P, Wardle J. Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2012;62(605):664-666. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.library.tamu.edu/pubmed/23211256
Hull, CL. Principles of behaviour: An introduction to behaviour theory. New York: Appleton-Century Crofts. 1943.
Judah G, Gardner B, Aunger R. Forming a flossing habit: An exploratory study of the psychological determinants of habit formation. Br J Health Psychol. 2013;18(2):338-353.
Lally P, Van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How habits are formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2010;40:998-1009. http://repositorio.ispa.pt/bitstream/10400.12/3364/1/IJSP_998-1009.pdf
Orbell S, Verplanken B. The automatic component of habit in health behavior: Habit as cue-contingent automaticity. Health Psychol. 2010;29(4):374-383.
Wood W, Quinn J, Kashy DA. Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion and action. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2002;83:1281–1297.
Other Sources
*Matthew 6:21, ESV