5 ways to develop healthy habits

Why is it that bad habits always seem so much easier to keep? If only it were as easy to run a mile as it was to eat an extra cookie or splurge on an expensive purchase! As the you head into the new year, put yourself on the path toward healthy habits with these ideas.

Understand what’s important

The first step toward developing a healthy habit is to determine what separates healthy behavior from its unhealthy counterpart. Things like smoking and drinking too much naturally rise to the top of the unhealthy list, but behaviors like sitting for too long or spending too much time staring at a computer screen are less obvious. Spend an entire day or week writing down everything you do and then reflect on what needs to be improved. Once you’ve separated the good from the bad, you can start coming up with a plan of attack to create new, healthy habits.

Plan ahead

The most sure-fire way to help you stay on track is to do things early. That could mean working out first thing in the morning when there’s less likely to be other demands on your time. Or maybe preparing dinner for the week on Sunday so you are not tempted to hit the drive-thru on your way home from work. Either way, a solid plan will help keep you in check.

Use triggers

Put a little psychology to work for you. Triggers are stimuli that prompt an action, good or bad. With some dedication, it’s possible to turn negative triggers into positive ones. For example, if a stressful meeting at work used to mean going for a donut in the office kitchen, take a walk around the building instead. You may not feel as rewarded in the short term, but you will in the long run as you start to make a permanent behavior change.

Practice makes perfect

Once you have identified your changes, planned for them in your life, and turned your triggers around, the only thing left to do is practice, practice, practice. The more you do something, the more it will sink in. Like anything new you learn, it’s not going to be perfect every time.

Give yourself a pat on the back

Rewarding yourself for a job well done is important, too! Just make sure your reward doesn’t set you back from the progress you’ve made.