How To Kick Bad Health Habits
If you’re reading this, then you’re likely human, and if you’re a human, you probably have a habit you’d like to break or make.
However, forming habits and routines can be difficult, especially if they go against what we’re accustomed to. As you read, you’ll notice we’re talking a lot about health-related habits, but really these tips can be applied to any negative habits you’d like to break.
RECOGNIZE HABITS YOU ALREADY HAVE
First, what is a habit? A habit is a regular, settled tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.
It’s important first to recognize habits you already maintain. These can be either positive or negative, but take a moment to mentally walk through your day and map out your routine. Some habits can include hitting the snooze button, going on walks after meals, what you eat for breakfast (if you eat breakfast), how you take your coffee, and so much more. Even the way that you interact with your family and friends can be habitual in nature.
Once you have a list of habits you have, take a moment to analyze them. What do these habits do for you?
It’s important to be positive during this process, you want to identify the need or want that you’re getting out of this habit.
For example, what if you said ‘I walk my dog every morning within fifteen minutes of waking up’. This habit is generally positive and provides a few benefits: exercise (for you and your dog), improved mood, and bonding with your dog.
Sometimes though, this habit can make you late for the rest of your routine and interfere with new habits that you would like to establish in the morning. You may find this is the case with your existing habits. If you come home and immediately watch TV, you may lose track of time and not make dinner. This can lead to unhealthy food choices and over time, impact your long-term health.
Let’s take a look at the needs or wants that you fulfill as a result of watching TV. Maybe you’re tired after a long day at work, and this helps you unwind and relax. The show that you regularly watch could also be a show you and your coworkers like to talk about. This can help you engage with others and feel human connection. These are positives that come from the habit of watching your show, but it’s impacting health goals you may have.
So, let’s figure out a way to leverage your existing habit for establishing a new habit.
One great habit to establish is cooking meals at home. There a few ways you can accomplish this:
- Prepare meals over the weekend when you have energy, so you only need to heat them up when you’re tired after work.
- Make cooking a priority as soon as you walk through the door. Reward yourself by watching TV while you enjoy your meal.
- Watch a cooking show on your phone or TV and follow along in the kitchen.
There are a number of ways you can lean into current habits to make your life healthier. It’s so much easier to work with your existing habits to help satisfy your needs and wants.
USE THE SMART METHOD AND WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR
Another method for setting goals is through the SMART method. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
In our cooking example, you can say you want to cook one meal a night. Your recipes will come from a healthy cookbook and you will start cooking within 15 minutes of coming home after work.
This is a specific, measurable, time-bound goal that’s relevant to your overall goal of eating healthier. I’d also say it’s pretty attainable. If you want more information about using the SMART method for exercise and diet goals, Dr. Warner has you covered.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Meredith Warner is the creator of Well Theory and The Healing Sole. She is a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Air Force Veteran.
She is on a mission to disrupt traditional medicine practices and promote betterment physically, spiritually and mentally to many more people. She advocates for wellness and functional health over big pharma so more people can age vibrantly with more function and less pain.
At Well Theory, Our surgeon-designed products are FDA Registered and formulated to help people:
- Manage the symptoms of musculoskeletal pain
- Recover vibrantly from orthopedic related surgeries
- Fill the gaps in our daily diets
- Manage pain associated with inflammation