3 Tips To Make Healthy Habits Stick

Written by: Shaniece Benson, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

We all have the best intentions when we set goals and resolutions to create healthier habits. You may start well with creating new habits, but find that over time they just slowly get replaced with your older, more established unhealthy habits, and you give up.

The reason many people fail in making new healthy habits stick is because they do not properly support them. It is not enough to want to make changes; you need to make a plan that supports these new habits. There is a lot of research that can support you in successfully creating new healthy habits that become a part of your life.

3 Tips To Make Healthy Habits Stick

1. Understand Your Habits

Habits or rituals are behaviors that we all perform automatically. Habits such as getting up in the morning, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, drinking water, and we are able to follow our daily routines without having to think much about what we are doing. Our habits help our brains run better so there is more energy available for more complex things like problem-solving, learning, and communication.

Experts say one of the best ways to create new habits is to tie them to an existing habit. Take a look at your routine and the habits you already have they are great cues to help you fit in a new habit. For example, when you have your morning coffee it’s a great time to place a 5-minute journaling practice or maybe you fit in a 10-minute workout after your coffee. When you brush your teeth, you may want to practice mindfulness or get some squats in. Before you watch some tv or cook dinner you can do 10 minutes of yoga or exercise. Morning and evening routines are good places to fit in new healthy habits.

2. Make a Plan

When we fail to plan we plan to fail. Research says it's important to not make too many changes at one time, pick one or two new goals so you do not overwhelm your system. Also, make sure they are SMART habits meaning they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Start with small changes you know you can do and may add up to a larger goal over time as the habit gets formed.

Take the time to write out your goals and to have clear reminders of when you will start the new habit. Having a clear plan will make it easier for these new habits to stick. There are also many free apps that can help you with creating habits and reminding you to follow them.

3. Be Accountable To Yourself

You cannot just rely on motivation to help you create new healthy habits. There will be lots of times that you do not feel like following the plan, and this is when you must do it from a place of compassion and care for yourself.

Often, we would never want to let other people down, but too often we let ourselves down, but you can change that. No one is more important than you in your life, and it's time to treat yourself like someone you really love and care about.

When part of you does not feel like sticking to the new healthy habit, instead of giving in to this impulse, take yourself by the hand and walk yourself through it even though parts of you might resist it, you are stronger than those parts.

It’s like a child who does not want to eat vegetables or go to bed on time. If you just let that child do what they want, it would be an unkind act. The most caring and loving act is to talk the child through it and get them to do the things that are good for them even when they do not want to.

You need to be this parent for these parts of you that do not want to. Give yourself healthy rewards and internal praise for taking those steps.

Bonus Tip: Hire a Coach

It can be difficult to create new habits on your own and make them stick, but with a coach, it can be a lot easier. Having someone who has the knowledge and tools that will set you up for success and keep you accountable along the way. A coach can give you the extra boost you need to make permeant healthy changes. Sometimes we don’t even know how to approach making healthy changes or what areas of our life we should change to boost our health and well-being. Coaches can help you identify these areas and give you the support you need to address them and make positive changes.

You deserve to feel good in life and to be filled with happiness, but for that to happen you have to take care of yourself, and creating healthy habits is part of it. Sticking to them is an act of love and self-compassion. Don’t do it for anyone else, do it for yourself, and you will have more joy in your life.

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Read more from Shaniece!

Shaniece Benson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Shaniece is a High-Performance Fitness & Lifestyle Coach who empowers busy professionals to step into success through her 1:1 fitness training & lifestyle coaching. 

Featured in Southern New Hampshire University, SDVoyager, SHOUTOUT SOCAL, and Zovio for her unique and effective ways of tackling limiting beliefs and creating a new regime to feel good from the inside out. 

Inspired by a drive to change the narrative of familial history connected to a variety of health conditions, Shaniece began to change some habits and fall in love with fitness. 

In doing so, she noticed a dramatic shift not only in her physical but also in her mental health. With her energy levels soaring and confidence boosted, Shaniece wanted to shout from the rooftops how incredibly great this all felt; and how simple it could be for others to do the same. 

Thus, BloombyShaniece was born, a blog specifically designed to share content that would help women grow and embrace their true potential. She later began to work with professionals from an array of backgrounds in helping them not only to lose weight but also to encourage them to live an all-around healthier lifestyle. With training and coaching sessions specifically tailored to individual needs, Shaniece empowers her clients by informing, supporting, and celebrating them in making big changes as they embark on the journey of living their best lives.