The Change Challenge: 5 Strategies for Building Healthy Habits that Stick
UAB Medicine Office of Wellness
Dedicated to the wellness of individuals, teams, and the workplace at UAB Medicine
Creating and maintaining healthy habits can feel like an uphill battle for many of us. We start with great intentions, only to find our new routines slipping away after a few weeks. The key to long-lasting change lies in understanding the science of habit formation and using tools from behavioral medicine to foster consistency.
Let’s explore 5 evidence-based strategies for building healthy habits that stand the test of time:
1. Start small and be specific:
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to adopt new habits is aiming too high too soon. Instead of overhauling your entire lifestyle overnight, start with small, manageable changes. Start low and go slow! For example, if you want to eat healthier, begin by adding one serving of vegetables to your dinner each night rather than completely revamping your diet.
Another common pitfall is making goals too vague. Goals like “lose weight,” “get organized,” “get in shape,” and “eat better” all have the same problem – they aren’t specific enough to know when you’ve achieved your goal. A goal should be clear and specific enough that you can check it off a list.
Setting SMART goals – goals that are specific, measurable,attainable, relevant, and timebound – provides focus and structure to what you want to accomplish.
Example: “I want to exercise more.”
Replace with: “I will walk 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time. I will schedule these walks in advance on my calendar and check them off each week.”
Example: “I want to gain control of my finances.”
Replace this with: “I will set up a paycheck deduction each month such that 15% of my income automatically goes into my retirement account.”
2. Focus on process, not outcome:
Creating outcome-based goals often leads to frustration, reduced motivation, and abandoned efforts. For example, if you set a goal of losing 30 pounds in a year, but then the weight doesn’t come off in a predictable, linear fashion after a few weeks, you may become frustrated and prematurely quit healthy lifestyle changes due to perceived failure. How can you overcome this common resolution pitfall? Create a goal that is focused on a system or process for your goal.
Focusing on your system for habit change feels good because it is more in your control, whereas multiple factors out of your control could limit the ultimate outcome of your efforts. For example, you have more direct control of meeting a process-based goal of walking 3 miles at least 3 days a week (which increases internal motivation over time) than losing 30 pounds by the end of the year. And focusing on the process ultimately increases the odds that you will get the results you want!
Example: “I will lose 20 pounds by the end of the year.”
Replace this with: “I will eat between 1,500 and 1,800 calories each day. I will log all nutrition intake with the weight management app I downloaded.”
3. Piggyback off an established habit:
Speaking of processes, many health goals fail because it is too difficult for us to find the time or remember to do them, much less maintain the new habits. One way to improve the odds of starting and maintaining a new habit is by habit stacking. You may not realize how many strong daily habits you have already formed: taking a shower, brushing your teeth, putting on your seatbelt, or brewing your morning cup of coffee, just to name a few common examples.
You can take advantage of these strong, automatized habits to build new ones. All you need to do is identify one current habit you already do each day and then “piggyback” your new desired habit on top. Here are some examples of how you might use habit stacking to assist with habit formation:
4. Avoid on/off mentality:
Many of us have a pattern of starting off strong with our health goals, only to find that we’ve exhausted our willpower (and interest) a couple of weeks later when life inevitably gets in the way. For example, maybe you set a goal of eating less than 25 grams of added sugar per day, but a long weekend trip leads to consuming more fun treats and sugary cocktails than you allotted in your plan. These situations often lead to all-or-nothing thinking, which is a thinking trap in which you may conclude that you’ve “already blown it” and abandon all future efforts because it’s “too hard” to change your habits. The fix for this spiraling situation is to let go of perfectionism and prepare to handle inevitable lapses in your plan with self-compassion.
Don’t mistake self-compassion for lacking self-discipline or being “too easy” on yourself; in fact – research suggests that people who engage in harsh self-criticism for even small willpower “failures” are less likely to accomplish their goals in the long run. While it would be nice to meet your health goal 365 days a year, even meeting your goal half (or fewer!) of those days is better than nothing. When you encounter a lapse in your plan, simply forgive yourself and reset immediately. You don’t have to wait until Monday, next week, or next month for a fresh start!
5. Stop relying on motivation:
Most of us have this backward. People want to feel motivated before doing the hard thing, whether it be exercising or meal prepping. However, motivation often comes after the action as a reward mechanism. Rather than relying on motivation, which can be a fleeting emotion, commit to the action (e.g., working out) first. Over time, the habit will get easier and more automatic with consistency. This evidence-based strategy is referred to as behavioral activation in cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Nike had it right: Just Do It.
Also keep in mind that motivation is a “niceto-have,” whereas purpose is necessary for achieving our goals. Research has demonstrated that we are more likely to stay motivated when we reorient ourselves to our core values and the reasons why we are doing something.
Always remember your purpose, because for every “why” there is a “how!” Implementing healthy habits that stick can be challenging, but with the right strategies, lasting change is possible. Remember, the journey to better habits is a marathon, not a sprint. Embrace the small wins, be kind to yourself when inevitable setbacks occur, and always keep your purpose in mind. With these strategies from behavioral medicine, you can transform your good intentions into sustainable habits that enhance your wellbeing over the long term.