Habit Stacking
We are bombarded everyday with so much information on how to live a healthier lifestyle by creating healthy habits. It can be overwhelming, at least it has been for me. There are so many calories we need to eat in a day, reaching the healthy ratio of macros (proteins, fats, & carbs), steps to get in daily, weights to lift to gain muscle, hours of sleep, and stress to manage.
I don't know about you, but this list seems stressful. OVERWHELMING. Many make the mistake of trying to do all of these things at once. There may be some success, but for most of us the weight loss achieved is only short term and we revert back to our old habits. Or we see this list of things we are told to change and feel completely overwhelmed to change all our current lifestyle habits.
I challenge you to focus on one healthy habit at a time. I want you to maintain the new habit and have it become part of your daily routine.
I want to share a method that has worked for me: HABIT STACKING. This method can be applied to any habit you may wish to become part of your daily life such as meditation, exercise, or gratitude.
HABIT STACKING: First identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. Sounds simple, right. It really is that simple.
Here are some on my daily morning habits which I am sure many of these are the same for you:
-Get our of bed
-Take a shower
-Brush my teeth
-Get dressed
-Eat Breakfast
-Take kids to school
-Walk the dog
Try using BJ Fogg's habit stacking formula: "After I (Current Habit), I will (New Habit)."
My example:
After I walk the dog, I will walk 2-3 miles.
The key is to tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day.
For me: I take my daughter to school everyday & when I arrive home my dog is ready for his walk. I already have on my comfy workout clothes on and sneakers, so when we get home from his walk I leave directly for my walk.
Once you have mastered this basic structure, you can begin to create larger stacks by continuing to chain small habits together.
Here is another example for you:
After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I will mediate for sixty seconds.
After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will write my to-do list for the day.
After I write my to-do list for the day, I will immediately begin my first task.
Or here- let's take it another direction:
After I finish eating dinner, I will put my plate directly into the dishwasher.
After I put my dishes away, I will immediately wipe down the counter.
After I wipe down the counter, I will set out my coffer mug for tomorrow morning.
You can also apply habit stacking to situations:
Exercise: When you see a set of stairs, you will take them instead of using the elevator
Healthy Eating: When I serve myself a meal, I will always put veggies on my plate first.
No matter how you use this strategy, the secret to creating a successful habit stack is selecting the right cue to kick things off. For example, if your trying to add meditation to your daily routine and mornings are chaotic with your kids running around then that may be the wrong place and time. Your new habit stack needs to occur when it is most likely to be successful.
Also- if you are trying to add a daily new habit- you need to stack it next to a habit that also occurs everyday.
I challenge you to also be specific with your new habit. Habits like "read more" or "eat better" are not defined. How much do you want to read? What does "eating better' mean to you? Is it eating 3 meals a day or eating less take out?
You got this. Take one habit you desire to add to your lifestyle. Write down your daily habits and find the right cue to stack this new habit next to.
If you need help with this, I am here for you. One step. One habit at a time you can live the healthy lifestyle you desire.
Feel free to schedule a FREE DISCOVERY call with me, Dr. Kristine Garverick CRNP.
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