New Year, new goals! Tips for Success

It's a new year and if you want to lose weight, be healthy and eliminate disease, my advice is to drink more water, eat your fruits and fresh vegetables, healthy proteins and exercise.  I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking “OK, thanks for the useless advice- you're not telling me anything I don't already know.” …or whatever expletives “#&2*!” you wish to fill in…

So why do we know these things but struggle to do them? We start off January with earnest intentions, change our diets, start an exercise program and whatever other goal we set for ourselves. By late February or March, we're back to having cheat meals, skipping our exercise and resuming old routines.

In this discussion we’ll focus on the most important but forgotten aspects of any change and that’s HABITS-changing old habits and forming new. Habits are not just about health, it could also refer to wanting to learn a sport, skill, or language. But for the sake of this discussion and a time of New Year resolutions let’s think of healthy lifestyle changes; more sleep, healthier food, more water, stress management. The principles can apply to any desired habit-you fill in the blank.

There has been much research and theories on the subject. I’m not sure anyone has figured out the magic formula to creating new habits, but it definitely requires Habit Change.

So let’s explore some of the information and insights on how to change our story.

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Behaviors which become habits creates strong neural circuits through repetition, shifting control from conscious to automatic processes, driven by dopamine reward systems of unconscious routines. This conserves mental energy and can be hard to break. But with mental rehearsal, mindfulness and intention we can form new behaviors creating new habits.

What is the secret to successful change?

Successful change requires new habits, repeating them until they are ingrained. Until we can do them with little thought.

Research shows we need to look at several factors that create habits, the (cue-routine-reward) process. The cue is what triggers the behavior, then the routine of doing, followed by the reward (dopamine) that reinforces that behavior.

For example:

Cue-Sitting down to watch TV after we’ve eaten dinner. 

Routine-Grabbing a bag of chips.

Reward-Enjoying the experience of the show and eating a tasty snack- The scenario can apply to any behavior …. Fill in the blanks that apply to you…. But for the sake of the New Year’s resolution to get healthier, we’ll focus on diet.

Focusing on each aspect of Habits, let’s approach this backwards. The reward is what drives the behavior, of the tasty treat while relaxing. We tend to ignore the consequences because of the neurologic craving for the reward.  Then there is the routine, it’s just what we do most evenings. Then the cue. We’ve finished dinner and now sitting down to watch TV.

We do this sort of behavior all the time without any thought to why, whether we are even hungry or the consequences. The habit develops over time and is so routine we do it over-and-over again, for years, without thought. Subsequently, over time, we gain weight, we feel sluggish, we get high cholesterol, high blood pressure, our joints ache and so on.

My first suggestion would be don’t keep anything in the house that you want to eliminate; chips, soft drinks, ice cream.

Let’s be honest, habit change is not easy.

The initial thrill of the reward Lose 5 lbs in the New Year quickly diminishes as the reality of the effort required sets in. We start out full steam then it slowly diminishes. Effort, true desire for the goal and intentional focused effort must be involved to make any lasting change.

Start with a single change and firmly establish what goal you want to achieve; Drink more water, walk 1 mile daily, go to bed 15 minutes earlier...

To make this change stick, write it down. If you are serious about the habit change, it will require some degree of effort. Without some effort, true intention and deliberate change, a success is likely to be short lived.

Start with a written plan of what goal you want to achieve at the top of the page in large capital print. Be specific- What behavior do you want to achieve? What is the main cue that starts the behavior you wish to change? What routine follows? What reward are you receiving that drives the behavior?

Goal: LOSE 5 POUNDS

Cue: GET UP FROM The DINNER TABLE PUT TENNIS SHOES ON

Routine: WALK 1 MILE

Reward: FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT with consistent effort will achieve the goal LOSE 5 POUNDS

Next, list all potential obstacles that could interfere and how you might address them or find solutions to ensure they don't divert you from your path.

I understand that the sense of accomplishment might not be as immediately gratifying as chips, but this is where identifying obstacles and applying willpower become crucial.

Obstacles: 

1.         If I want chips, I will first drink a glass of water and eat an apple -then I get to sit down and watch TV (of course without the chips …) but after a mile walk, you are less likely to want the treat and be more motivated to have a glass of water or apple.

2.         Tired from work- I will walk before dinner so I can relax after my walk.

3. My kids have a ballgame- I'll walk around the field.

Here's some positive news!

Research has demonstrated that if we are willing to make even just one small, focused change, behaviors transfer into other parts of our life. Taking a walk daily can transfer into how we eat, deciding to get more sleep or watching our checking account balance more closely. By making the decision to change one behavior, changing other behaviors become more automatic.

Several Personal Insight to Create Change:

One approach is to prioritize doing more of what we already know we should, such as drinking half your body weight in ounces of water (160 lbs/80 oz of pure water) or getting close to that amount and gradually increasing, rather than opting for a soft drink.

Or if you drink a soft drink every day with lunch, go ahead, continue doing that but start with drinking a glass of water. It’s less likely you will have room for the soft drink since drinking water takes time, fills you up, and quenches thirst…. If you want a doughnut for breakfast, eat your eggs, fruit, nuts first, then eat your doughnut… Do you really still want it?  Be mindful of how you are really feeling.

The other is “Cold Turkey.” Choosing to completely abstain or “Do” a behavior. I’m stopping soft drinks all together and only drinking water at lunch. I’m not going to sit on the couch when I get home but go for a 1 mi walk.

How long does it take to create a new behavior/habit?

Studies from the 1960s reportedly say it takes 21 day of consecutive behaviors change to create or get comfortable with a new habit. I only wish it was that easy. Modern studies show it can take 40 to over 60 days and other studies report 18 to over 200 days to make a new behavior-a habit. Everyone has a different habit-building timeline.  No matter how long it is for any individual, repetition is the key to making it work.

Generally, we want healthy behaviors to last for the duration- to become a lifestyle.

So again, let’s make it simple.

1. Start Small; 1 or 2 very specific behavior changes

2. Be Consistent: Do this behavior most days of the week.

3. Link Desired Habits: Walk 1 mi then drink water….

4. Be Patient: Those darn neurological pathways get us every time.. Remember, start simple and build- it’s about the long-term.

5. Find Your Journey- but having a support partner, group or friend who is also making the change can help.

   
   

Embrace tomorrow as a fresh start! Every journey begins with a single step. Believe in yourself and persevere. You’ve got this! 💪 Tomorrow is a chance to change your story! Take that first step and keep pushing forward. I believe in you!

Bibliography

Clear, J. (2021, November 08). Building & Changing Habits. (P. Attia, Interviewer)

Duhigg, C. (2014). The Power of Habit. Why We Do What We Do In Life. New York: Random HouseTrade Paperbacks.

Neal, D. W. (2023, 10). Retrieved from https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/wp-content/uploads/sites/183/2023/10/Neal.Wood_.Quinn_.2006_Habits_a_repeat_performance.pdf