“Habit stacking” connects a new behavior to something you already do every day, like brushing your teeth, drinking your morning coffee, or walking the dog. Experts say the approach can make a new routine easier to remember and more likely to stick.
All right. Well, how many times have you
promised yourself that you would exercise more,
maybe drink more water, or finally start meditating?
Most of us have good intentions
out there, but those new habits are pretty hard to keep up with.
This Wellness Wednesday,
we were exploring how habit stacking may actually
help make healthier choices almost automatically.
From brushing your teeth to pouring
your morning coffee to locking the front door,
your day is filled with routines your brain runs almost on autopilot.
always make the bed always those routines are powerful
because your brain already expects them
so instead of creating a brand new habit
from scratch experts say attach it to something you
never forget to do it's called habit stacking pairing something new
that you want to start doing
along with something that you do every day
a study found that there was a 64 percent higher
success rate with habit stacking compared
to creating standalone habits one of the common
mistakes is trying to do too much.
First, make sure you create a stack that makes sense. For
example, after brushing your teeth, floss.
After you pour your morning coffee, drink a glass of
water. After you sit down at your desk, take three deep breaths.
Try some quick meditation.
Get all the sour cream. Making dinner?
Turn on your favorite playlist. Dance while chopping
some vegetables. Those extra few minutes
of movement can always help boost your mood,
while making a chore feel
a lot less like work just see yourself making progress you know to
see yourself able to to accomplish something
that you set your mind out experts say attaching a new
healthy habit to something you already
do every day make it much easier to remember and more likely
to stick and here is one for some dog owners
if you haven't been on a run in ages but you never
fail to actually walk your dog maybe try
to commit running for at least five minutes when you take
your dog out. And if you follow through,
you can always reward yourself.
