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habits
June 2006 
Developing Healthy Habits
Posted on Mar 29th, 2006
by 
Maile
Maile
David over on the Voluntary Simplicity Pod was asking for suggestions on how to break old habits, so I thought I'd re-post something I'd written for another blog I kept a while back. Enjoy:
The principle behind developing new, healthy habits is very simple: take small, comfortable steps until you reach your goal. The goal of weight loss is an excellent example of how this can work.
We all know that in order to lose weight, all we have to do is eat less and exercise more. Simple. The problem comes when people try to alter their habits suddenly, to go from sitting on the couch eating pizza and potato chips all evening to eating a small salad after spending hours at the gym. The change is too much of a shock to the system; very few people could keep up the diet for long.
This is why we see so many people turning to pills, drinks and other gimmicks to lose weight. Their willpower has failed them in the past, so they're turning to regiments that require no willpower, but these all fail them. People are spending a lot of money and seeing no long term results. But they're on the right track in rejecting willpower-based diet and exercise plans. People like to be comfortable, and these plans definitely are not that!
Comfort comes from taking small steps and not rushing to meet your goal. Instead of suddenly quitting all junk food and joining a gym, cut out just potato chips until you no longer miss them. Then cut out tortilla chips, then ice cream, etc. Take as long as you need to feel comfortable with your new way of eating. It took years to develop bad habits, and there's nothing wrong with taking years to develop good ones (unless the bad habits are life threatening).
Start small so that you hardly feel the change, then when it's comfortable, push yourself a little further. The process is slow, but at the end, you'll have made a big change without making a big effort. Being healthy will simply be a habit you've formed over time, and it will stick with you for the rest of your life.
The principle behind developing new, healthy habits is very simple: take small, comfortable steps until you reach your goal. The goal of weight loss is an excellent example of how this can work.
We all know that in order to lose weight, all we have to do is eat less and exercise more. Simple. The problem comes when people try to alter their habits suddenly, to go from sitting on the couch eating pizza and potato chips all evening to eating a small salad after spending hours at the gym. The change is too much of a shock to the system; very few people could keep up the diet for long.
This is why we see so many people turning to pills, drinks and other gimmicks to lose weight. Their willpower has failed them in the past, so they're turning to regiments that require no willpower, but these all fail them. People are spending a lot of money and seeing no long term results. But they're on the right track in rejecting willpower-based diet and exercise plans. People like to be comfortable, and these plans definitely are not that!
Comfort comes from taking small steps and not rushing to meet your goal. Instead of suddenly quitting all junk food and joining a gym, cut out just potato chips until you no longer miss them. Then cut out tortilla chips, then ice cream, etc. Take as long as you need to feel comfortable with your new way of eating. It took years to develop bad habits, and there's nothing wrong with taking years to develop good ones (unless the bad habits are life threatening).
Start small so that you hardly feel the change, then when it's comfortable, push yourself a little further. The process is slow, but at the end, you'll have made a big change without making a big effort. Being healthy will simply be a habit you've formed over time, and it will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Access: PublicTagged with: habits, Personal Development
Excellent post! A great reminder, for sure.
This also comes into play with quitting smoking hard core. At least, it did with me. It's all about the habits, so the I had to take it in steps. Stopped smoking in my car, stopped smoking at work, stopped smoking in the morning, stopped smoking at home, stopped smoking anywhere. Slow process, and I was able to quit without drugs or patches or drastic discomfort and mood swings.
Thanks so much for re-blogging this blog!
Great blog! I work with people on changing behaviors/habits all the time - and I couldn't agree more. It's definitely all about stretching your comfort zone - little by little by little - until making the final “plunge” is really just taking the last 1/2 step. Thanks for these very wise words!
To add to what Rob said about quitting smoking.
I remember when I did it all those years ago that once I stopped in my car, and a work, etc. I started *smelling* it on myself and it was gross!! Once you get to that point, you know you're almost there!
Thanks!
I completely agree, and this is pretty much what I wrote when applying for this community. I think small steps applies to almost any change in the world, and especially on a personal level. And, more importantly, it’s so important to realise that every little bit just keeps adding up in all kinds of different ways.