A chartered physiotherapist’s perspective
By Paul Bolger. Nano Physiotherapy
If I could offer you the one solution to change your habits for the better – I would be living on a tropical island and not writing articles for The Kilkenny Observer (well, maybe I would still write a few…).
There is no single solution to this – but scientific research does give us useful strategies that we can use to help make habits stick. If you read ahead, I ask one thing of you – that you take at least one of the below tips and put it in action for the next week. Let’s begin.
Remove Temptations
Willpower won’t get you very far. If we all depended on a strong will to behave the way we feel we should then we would exhaust ourselves very quickly. A key strategy is to remove temptations wherever possible.
If you are looking to bring in a new behaviour – remove the temptation to avoid this activity. For example, if you want to get to the gym or go for a walk/ run – place your gear/ shoes in a place you cannot ignore – such as by the door or in the passenger seat. I’ve heard of someone sleeping in their running gear to make sure they didn’t skip their morning run!
If you want to cut down on a behaviour, then removing tempting triggers is a must. For instance, place the sweet treats out of sight in an awkward place to access. Or better yet – leave them in the shop. Avoiding certain aisles and not shopping on an empty stomach helps too.
How else might you ensure you aren’t caught out in your weaker moments?
Habit Pairing/ Stacking
A great way to insert a new behaviour into your day is to link it to something that you already do regularly. Do you want to floss more? Do it prior to brushing your teeth (and maybe use the strategy above and place your floss in front of your toothpaste). How about walking? Get it in just before you eat lunch.
There is any number of ways you can do this – take a few minutes to consider how you might make use of this strategy in your own life.
Make it Social
We are social beings. The success of our species has hinged on our ability to cooperate. Competition, while being useful at times, is nowhere near as powerful as collaboration. Feeling supported by others and offering our own support to those around us are essential elements of our health.
On your journey towards healthier habits, why not link in with a friend who wants to make similar changes – you could plan to exercise together or check in on each other to see how you are going each week. Join a class, a club or a group.
Psychological research shows us that we view the slope of a hill as less steep when we are standing next to a friend. Challenges are best met in good company.
Well done on reading this far. Knowledge is one thing, but nothing beats action. Where can you make use of these strategies in your life?
Next time we will explore how cultivating self-compassion can be powerful in making habits stick.
