Find the right mindset for long-lasting habits and well-being
“Find your ‘why’ with a deeper and more meaningful purpose in alignment with your values to create sustainable habits.”
Most people have quite good knowledge about what a healthy lifestyle really means. However, for many different reasons a lot of people struggle to find long-lasting habits. Why is it so difficult to create a lasting lifestyle? One of the answers could be that only when we have found our deeper ‘why’ with a sense of purpose, can we more easily manage to create sustainable changes.
This summer, I heard people discussing different kind of diets and trends they had been trying at that moment. And what was obvious was that this was not the first time. I also noted that following them not only required a lot of time and effort, but was also quite costly. What also struck me was that these diets and trends did not offer any positive emotions, but were something that was considered boring and had to be endured to achieve the goal – to lose weight.
“Unfortunately, we often expect to be motivated first before we take action. If we do it the other way around and first take action, then energy and motivation will come as a result. Healthy habits promoting genuine well-being are strong energizers and motivators.”
Five strategies to create long-lasting healthy habits:
1. Find your right ‘why’ with a deeper meaning and benefits. When we find a ‘why’ with a deeper purpose, we can successfully increase our chances of creating healthy habits.
The desire to lose weight is a very good example. If the goal is to get into old clothes or look good, that’s a very superficial ‘why’. If we instead choose another perspective as to why we want this change, to something with deeper meaning and in alignment with our values, we can increase the chance of really taking action and creating lasting good habits. Choosing another perspective – such as I want to stay healthy so I can be a part of my children’s lives for as long as possible – could be a ‘why’ with a deeper meaning. Or it could be that I want to stay healthy so I can live my life and my dreams to the fullest.
“Be careful with your language”
2. Use your language carefully. When shifting our mindset and focus, it is also important how we talk about our goal and related activities. If we have a goal to focus on losing weight and trying a new diet and taking up running, but approach it as boring, not fun or something we don’t really like, this will affect our brain in a counterproductive way. Everything we do or think leaves ‘imprints’ on our brain. Brain cells that are activated at the same time create connections and memory. This means that if losing weight is associated with something that is constantly referred to as boring, hard and not fun, it is not a recipe for success.
However, if we choose to focus on the good feeling after the run instead of how hard we think it is, our brain will connect our thoughts of running with the good feeling afterwards. In the long run, this will help us to take action. This technique is used by many athletes. The British six-time Olympic Gold winner, Sir Chris Hoy, says for example: “Never use the words nervous or anxious; use the words exciting and adrenalized.” Of course this doesn’t mean we should not address feelings such as anxiety, but we should be more careful about how and when we use these words.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
3. Small specific steps. Research shows that if our goal is within reach, we will put more energy into achieving it. So be careful when choosing what you want to achieve; begin with small, simple steps and allow yourself time. It is also easier if the goal is specific: so “I will start taking a 15-minute walk in the morning” is better than, say, “I will be more physically active”.
4. Do not wait for the perfect moment to get started. Decide what you want to do and plan when to do it. If possible, write it in your diary or calendar. And even if it’s not the right moment, the situation isn’t perfect or you don’t have the energy, stick to your plan to take action. And remember, a little is better than nothing. Set aside the ‘all or nothing’ mentality. For example, just ten minutes of exercise or five minutes of breathing exercises a day have a positive impact on our health.
5. Have routines onto which you can add new habits. Routines which are already part of a lifestyle are excellent for adding new habits. For instance, add 5 minutes’ meditation or easy physical stretching before you go into the bathroom in the morning, or 5 minutes’ breathing before you cook dinner, or add fruit as a dessert after lunch. And remember to start small!
