Science of Habits and Routines

Habits Module

40-90% of the things we do daily are living inside our subconscious.  We are not intentionally thinking about them.   

Think about what you do every morning.  Do you do it the same way every time?  Think about how you brush your teeth, or comb your hair, or take a shower.  We do these same things on repeat over and over and over again.

Before we dive deeper into habits, I want you to take a moment and think about your CORE VALUES.  Think about all aspects of your life, relationships, health, etc 

Now, what do you value MOST in your life?  Write down the top 5 things.

To put it simply, these are your values.  These are the things that you hold most important in your life, and they are different for everyone.  These habits are how you want to show up every day as the best version of yourself.

However, understanding your values is critical when we are looking at how to develop better habits.

To put it simply, you can break everything down into an IF/THEN statement.  Here is an example to clarify this.

IF I want to wake up early to workout, THEN I need to go to bed at a reasonable time.

IF I need to go to bed at a specific time,  THEN I need to be intentional with my evening.

IF I want to set myself up for success waking up, THEN I need to set the alarm, prepare my workout clothes, and prepare myself for the next day.

You can see how this snowballs and gets you to dive deep into what will actually set you up for success.

It's easy to say I will wake up in the morning to workout, but without the forethought and planning ahead, you will often find obstacles in your way and will keep you from actually being successful.

So take a moment and think about a few IF/THEN statements that could lead you to develop healthier habits.

Habit Audit

With habits in mind, take a look at your habits against your IF/THEN statements.  Maybe ask yourself the following questions:

What habits might you need to introduce to close the gap between your current state and how you WANT to show up?  I find that adding something rather than taking something away is a good strategy to start.

What habits could be slightly tweaked?

What habits create a disconnect between who you are currently and who you WANT to be?

What habits should you eliminate?

Understanding the science of habits

Motivation gets you started; discipline keeps you going. - John Maxwell

A habit has three components: a trigger/queue, a routine, and a reward.

A trigger: provokes the unconscious behavior.

A routine: what we do after we’re triggered.

A reward: what you gain from doing the routine.

Example:

When I come home from work stressed, I have a glass of wine.
Stress = trigger, wine = routine, stress relief = reward 

Triggers will always exist; we cannot eliminate them.  BUT we can change the routine and the reward.

Here are the five times we most often get triggered:

Time, location, emotion, people, activity.

Time: time of day, when the kids sleep, when the sun goes down, eating after hours

Location: home, work, school, room of your house

Emotion: anxious, excited, angry, happy

Other people: this can be a positive or negative trigger

Activity: Immediately, every time you do this THING, you do_____.  After every meal, you smoke; after you eat, you want dessert; you wake up and pee, brush your teeth, shower, etc.

Thinking about these five triggers, I want you to identify some of your triggers.

Currently, when I am triggered by _______, I _______, because it makes me feel ________.

Having a heightened level of self-awareness allows you to increase your capacity to handle anxiety or stress.

Keystone Habits

A keystone habit is an everyday habit, current or one you want to create, that has rippling effects that make other practices come to life.

For example, a healthy morning breakfast makes me feel good and makes me want to make healthier choices during the day.

Or

Working out in the morning increases my energy, makes me want to eat better, puts me in a  good mood, etc.

Or

Planning your week ahead of time allows you to prepare for the busy days, front load, activities, time for meal prep, self-care, and delegating responsibilities.

What are your keystone habits?’

Once you identify your keystone habits, you can then find ways to STACK them.

It is easier to add something than to take something away.  

For example, if one of your goals is to increase your water intake, you can stack that on to a current habit.  Every time I go to the bathroom, I am going to fill up my water bottle.

Every time I sit down to eat, I will make sure I have my water nearby to drink a glass with every meal.  Every time I wake up in the morning, I will have a glass of water before I brush my teeth.

It can be THAT SIMPLE. 

Action Steps:

1. Identify your core values.
2. Write out 3 IF/THEN statements and do a habit audit.
3. Identify your keystone habits and look for ways to STACK one habit.
4. Identify one unhealthy habit that you are committing to eliminate STARTING TODAY!

Accountability:

1. Email me how you are stacking one habit onto your keystone habit!

Bonus Accountability:

1. Find an accountability partner (a friend, neighbor, etc) and hold each other accountable to your habit this week!

HEALTH FIRST PROGRAM

What it’s all about:

A healthy lifestyle is not about following a certain meal plan or going “on and off” diets because that is not sustainable.

In my group coaching program, I will teach you about balanced nutrition along with physical and emotional wellness. You will learn how to have your Free Donut Friday or Taco Tuesday and still reach your goals WITHOUT GUILT for “falling off the wagon” or eating “BAD”.

The skill of “listening to your body and learning what works for you” — is just that, a skill. And, with practice, can be developed and improved upon.