Are you trying to change a habit or start a new habit?
The guaranteed way to create habits that stick is through consistency. This is one of the key factors within the G-Fit Methods. Creating lasting change, which we need in order to continue to work on building healthy habits that are repeated day in and day out.
Creating habits doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. While some people are able to use the power of discipline to create habits, most need a little help when it comes to creating new habits.
I have a technique that can save you and be the winning solution to helping you create and stick to new and serving positive habits.
📈The SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE technique is called habit stacking .
“Stacking” is a new behavior onto a current behavior to help you remember to do it and to start creating a subconscious behavior.
→When I do (enter behavior) I do (enter behavior).
⤿For example, When I brew my cup of coffee I do 10 squats…
Habit stacking utilizes the strong synaptic connections we already have. “Habit stacking is a really effective strategy for building new habits because it builds off of the existing neural networks in our brains,” explains licensed psychologist Melissa Ming Foynes, PhD.
Habit Stacking allows you to use a current habit as an anchor to cue another habit. In simple terms, when you do this (anchor habit aka brushing your teeth) it cues your brain to do that (another habit aka think a positive affirmation).
An Anchor Provides a Built-in Reminder
Beyond the neural network, habit stacking serves as the most simplest ways to remind you to do the thing you are trying to develop. If you do not have an anchor, it is easy to forget but if you have an anchor, that serves as a conscious reminder to do the next thing…
This serves as a built in reminder that helps you maintain consistency. Overtime you start to associate the two habits as ONE and when you don’t stack your habits, you feel off or as if something is missing. For example, if you decide while you brew your morning coffee, you are going to do 10 squats, this becomes just what you do. If you miss your squats, it’s as if your coffee just doesn’t taste the same. Over time, you’ll begin to associate your coffee with 10 squats.
Habit Stacking can be KEY to helping you create new habits that you finally stick to. Not only are they effective but they are a fun way to create subconscious loop patterns that ensure success!
🪄How to Start Habit Stacking
Is it really as simple as pairing one habit with another? Here are some tips to make these changes so you can build consistency one habit at a time.
➀ Identify New Habit
Identify what positive habit you would like to add into your life. Whether your goal is to step more throughout your day or drink more water, gaining clarity over what habit you would like to add into your lifestyle is step #1.
➁ Identify Cues
Make a list of the things you do every day without thought such as brewing coffee, brushing your teeth, making your bed, etc. Then make a list of events that occur every single day such as sunrise, sunset, text ding, phone ring, etc.
Now we put the formula in place “When I do [current habit], I will do [new habit].” Here are some examples:
- “When I drink my coffee in the morning, I will perform 10 squats.”
- “When I wake up in the morning, I will think of one thing I am grateful for in the moment.”
- “When I finish brushing my teeth at night, I will do 10 leg lifts.”
- “Every time my phone rings, I will drink 4 oz of water.”
- “When I get home from dropping off the kids at school, I will drop my purse and walk 1000 steps.
➂ Start Small- the smaller the better…
“Research shows that consistency of practice is more effective than the duration of practice in helping us make changes in our lives,” Foynes says. “Doing something every day for five minutes is more likely to result in sustainable change than practicing something once a week for 30 minutes.”
We want consistency so we need to make sure the habit is attainable. We want to habit stack not habit fail…
The more realistic, the more likely you are to do it, feel successful, do it again, and again and again. This is how we build consistency and create habits that stick.
➃ Set an Initial Goal
While habit stacking makes things easier, it still takes time to build the new habit and program your brain to cue with each anchor. Set a goal for yourself and rather than thinking about this as a lifelong habit, see it as a short-term fun challenge you are working into your life. Once you reach your goal, celebrate, check in with how you feel and modify if necessary.
⓹ Evaluate Your Stacking Success…
This is key!
You must evaluate your success and see how your stacking worked for you.
You may find that your phone rings so much that drinking your 4 oz of water with every ding became more annoying than helpful. You may find that doing 10 squats with your coffee brew is a bit too much too soon.
Maybe adjusting this habit to after you brush your teeth feels a bit better or after lunch when you are more awake. Maybe you decide to stack a few deep breaths to your morning coffee instead of squats. As you can see, you have to adjust and find what is going to work for you. If it doesn’t feel right or seems overwhelming, you will not stick to it and the goal is to get you to stick to it.
I am excited to hear how you have taken my guaranteed way to create habits that Stick by creating habit stacking.
Let’s make this the ONE thing that keeps you consistently making positive changes in your life.
A concept and theory that will change your consistency game and help you to finally stick to a habit you are trying to create.
Habit Stacking has proven evidence in helping you commit to creating positive habits in your life.
In the G-Fit App, we commit to fun challenges that can be the catalyst for lasting habits.
📌The guaranteed way to create habits that stick, simplify your fitness game with all your fitness tools in ONE place.
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