Lesson 8 : Transforming Habits How Habits Work Learn the trick to transforming a habit from the inside out. Drinking a soda, eating until you're stuffed, sitting down all day... You might think you need to break habits like these. Surprisingly, that's not true. Psychologists who study behavior change have found that transforming a habit changing an unhealthy habit into a healthy one is both easier and more effective. In order to transform a habit, you need to know how they work. Habits have 3 parts: a reminder, a routine, and a reward. Together, they form a habit loop. Let s say you have a nightly habit of eating chips while watching TV. The reminder for this habit is probably turning on the TV. The routine is grabbing a bag of chips and sitting on the couch. The reward isn t just the pleasure of crunching on salty, fatty chips it s the feeling that, at the end of the day, ahhh you re finally relaxing.
When you engage in an unhealthy activity for the first time, you don't intend to make it a habit. But then you do it again and again. That s when your brain takes notice. Researchers believe that habit loops form when your brain registers the link between a reminder, routine, and reward, and stores that information. Your brain loves to store habits because they help it multitask. You know how you can brush your teeth, or drive, or do chores while thinking about something else? Those are habit loops in action. Habits allow you to mindlessly repeat familiar behaviors so that you (and your brain) can focus on other things. There s one more element of a habit loop that you need to know about: a craving. When your brain picks up on a reminder (the TV is on!), it triggers a craving for the reward (ahhh, relaxation). That craving compels you to follow through with your usual routine (open a bag of chips, sit down, and start crunching), so you can score your reward. In this lesson, we ll take you through the process of tackling your stickiest unhealthy habits, and transforming them from the inside out.
Rethink Your Routines Part of what makes habits hard to change is that two parts of the habit loop the reminder and the reward are tough to control. Take our example of snacking while watching TV. You could try to eliminate the reminder by never turning on your TV at night. That might work for a little while. But you can t avoid TV forever. Plus, watching TV is fun, and you shouldn t have to give it up. Rewards are even harder to eliminate than cues. It would take a lot of effort to convince yourself that relaxing at the end of a long day doesn't feel good. Since we often can't alter the reminder or the reward, the most effective strategy for transforming a habit is to switch the routine. If the reminder is turning on the TV, and the reward is relaxation, you have to find a healthier replacement for eating chips. You have to ask yourself: What other activities would relax you while you watch TV? Maybe you could buy a massage tool and use it to release muscle tension, sip an aromatic herbal tea, or soak your tired feet in a tub of warm water. The switch will only work if your new routine successfully satisfies the craving at the heart of that habit. If soaking your feet, sipping tea, or a self-massage fails to relax you at the end of the day, you ll fall back on your chip-eating habit.
Find Your Reminders Zoom in on the habit reminders hiding all around you. Habit reminders can be internal or external. Internal reminders include emotions, memories, or thought patterns. These reminders can be the most difficult to manage, and we ll explore them more in a future lesson. This week, be on the lookout for these types of external reminders: Places - Familiar locations are hotbeds for habit reminders. A coffee shop may cue you to order a sugary drink, being in the office kitchen might send you in search of donuts, or a trip through the mall may prompt you to buy a frosted cinnamon bun. Avoiding location-based reminders seldom works. You re bound to find yourself in these places again. It s better to brainstorm new routines that deliver the reward you crave. Events - From birthdays to group dinners to date nights, events are full of reminders that cue us to crave sugar and other comfort foods. Consider the events that come up often in your life that lead to unhealthy choices. You may find that it helps to examine the rewards you're craving at these events. Often, the true rewards aren't food they're fun, friendship, romance, or a sense of belonging.
People - The friend who encourages you to indulge, the spouse who likes to cuddle on the couch, the relative who cooks comfort food, you probably do certain things when you re around certain people. As you examine your habits, make a mental list (or a real one) of the people you see often, and around whom you tend to make poor decisions. See if you can identify a clear habit loop triggered by each person s company. Other external reminders include time, smells, sounds, even colors. A reminder might be a combination of factors: a time and place (a coffee shop in the morning), an event and a person (a party with a food-loving friend), colors and smells (a red-and-yellow sign and the smell of a hamburger), etc. As you identify reminders, keep an open mind, and consider all of the possibilities.
Take Control Lay out a step-by-step plan to address your most stubborn habits. We hope this lesson has prompted you to think about the habits that are getting in the way of your health goals. Choose one of those habits to focus on now, and break it down. First, note the repetitive, unhealthy behavior eating a fast food lunch with coworkers, for example. That s your routine. Then pinpoint the reminder for that routine. Maybe it's when everyone breaks for lunch. Next, identify the reward that you re craving. Beyond food, it could be to connect with your coworkers and feel like you're part of the team. Now comes the need for revolutionary thinking: What healthy routine could you do in response to that reminder, that could earn you the same reward? If it helps, create a worksheet like this one:
You don t have to brainstorm new routines alone. Ask your coach and/or your group for suggestions. Then make a plan to try one out. If it doesn t work, try another. When you find one that works, stick with it! Repeat the healthy routine every time you experience your usual reminder. Before long, engaging in the healthy routine will feel automatic. Personal Reflection: Do you think habit transformation could work for you? How might you use this technique to change an unhealthy habit?
Make It Easy It s natural to want to do what s easy. Use that to your advantage. There will be days when you have extra time and energy to devote to your health. But when life gets busy, we re all prone to taking the path of least resistance. Rushing to leave the house? Your gym bag isn t going to get packed. Need a quick snack? If there s a box of cookies on the counter, you re probably going to eat cookies. To set yourself up for success, make it easy to make a healthy choice and hard to make an unhealthy one. Here s how: Make it easy to plan. From writing a grocery list to picking workout times, healthy living takes planning. Keep your planning tools a pen and notepad, your calendar, schedules for fitness classes, low-carb cookbooks, take-out menus from healthy restaurants on hand and in plain sight. At the same time, toss junk food menus and cookbooks that highlight sugar and other refined carbs. Make it easy to prepare. Plans to eat well and exercise will fall through fast if it s difficult to find what you need. Healthy food should be in sight on your kitchen counter and in your fridge and cabinets. Pack your shelves with food containers that are just the right sizes for your meals and snacks. And make sure you have more than enough workout clothes ready to be tossed in your gym bag and placed by the door.
Make it easy to motivate. You have meaningful reasons for wanting to live a healthy life. Keep them in mind at all times, by writing them down on paper and posting notes in your house, car, workplace, and/or wallet. You might also hang up images, event notices, or brochures that remind you of long-term goals, like walking a 5K or going on an active vacation.
You've Come a Long Way! Reflect on the past eight weeks, and renew your commitment to better health. Eight weeks ago, you took the first step toward living a healthier life by signing up for this program. Are you on your way to your initial weight-loss goal of 7%? If so, you're doing especially well. Focus on keeping your momentum and setting new goals. If you haven't reached 7%, that's normal. This is the perfect point to dig deep and go after that goal. Reach out to your group, use your food and activity trackers, step on your scale every day, and identify some specific habits that you want to transform. What Happens After 16 Weeks? As you know, this program isn't a quick fix. It's designed to be an ongoing resource for you, helping you to live a healthy life for the long-term. The first 16 weeks of the program are the most intensive. Your coach is here as your daily guide, and you have the support of your close-knit group. After 16 weeks, you will have the opportunity to move on to a part of the program called Focus. In Focus, you can set new health goals, continue using your food and activity trackers, and connect with a larger number of program participants. There will be more to learn, and more to do. You have a lot to look forward to! New This Week: Select one or more habits you want to transform. Test out new routines. Set up your environment so that healthy choices are easier to make. Ongoing To-Dos: Weigh in daily. Plan for 150 minutes of physical activity, and make time for 2 muscle-strengthening workouts. Use the Ideal Meal to plan meals that contain produce + protein + healthy fat. Keep tracking everything you eat and drink. Contribute to the group discussion.