Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy New Habits

Have you ever noticed that most day-to-day behaviors are actually habits? What we eat and drink, how we manage stress, what we do when we come home from work, when and what we do before we go to bed -- these, and many other behaviors, are well-established habits. Clearly, successful long-term weight management depends on establishing healthy habits. 


So, how long do you think it takes to establish a new habit? I've had many students in my online weight loss class tell me they think it'll take anywhere from seven to twenty-one days to change up their behavior permanently. Unfortunately, research begs to differ: Scientists have found that making new behavior a habit can take anywhere from four to six months. So, what can you do to encourage success as you establish new habits? Give these tips a try:


Donna's Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy Habits

1. Although it takes time to create change, it's easier to make change happen by starting with short-term goals. Depending on the goal, you may want to make your goal as short as one day, or as long as a week or two. As you're planning your goal...
2. Think back to times when you've tried to make change. What got in your way? Think ahead to challenges you may encounter, and plan ahead for those challenges. But don't make the challenges your focus...
3. Keep your focus on your goal. Falling short of your goal is nothing more than an obstacle. Don't dwell on it, or let it keep you from trying again. Learn from what happened, re-establish your goals based on your new self-knowledge, and then...
4. Celebrate all of your successes, no matter how small. Remember, change isn't easy. In fact, just being willing to change is a big step, one worthy of celebrating. Treat yourself to a little tangible non-food reward, tell a friend, or praise yourself. But don't stop at celebrating...
5. Plan ahead for establishing your next goal, and stick with this for at least six months. Put the day and time in your calendar, and keep your appointment with yourself. Because you're connecting many short-term goals together, following through is critical.

Don't be shy about using other skills and tools for establishing healthy new habits, like the power of positive self-talk and affirmations to reach your goals. At the end of the day, though, developing short-term goals, enjoying success, and gradually connecting one short-term goal to the next, until the behaviors are habits, is the path to creating lasting behavior change.

Affirmations: How Talking to Yourself Could Be Helpful to Your Health

Do you appreciate the power of your mind? Maybe you can't bend spoons or predict the future, but your thoughts are one of the most powerful weight management tools available.

Why? Because what we think matters. What we think influences how we feel and what we do. As the saying goes, Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. This is just as true for weight loss and weight maintenance as it is any other area of life.

So, how can you harness the power of your mind to help you reach and maintain your weight management goals? Try experimenting with affirmations. Affirmations are short, positive statements that give you the encouragement you need to stay on track with a particular goal. Some examples of affirmations include:

• "A little exercise is better than none at all."
• "The world is my gym!"
• "I eat healthy to nourish my body."
• "I love to drink water!"
• "I am learning to manage my stress without using food."

To make your affirmations really work for you, here a few tips:

• Affirmations are best when they're short, and they focus only on one goal at a time. That way, they're easier to remember!
• Focus on the positive as you develop your affirmations. Good phrases to use are "I will," "I can," "I like," and "I want." Avoid using won't, can't, don't, or shouldn't.
• Be aware of the power of words. If the mere word exercise makes you cringe, don't use it; call it activity, movement, "me time," or simply call your chosen activity by its name--yoga, power walking, kickboxing.
• Learn from others. One of the most powerful affirmations I've used was originally a comment posted by a student in my online weight loss class. "I love to drink water!"  

When you put SMART goals, reward plans, and affirmations together, the results can be remarkable. People do lose and maintain weight, but that becomes secondary to other, unexpected benefits: They see themselves as capable, find themselves enjoying the journey, and inspire others to join in with them in their healthy lifestyle changes. It may seem random at first glance, but it all makes sense: SMART goals provide a solid guideline for success. Reward plans make the journey pleasant. Thinking positively attracts others.

What do you think? Have you experimented with SMART goals, reward plans, or affirmations? Do you have questions about how to make these tools work for you? Let us know!

Making Behavior Change Stick

Hello everyone! Last week we talked about how easy it is to regain weight after you lose it, and how lifestyle change can help you lose weight and keep it off. I mentioned that there are many things you can do to change your lifestyle to support weight management, and remarked that it's a good thing there are so many things you can do. Without a doubt, there's something you can do -- today! -- that will move you toward a healthier, happier lifestyle.

There's a dark side to that, though. We're about halfway through the December session of Lose Weight and Keep It Off, and several students have remarked that they're feeling overwhelmed by how many goals they're trying to juggle. They feel guilty if they don't do everything they can to lose weight...and then feel worried because they can't keep up.

If you can relate, know that these feelings are perfectly normal. (This is especially true if you've been immersed in the diet mentality, and have been taught that it's all about calories in versus calories out.) That said, it's crucial to avoid getting bogged down by all the different factors that affect your weight. Remember, you don't have to do weight management perfectly to do it well...but you have to do something differently!

So, don't let all the possibilities overwhelm you. Instead, choose only as many goals as you can realistically manage right now. Remember, your goal isn't immediate weight loss. Your goal is to make lifestyle change you can live with, so you lose that weight...and keep it off.

Also, keep in mind that the things you're working on right now will get easier with time and practice. If you told me five years ago that I'd feel thirsty if I didn't drink at least 2 liters of water a day, I'd have laughed out loud. That third liter of water can be a challenge, but if I don't get 2 liters by suppertime, I want to drink some water. Hydration is still my biggest challenge when it comes to weight management, but it's much easier than it was a few years ago. The same kinds of changes can -- and will -- happen for you, too.

Goals for the week of September 20th - 27th

SMART goals are powerful for a variety of reasons. For me, they really work because they help me clarify what, when, and how I'll accomplish a goal. This week, I'm focusing (as usual) on getting in 3 liters of water daily; maintaining my exercise routine; and busting stress before I eat. So, here are my goals for the week:

1) Drink 3 liters of water daily. Write it in my planner so if I forget, I can squeeze it in before bedtime!

2) Plan out exercise for the week. Take 15 minutes every morning to plan ahead for the day and the week.

3) Type up the controlled breathing techniques for my planner. Teach the family how to do three different techniques. Use the three techniques, three times each, before every meal.

4) Pay closer attention to my appetite, and be sure to eat only when hungry and stop when just satisfied.

There -- my weight mangement goals for the week!

What are *your* goals for the week? If you want a little extra accountability, post your goals here! We'll be rooting for you -- and checking back to see how it goes :).