Use these 4 not-so-secret tricks to end your most frustrating unhealthy habits
Unhealthy habits - we all have them, even those women on Instagram who look like they have it all together! Whether it’s eating an entire bag of chips in one sitting or drinking all the Diet Coke, we all have habits we’d like to break so we can live our healthiest lives.
At the beginning of every year, I read James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. I read Atomic Habits every January because it reminds me how to create healthy habits. However, before we can create healthy habits, we need to identify and break down our unhealthy habits!
The four steps below aren’t a secret, I’m sure you’ve heard them all before but maybe you didn’t apply them to your health. I’ve found that these four steps, which I learned from Atomic Habits, are simple to implement! As you consistently follow these steps, you’ll find that your unhealthy habits disappear!
Out of sight, out of mind
We’re often told that if we want to lose weight, we have to use our willpower to avoid tempting foods. But, can I tell you a secret? Willpower has nothing to do with weight loss! People usually think that they are failures because they don’t have the “willpower” to avoid unhealthy foods. But it’s actually a scientific fact that we want what we can see.
How are you supposed to ignore the Oreos that are in your cupboard when you open it ten times a day? The brain is really smart and really stubborn. If we can see the Oreos, we’re going to want the Oreos! It has nothing to do with willpower!
When we keep things out of sight, we won’t dwell on them! It’s that simple!
Flip the script to recognize the benefits
When we’re trying to break a bad habit, we usually think about all the things that are going to be hard when we start to break this habit. But what if you flipped the script and focused on the benefits of dropping your habit instead?
The brain is going to obsess over the thoughts we have, so if we say, “I can’t give up soda, that’s too hard.” then the brain will repeat that over and over until it’s true. But if you flip the script and say, “Giving up soda will give me so much more energy.” Your brain will repeat that and you’ll find that you in fact do have more energy!
If you want to flip the script, then you have to do a little bit of prep work. Make a list of all the benefits to breaking your habit. Keep that list handy so when you’re faced with a situation that would lead you back towards your bad habit, you have a whole list of reasons why you want to break this habit! You can repeat one reason over and over or you can use the whole list, whichever helps you more!
Distance yourself from temptation
One of the easiest ways to eliminate a bad habit is to make it difficult to get or do. Putting some distance between you and your triggers retrains your brain to think of that habit as too much work, instead of something easy and our brains usually want to take the easy way out!
For example, say you get a craving for your favorite ice cream, but you don’t have any in the house. In order to satisfy that temporary craving, you would have to put on shoes, drive to the store, buy the ice cream, drive home, and then dish it up.
When you stop and think about it, you can decide if it’s actually worth all that work for the ice cream. If it’s worth it, then go ahead and get the ice cream! It sounds like this is more than a little craving. But, if you decide that it’s too much work for a bowl of ice cream, you’re one step closer to reaching your goals!
Find an accountability partner
I’ve saved the best for last! A lot of people are embarrassed about their bad habits because they know better, but they’ve fallen into what’s easy or comfortable. One way to do better is to ask for help! Asking a close friend or your spouse to hold you accountable to ditch your bad habits can be a game-changer!
An accountability partner can help encourage you and make this transition a little less lonely! I believe there are three tiers of accountability partners: Good, Better and Best partners.
Good accountability partners will hold you to your goals.
Better accountability partners will be on the same journey and can walk through the trenches with you.
Best accountability partners will have gone through a similar experience and can lead you through the journey.
An accountability partner no matter what tier, is helpful, but the better or best partners are going to understand the struggles you’re facing and can help you get past them.
If you’re looking to lose weight, then let me be your accountability partner. I went on my own postpartum weight loss journey and understand the struggles moms face with nutrition and health. I have also spent the last seven years working with other mamas to lose weight and gain self-love. I can help you get there too! Schedule a free discovery call to see if I’m the right person to help you through your journey.
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