10 ways to make healthy habits stick

Whether you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or you’re trying (again) to quit smoking, changing any lifestyle behavior is notoriously difficult. Some people feel unsure of how to go about it. Others start off strong, only to revert to old ways within a matter of time.

Most people who smoke, eat too much sweets and snacks, or avoid exercise, realize that these behaviors can lead to health problems. But knowledge doesn’t automatically or easily translate to action. Acknowledging this gap, health professionals have spent years studying what actually works in helping people make long-lasting behavior changes. Here are 10 effective strategies.

Assess your readiness

Changing behaviors that you may have developed over the years — often without conscious thought — takes commitment and mental and physical effort. Timing is key to success. Starting when you’re distracted by other major events in your life, such as marital or financial problems, can set you up for failure.

Another important aspect of readiness is your motivation to change. You must first perceive a need to change — from within. No one else can make you change. If your doctor recommends that you cut saturated fats from your diet to help control your cholesterol levels, how does that relate to your own values, beliefs, and goals? Your motivation might be to avoid taking medications or to stay healthy so that you can enjoy your grandchildren.

Start with small steps

If you have a chronic health condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, your treatment plan might include a host of major lifestyle changes — such as dietary changes or exercise. Instead, start with a small step. If you haven’t been physically active, walk around the block after dinner. If you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, add more carrots or spinach to your pasta sauce.

Set realistic goals

Setting goals improves the odds of achieving a desired change. The most useful goals are SMART — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-limited. A goal to “experience more” sounds good, but isn’t specific or measurable. “Walk 60 minutes every day” is specific, but it may not be attainable or relevant to your ability. A SMART goal might be to walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week — or, if you’re just starting out, to take that walk around the block after dinner several nights a week.

A series of short-term or “time-limited” goals can move you toward a long-term goal. At first, your goal might be to substitute fruit for a sugary dessert twice a week. After you achieve that, you might set a new goal of eating fruit for dessert five days a week.

Believe you can do it

This may sound obvious, but to successfully change, you need to feel confident that you can do it. If you see your health or behavior as something beyond your control (“There’s nothing I can do about it,” or “I’m just made this way genetically”), you might not see how you could possibly change it or believe that the change will truly benefit your health.

You may need to gather information about the change you’re making. For example, you might want to talk with a friend who’s already got a walking program in place about how to get started and stay motivated. As you successfully take small steps toward your new behavior, you’ll feel more confident.

Keep track of your behavior

Observing and recording your behavior can help promote change. This “self-monitoring” includes things like weighing yourself, keeping a food or exercise diary, or charting your blood pressure. People who self-monitor their food intake have been found to lose twice as much weight as do those who don’t keep track of what they eat. In addition, people who weigh themselves regularly (though not necessarily daily) are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off

Solve problems

To change for the long term, you’ll need strategies in place for solving problems as they arise — because they inevitably will. Problem solving involves several steps: identifying and defining the problem, brainstorming solutions, evaluating the pros and cons of solutions, putting them into action, and then evaluating how well they worked. This process will help you overcome potential roadblocks, such as the cost of a health club membership or exercise equipment.

Get a good night’s sleep

Are you getting enough sleep? You might not realize how important sleep is as a foundation for behavioral change. Lack of sleep can interfere with your ability to focus, learn, and remember. When you’re not sleeping well, you may be more likely to make poor decisions and feel irritable, which can sabotage your efforts to change. Aim for about eight hours of sleep a night, and stick to a sleep schedule.

Manage stress

Everything seems to be going smoothly with your new program … until the week your car breaks down, you’ve filled up your calendar, and your best friend is diagnosed with a serious disease. When stressful situations occur, your natural response may be to abandon your plan. Stress, both short-term and chronic, can undermine your efforts to get healthier. Find healthy ways to cope, such as prioritizing your activities, setting aside time to relax, and delegating or letting go of some responsibilities.

Create a supportive environment

If you can understand the environmental or social cues or triggers that go along with the behavior you’re trying to change, you can find ways to change or avoid them. If you go for coffee or dessert every time you see a particular friend, suggest that you go for a walk instead.

Your network of friends, family, and other close contacts can provide encouragement, emotional support, and reinforcement for your efforts. Tell your family and friends that you’d appreciate their help, and offer specific suggestions on what they can do.

Many people benefit from organized support, whether from a dietician, doctor, counselor, personal trainer, support group or commercial program. You can gain insights from others experiencing similar challenges, track the changes you’re achieving or work together to build skills.

Bounce back from lapses

Old habits die hard. An occasional lapse is normal. When it happens, avoid falling into all-or-nothing thinking. One setback doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Keep in mind the 90-10 rule — it’s what you do 90 percent of the time that matters, not 10 percent of the time. To get back on track, take another small step. Remember that changing your life doesn’t happen all at once.

The top 3 behaviors to change

A hundred years ago, behavior choices had little to do with health. The leading causes of death were infectious diseases, such as influenza and tuberculosis. But today’s top killers — heart disease, cancer, and stroke — can all be prevented to some extent. It’s estimated that as many as half of all deaths each year stem from unhealthy behaviors.

To increase your odds of a longer life, consider these essential behavior changes:

• Stop using tobacco. Smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable or premature deaths.

• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans and peas (legumes), and low in fat. This promotes a healthy weight and helps reduce the risk of various diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

• Stay physically active. Physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer, and also prevents obesity. –Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D. (The Philippine Star)