HEALTH MATTERS
Microhabits
Frye recommends instead of committing to a big, audacious goal, try incorporating small daily habits. This allows you one step closer to optimal health and wellbeing every day. These small behaviors are called microhabits and they can compound to have big results. Some microhabit examples are parking at the back of a parking lot to get your steps in or taking a sip of water as soon as you wake up rather than hitting the snooze button.
becomes stronger, more efficient and automatic until the cue alone is enough to trigger the associated behavior without conscious thought.
Breaking old habits
Forming new, healthy habits through behavior and cue association is one part of a long-term approach to wellness, but how do you break an established, negative health habit? "Breaking an old, unhealthy habit involves overwriting the old habit with a new, competing behavior," Frye said. "Basically, you substitute the unhealthy habit with a healthy new one." For example, to break a habit of drinking sugary sodas while watching television, replace the soft drink with sparkling water every time you sit down to binge your favorite show. Eventually, you'll associate watching TV with this new, healthier behavior.
"For example, to break a habit of drinking sugary sodas while watching television, replace
the soft drink with sparkling water
every time you sit down to binge
your favorite show."
"By developing these habits, one small step at a time, we can overcome the intention-behavior gap - in other words, when what you do doesn't live up to your previous intentions - and it is all the less daunting," said Frye. "This sets one up for success as opposed to overly ambitious goals that don't guide you from point A to point B."