We all want to try to be as healthy as we can be.
Our daily routines are made up of a series of habits. Most have become our norm: some good, some bad. But how do habits form?
Some are formed in childhood. Daily routines that are reinforced day after day that we carry into our adult lives. Others start later on.
What they have in common is that all habits are formed because of a reinforcement cycle,. That’s how they become a routine. Here’s how it works: there is a cue, a craving, a response and a reward.
For example, why do we drink coffee?
Cue – Wake up.
Craving – Want to be alert.
Response – Drink coffee.
Reward – Feel alert and ready to start your day.
There was a positive reward for the craving, therefore the cycle continues day after day, forming a habit.
Research suggests that forming a habit takes an average of 21 days. This may be true for some things and for some people, but it isn’t universally true.. This is why deciding you want to create a good habit has to be something that is possible to achieve AND that you are mentally ready to go after it. You may want to start exercising. You have to dedicate yourself to the hard work it will take. The cue is whatever makes you think about you health or cause you to desire to be healthier, the craving is wanting to feel healthy, the response is exercising, the reward is feeling stronger and healthier. The more times you do this cycle, the more natural it becomes and the more likely it becomes routine for you.
It may take 21 days, it could take 60 days. You could stumble along the way and start again. But every step towards creating a healthier you is a step in the right direction. The key is to set your goal, keep finding the drive to pursue it and reach for the rewards that are within your grasp.
FORM Health 