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What’s the key to making healthy habits stick?
How do healthy people stay healthy? They make it easy on themselves. They develop habits that are automatic. No decision-making needed. And what’s the key to making healthy habits stick? Establish a cue, routine and reward. Here are a few of our suggestions.
You know you should exercise consistently, but a lot of obstacles—very much including conflicting habits—prevent you from making it happen. You need to establish a cue, routine, and reward.
Here’s an example:
- Cue: Monday at 8:30 a.m. is exercise time. Get up, put your exercise clothes on and work out. Don’t schedule anything else, and don’t let anything interrupt you short of an actual emergency.
- Routine: Exercising at that time.
- Reward: Staying strong, healthy, and capable as you age. Being able to do things that require physical strength and balance as well as people half your age.
Healthy eating? Here’s a plan.
- Cues: On Friday, plan next week’s menu; on Saturday, buy groceries; on Sunday, prep food.
- Routine: Make the above happen and eat the foods you planned.
- Reward: You are healthy on the inside and out. You feel good and know why.
Jill Strand and Chris Radke are owners and certified trainers at UpLift Guided Fitness in Woodbury.
