How to develop healthy living habits

Lower the startup threshold so that it is almost no brainer, fully adapt to your original rhythm of life, and allow occasional laziness without pursuing 100% compliance. This is the most practical summary after I have been doing health management consulting for 5 years and followed more than 200 cases.

I met a little girl who works in operations a while ago, and she complained to me that she had gone to the gym twice after getting an annual membership card. Every time she thought about changing clothes, bringing equipment, and commuting 20 minutes to the gym. After get off work, she just wanted to collapse on the bed. How could she still have the energy to move? You see, this is a typical example of setting the bar too high. The idea I gave her was that she didn’t have to force herself to go to the gym. When she walked downstairs from work every day, she could just walk around the flower bed twice more. She didn’t have to walk fast, just walking speed would count. She gave it a try with some hesitation, and half a month later she told me that now she sometimes gets excited about walking and would take the initiative to go around twice more. Last week, she actually took the initiative to run 1 kilometer in a park near her home.

Speaking of this, some people may say, I have tried this kind of mini habit, but it is useless. I forget it after doing it for two days at a time. Oh, then you most likely have not tried the "anchoring method". This is also another mature path in the behavioral academic world and the mini habit school. To put it simply, tie the new habit behind the old habit that you have persisted for more than ten years. For example, do 3 squats immediately after brushing your teeth, turn your neck 3 times when you stand up to wipe the table after eating, throw the carton downstairs after unpacking the express, and take a few steps. There is no need to keep track of time, old habits are your natural alarm clock. I used to help a programmer who was working on a plan every day to adjust his work and rest schedule. Every time he finished writing a requirement and got up to get water, he would do 5 chest-expanding exercises. His shoulder and neck pain was now more than half relieved than before, and he didn't realize it. This was a habit he had been doing for half a year.

Of course, not everyone is suitable for starting slowly and slowly with small actions. I have seen many people with decisive personalities who find it uninspiring to use micro habits. Instead, it is better to just give strong medicine directly. For example, if you want to quit sugar, just give away all the snacks in the house, and if you want to stay up less late, just put your mobile phone in the living room to charge. The logic of this "key action school" is also supported by empirical evidence. People who are strong in action and hate procrastination use this method, and the success rate is 30% higher than if they use it little by little.

Don't believe the nonsense on the Internet that "everyone must get up at 6 o'clock in the morning and run in the morning to be healthy." Last year, I met a blogger who did night live broadcasts. He insisted on following the trend and imitating others to get up early. As a result, he was groggy and made mistakes during the day for a week, and had insomnia until 3 o'clock at night. His overall state was extremely bad. Later, I asked him not to force his schedule. He was born with a night rhythm, so he followed his own time. He arrived at the studio one hour before the broadcast every day, walked downstairs for 20 minutes, and had a light breakfast before starting work. Now he has maintained this habit for almost 8 months, and the indicators in the physical examination report are much better than when he forced himself to get up early. Clinical medicine has long confirmed that people's circadian rhythms are divided into three types: morning type, night type, and intermediate type. Forcibly reversing it will lead to cortisol disorders and metabolic abnormalities. The rhythm that suits you is the first priority.

Another pitfall that many people easily fall into is that once a habit is broken for a day, all previous efforts will be wasted, so they might as well break the habit. This happened to me when I was losing weight last year. I originally stipulated that I would only eat one cheat meal per week, but ended up eating hot pot for three days in a row when I went out for team building. When I came back, I gained 3 pounds when I weighed myself. Before, I would have given up and ordered milk tea and fried chicken every meal for the next week as a revenge diet. But I didn't take it seriously that time. I ate light home-cooked meals as normal for the next two days, drank more water and walked a few more steps. Within a week, I regained my weight. Here is some objective data for you: a 2021 "Journal of Behavioral Science" tracking study shows that 82% of subjects who are allowed to deviate 1-2 times a week can maintain their habits for more than 6 months, while those who require themselves to make zero mistakes have a success rate of only 23%. Those strict views that say "one exception and everything is ruined" actually do not conform to the logic of human behavior at all.

Seriously, you have to understand that healthy habits are meant to make your life more comfortable, not to add KPIs to yourself. If you want to drink more warm water, put the thermos cup on the edge of your workstation where you can reach it with your hands. Don’t leave it in the tea room and have to get up to get it. ； If you want to eat more vegetables, just add blanched vegetables every time you order takeout. You don’t have to make your own fat-reducing meals every time. ； It's perfectly fine to feel lazy and want to eat some ice cream someday. Don't scold yourself for not being self-disciplined just because of this.

I have seen too many people set their goals very high at the beginning, including running 5 kilometers every day and giving up sugar, oil, and carbohydrates, but they collapsed after less than 3 days. Instead, they felt that they had poor willpower. In fact, it’s your fault, it’s just that you don’t use the right method. Healthy habits that you can stick to for a long time never require you to "grit your teeth". If you find the right method, it will be as natural as brushing your teeth and washing your face every day.