News

Happy New Year!  With a new year comes a new beginning and an opportunity to create healthy habits that will last well beyond 2025. 

What is the difference between a habit and a resolution?  A resolution is a firm decision to do or potentially stop doing something.  Resolutions are goal-directed based on hope and resolve compared to a habit, which is an engrained behavior.  Habits are our natural tendencies and are easy, becoming part of what we do so much that we generally don’t have to think about it. For both the good and the bad, habits are hard to change once established.

The best way to start new habits is to start small.  James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results, recommends focusing on one small step or change rather than a significant goal, which may seem overwhelming.  It is easier to add something to an existing habit than create a new one, a technique called stacking. 

Here is an example.  Let’s say you want to go from being a couch potato to participating in the 5K during Summit’s Wellness Fair this upcoming September.  Start small, saying out loud, “I will walk ten minutes every day after dinner.”  Verbalizing helps reinforce the habit; most importantly, it is now “stacked” with an activity you already do.

Now, make it even easier by adding an accountability partner and reminders such as keeping your sneakers by your dinner table and setting an alarm on your phone.  Over time, you can stack additional items such as walking further, doing some stretching, or doing other exercises, and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the 5K event!

There are several thoughts on how long it takes to establish a habit, but most people believe it takes 30 – 90 days.  When trying to develop a habit, most of us have days when life gets in the way of completing our desired task. 

Please don’t beat yourself up when it happens; instead, focus on how to make it easier to succeed the next day.  Try not to miss consecutive days, though; before you know it, you’ll be closer to your desired journey.