The Healthy Habit Hustle: How to Get It, Keep It, and Grow It

We know we should live healthier lives, and there is more access than ever to allow us to eat better, move more, and get more mentally fit. So, why is it so hard to actually do it?

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone has unhealthy habits they wish they could break.
• Bad habits are hard to break because they provide immediate rewards.
• You can replace them with better, healthier habits with an effective strategy.

Living a healthy lifestyle is easier than ever — in theory. We’re inundated with whole food options, exercise routines, and self-care solutions galore…but that doesn’t make it any easier to turn those options into healthy, sustainable habits.

There are plenty of reasons it’s so hard to maintain a lifestyle that’s good for you and promotes long life and good health. The most formidable challenge for many is breaking ingrained, lifelong habits — but that’s not all.

A lot of hard work goes into making healthy changes in your life. Understanding the obstacles and what it takes to overcome them increases your chance of successfully instilling habits that will stick around for the long run.

This article explores what makes a healthy habit, why it’s so hard to stick with them, and some successful strategies to help make those changes stick.

The definition of a healthy habit

You are not totally in control of everything you do. At least 40% of your daily activities are habits or things you do without thinking. Habits can control your decisions and dictate future outcomes. Healthy habits result in a positive outcome or significantly improve a facet of your life.

Brushing your teeth and exercising are good habits that most people can maintain. However, when we try to step too far outside the norm, we may experience some trouble — which is a nice way of saying that we often hit a brick wall head-on. Working on my physical transformation opened my eyes to other things that needed improving, including how I spoke to myself.

Seeing the results of your work manifesting makes it easier to discern the obstacles blocking your path.

Obstacles to healthy habits

Healthy habits are hard to stick to. It can seem like we’re predisposed to fail because we are. It isn’t because you’re lazy or lack willpower. We are genetically programmed to base decisions on immediate physical, emotional, and social consequences.

We use an assortment of reasons to talk ourselves out of establishing healthy habits, including:

Ingrained

Acting, thinking, and feeling the same way repeatedly throughout many years build behavioral habits, but it also makes memory system habits. These habits are ingrained or deeply rooted in our subconscious. It’s hard to break a habit you don’t always know you’re doing.

External factors

Many external factors can affect how well you adhere to better habits. Your work schedule, motivation levels, and social pressure all have a part in how you look at a particular habit. If no one in your circle goes to the gym after work, it’s harder for you to do it alone.

All-or-nothing thinking

All-or-nothing thinking means there is no middle ground. There is no room for hope or even a maybe. People who think this way constantly use words like never, everything, always, and nothing. They see the world in black and white and tend to believe good habits will never stick, especially if they have tried once already.

Bad habits make us feel better faster than good habits. That’s the underlying reason why it is so hard to maintain them. Fortunately, there are a few ways around this issue.

Positive habit-making strategies

Bad habits are hard to break, and replacing them with good ones can be even more challenging. The key is to employ an effective strategy to help keep your goals front and center. Here are a few that might work for you:

Immediate reinforcement principle

Bad habits are easy to make because they feel so good at the moment. Good habits, like exercise, take longer to reap the rewards. Trick your mind by introducing immediate reinforcers to behaviors you want to make habitual. Choose a fun activity, get a workout partner, keep a log, or enter a competition, such as a race or endurance event.

Set yourself up to win

Making healthy options the easiest choice is always a good strategy. Remove temptations and make it easier to take an afternoon walk by planning your route and leaving your walking shoes by the door.

Stay busy

Keeping your mind and body occupied is an effective way to keep bad habits off the table. Pick healthy activities that you enjoy to make the process even easier. Play in the park with the dog and/or your kids. Cook a healthy meal with someone you love or read the latest thriller while enjoying a coffee or tea.

Be accountable to yourself

We all work harder when we feel accountable to someone — a coach, family member, mentor, friend, or work buddy — having someone to report your results to can provide the push you need to get stuff done. In the end, however, you are responsible for your behavior.

You are the most powerful accountability partner. Set up a system to regularly track and examine your progress rather than relying solely on others. Reward yourself for doing well but don’t beat yourself up when you make a mistake. It’s helpful to have accountability partners but know you have all the knowledge and experience you need to set yourself up for success.

The secret to making any healthy lifestyle change is joy. Living healthy shouldn’t feel like work. You’ll likely not stick with your new behaviors for too long if it does.

Eventually, you will notice patterns of what hinders your progress and what needs to be in place to make healthy choices.

Getting into the healthy habit hustle doesn’t have to be a chore. Use the incredible power of your mind to make the right strategy work for you.

Personal transformation starts with you

Breaking habits is just the beginning. You also have to replace them with better, healthier choices.

I base my teachings on what I’ve found true about personal transformation and how it affects every part of life. Check out my LinkedIn and Twitter pages to see my own personal transformation and discover what it can do for you!