6 steps to creating healthy habits

Why forming healthy habits is hard

Humans are creatures of habit — we tend to wake up at the same time each day, have morning coffee, brush our teeth before heading off to work — following those familiar patterns every single day.

So why is it so hard to form new healthy habits?

According to behavioural scientists, this is because we often approach habit formation in the wrong way. We make bold or too many changes at once, or we rely on willpower alone to stick to our goals. So, if you're serious about creating lasting change, here are some tips, backed by research, for forming new healthy habits.

Tips for forming new healthy habits

1. Stack your habits – according to experts, the best way to form a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit. Essentially, you take a habit you already do every day, and pair it with a simple one you want to do every day. So, what does this look like in practice? If you’re a morning person, you might use your morning cup of coffee as a cue to meditate for one minute. Or, if you brush your teeth after every meal, you could use that as an opportunity to do some squats or stand on one foot to practice balance. If you have a nightly TV-watching habit, why not use that as a cue to do a single yoga pose? Next time you're looking to form a new habit, think about how you can tie it into an existing routine.
2. Start small – we tend to bite off more than we can chew, go too fast too soon, and then get overwhelmed too quickly. These big behaviour changes require a high level of motivation that often can’t be sustained. The key is to start small, making it as easy as possible to stick to. A daily short walk, for example, could be the beginning of an exercise habit.
3. Do it every day – habits take time to create, so the more often you do something, the faster it becomes automatic. A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that forming a habit ranged from 18 to 254 days, with a median of 66 days.
4. Make it easy – it's not enough to want change; you need to shape your environment to support it. Remove obstacles that might trip you up. For healthy eating, meal prepping or batch cooking reduces the steps between you and nutritious meals.
5. Reward yourself – rewards reinforce new behaviours. Immediate rewards, like the minty freshness after brushing your teeth, work best. For longer-term goals—like weight loss—find smaller, satisfying rewards. For example, treat your new running habit with a fun accessory, such as a fresh pair of running shoes.
6. Stay positive – take it slowly and steadily, and be kind to yourself when setbacks happen.

Starting your new journey with Calocurb

If you are starting your new journey with Calocurb, congratulations! You have already taken the first step to creating a new healthy habit. It can take up to 16 weeks to reset your metabolism, so establishing the habit early and sticking with it is key to success. Consider us your accountability partner—we are here with you every step of the way!