
To be fitter and healthier, everyone knows they should:
Recognising the changes we have to make is not rocket science. So why do so few people do these things well?
The reason is that few people have an effective system in place to achieve change. If you want to develop healthier habits you are far better equipped to succeed if you use a strategy.
Rather than embarking on a regime which aims simply to do away with bad habits, you need a system which at the same time replaces these with new, helpful habits.
You will be far more likely to eliminate existing bad habits if you substitute them with positive habits – much in the same way that people who are overweight often have more success losing weight if they substitute undesirable foods with healthier foods, rather than just not eating.
Identify when it is you typically engage in a negative behaviour, and put in place a plan to alter this behaviour in that setting.
For example, if you find your healthy eating plan tends to fail when you eat out at restaurants, find out about the menu before you go, and make a healthy choice in advance.
Habits are built into our routine, and often we don't consciously think about engaging in certain types of behaviour. Once you single out the circumstances in which you are most likely to revert to ‘old' behaviour, you are able to plan to prevent it.
Reward yourself for making positive changes, and for trying to engage in healthy and productive activities. Remember that even if you are only successful half the time, you are still training yourself for the future.
Celebrating your efforts will significantly increase your chances of continuing helpful habits in the long term.
"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises."
-Demothenes, 384-322 BC, Greek Statesman