Habits are rituals that we engage in daily, often without even realizing it. Habits shape our lives and program our behavior and decision making. Habits may be position, neutral or negative.
Our habits might have been with us since childhood, or they might have required hard work and lots of effort to establish. All habits are challenging to break. Our brains cling to them to the exclusion of all else, including common sense. In fact, more than 40% of the actions you perform each day aren’t in response to actual decisions, they are habits.
Habits are powerful because they create neurological cravings: a certain behavior is rewarded by the release of “Pleasure” chemicals in the brain.
Whether you want to implement a good new habit or break a bad one, using a habit tracker is important because:
It creates a visual stimulus that can remind you to act
It shows how far you’ve come, so you are less likely to break your streak
It feels satisfying to record your success in the moment
It holds you accountable to the habit
A habit tracker is a simple yet efficient way to track and correct your habits. All you need to do is write down the list of habits you want to develop or change and cross off each day that you stick to your plan.
For example, if I run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, each of those days gets a check mark. ️ ✅
❤️How many habits should you track?
Tracking too many habits may become overwhelming, resulting in demotivation which will not help you achieve your goals.
I recommend you start with 3-5 habits to track. As you get used to your habit tracker, you can easily add more habits without feeling overwhelmed. Some habits might fall off the list because now they have just become part of your everyday living. A simple tip to help you get started is to begin by making your habit tracker one of your first daily practices to develop. While there is no right number of habits to track, be patient with yourself.
❤️Common Daily Habits:
Sleep 8 hours per night
Wake up at 7 AM
Meditate, Practice Yoga, Strength training
Stretch
Drink a certain amount water
Eat fruits and vegetables
Track Macros
Go for a walk / Daily Step goal / Start your day with 5 minutes of Sunshine
Fasting Hours
❤️Common Weekly Habits:
Weight Loss or Measurements
Weekly walking/step goals
# of Workouts
❌Habits to quit:
Snacking
Sugar
Alcohol
Processed Foods
Soda
Week 1 Action Plan:
What are 2 Healthy Habits that would help you?
Identify 1 or 2 habits that are getting in the way that you want to quit?
If you want more information, check out this Building Healthy Habits Challenge