If you want to be healthy, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And the best way to to that is by creating healthy habits. According to NIH News in Health, a monthly newsletter published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are ways you can learn to hardwire yourself to practice healthy habits. “The first step to changing your behavior is to create an awareness around what you do regularly…Look for patterns in your behavior and what triggers the unhealthy habits you want to change.”
According to the NIH, these are the steps to take to turn your healthy choices into habits that come naturally:
- Know your habits – as noted above, the first step to changing behavior is an awareness of what you routinely do.
- Make a plan – set small, achievable goals and identify the steps you are going to take to reach them.
- Stay on track – don’t give up just because you feel like it’s too hard or you have slipped up.
- Think about the future – Allow yourself to think about the positive benefits you are going to experience by making healthier choices.
- Be patient! – You may need to try different things before you find something that works for you, but your patience and perseverance will pay off.
Click on this link to read the NIH recommendations: Creating Healthy Habits – Make Better Choices Easier