6 ways to build healthy habits that stick

• Try habit stacking: Attach a new habit to an existing one to make it easier to remember.

• Keep healthy options visible, and hide distractions to make it easier to make the right choice.

• Make your goals as simple as possible to begin with to remove as many barriers as possible.

• Give yourself a small, healthy reward or treat immediately after completing a new habit to help your brain associate it with positive feelings.

• Track your progress and share your journey with others to stay motivated and accountable over time.

If you’re trying to improve your health, it’s tempting to try and make big, sweeping changes to your daily routine.

This might work for some people, but many fail because making huge changes is challenging and overwhelming. 

This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and defeatism; we might simply give up.

If this is you, try starting smaller with a simple, healthy habit, then build on it. Even very small changes can have a significant impact on your health if you stick to them. Here, we provide six simple strategies to help you toward success.

1. Habit stacking

Many of us have daily habits that are so ingrained we don’t even think about them. We can use this to our advantage when trying to build a new one.

For instance, many of us start the day with a cup of tea or coffee. So, if you are trying to fit in more exercise, do some push-ups, sit-ups, or stretches while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil or the coffee machine to work its magic.

After a while, the sound of a bubbling kettle or sputtering coffee machine will remind you to get down and push out 10.

Similarly, most of us (all of us, hopefully) brush our teeth. If your new habit is drinking more water, start having a glass after you’ve cleaned your teeth every morning.

Dr. Federica Amati, ZOE's Head Nutritionist, shared with us how she stacks habits:

"I incorporate exercise into the school drop off — we walk through the forest to the girls' school, and then I go straight into a workout (either weights or cardio) before logging on for work."

Federica also told us that Prof. Tim Spector, ZOE's scientific co-founder, challenges his brain each morning by brushing his teeth with his left hand while standing on one leg... but that might not be 100% true.

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2. Use your environment to your advantage

If you’re trying to get a new habit under your belt, you need to use all of the tools at your disposal. Most of us have at least some control over our environment when we’re at home.

So, if you’re trying to eat more healthily, make sure you have healthy snack options where you’ll see them.

Another example: If you're trying to drink more water, keep multiple water bottles around the house or opt for a large bottle that you only need to fill once or twice, and carry it with you around the house.

Along similar lines…

3. Try to reduce mental friction

When we’re trying to build a new habit, any perceived friction lowers the chance that you’ll actually do it. 

Wherever possible, make achieving your goals as simple as possible. For example, if you want to work out more often, keep your gym clothes next to your bed.

On the other side of the friction coin, if you’re trying to give something up, you want to add a little friction:

If you’re keen to reduce your time on social media, remove the apps from your phone. You’ll still be able to access them, but it will take longer, and the mental friction will give your motivation a chance to kick in.

4. Reward yourself!

Adopting new healthy habits can be hard. If you do well, you deserve a treat. By rewarding yourself when you achieve something, it helps associate the new habit with a warm psychological glow. 

Over time, your brain will begin to associate the new habit with that fuzzy feeling, making it much easier to stick with.

Try to have your reward as soon as possible after your success to help your brain form a link between your new habit and the positive feelings.

But make sure your reward doesn’t contradict the healthy habit you’re trying to adopt. 

5. Keep track of your wins

Find a way to track your wins and reward yourself for significant milestones. 

You could track successes with tickboxes on a whiteboard, use an app or spreadsheet, or add marbles to a jar. Having something visual to show you how far you have come will help you stick with it: You won’t want to break your streak. 

Come up with milestones, like “10 press-ups every day for 2 weeks” or “No more than 30 minutes of social media per day for a month.” And think of a way to reward yourself at the end — have something to aim for.

Example: One customer uses a Daily30+ calendar to track how frequently she uses it.

6. Share your journey

We are social animals, and involving friends, family, and the community at large can provide vital motivation.

Tell people who are close to you what you are doing, or maybe join a group relevant to your new habit, like a walking group, gym, online community, or swimming club.

Having people on board helps keep you accountable. If you can find someone who wants to make the same or similar changes as you, that’s even better. You can motivate each other and share wins.

If you'd like to know more about developing healthy eating habits, this ZOE Podcast covers the formula for creating habits that stick:

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Summary

Whatever new habit you want to adopt, we hope this simple guide helps move you in the right direction. Here's a quick reminder of today’s tips:

1. try to stack new habits on old

2. change your environment to support you

3. reduce mental friction

4. reward yourself

5. keep track of your wins

6. share your journey

Your best bet is to make one small change at a time, but you can use all six of these techniques at once — the more you use, the more likely you are to succeed.

Good luck!

FAQs

What is the 3-3-3 rule for habits?

The "3-3-3 rule" is a popular self-improvement guideline which simplifies creating routines by breaking them into manageable phases: 3 days to start a habit, 3 weeks for momentum, 3 months to become ingrained in everyday life. 

What is the 5-2-1-0 rule?

This is a set of suggested goals for families to strive for to lead a healthy active life: 5 fruits and vegetables a day, 2 hours or less of screen time per day, 1 hour of physical activity a day, and 0 sugar-sweetened drinks.

How do I develop healthy habits?

Stack new habits on old, change your environment to support you, reduce mental friction, reward yourself, keep track of your wins, and share your journey.

What is the 7-21-90 rule for habits?

Similar to the "3-3-3 rule," this framework encourages small, consistent steps. This guideline suggests it takes 7 days to build initial momentum, 21 days to form a new habit, and 90 days to make it a fully integrated part of your lifestyle.