This content material initially appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.
By Constance Brown-Riggs
One of the most effective approaches to creating new habits is to start out small and construct upon successes over time. This manner, you can also make way of life adjustments and create new habits that final.
Goals reminiscent of consuming more healthy, getting extra train, and taking higher care of ones’ self are frequent. Unfortunately, so is giving up on targets that really feel unsustainable or unachievable. Most folks fail at food plan and way of life resolutions as a result of they set unrealistic targets and want extra assist as they try to enhance their well being.
One of the most effective approaches to creating new habits is to start out small and construct upon successes over time. This manner, you can also make way of life adjustments and create new habits that final.
Changing Health Behavior
Health behaviors, that are any actions or habits that contribute to sustaining, restoring, or bettering total well being and wellness, are important for managing diabetes. Some key diabetes well being behaviors embrace self-monitoring blood glucose ranges, consuming a balanced food plan, participating in common bodily exercise, taking medicines as prescribed, and getting common check-ups with a healthcare supplier.
By adopting these behaviors, people with diabetes can higher handle their illness, scale back the chance of problems, and obtain optimistic psychological and bodily well being.
“Behavior change is important in diabetes care because it can lead to improved disease management, a better quality of life, and enhanced self-care and self-management skill,” mentioned diabetes specialist Megan Warnke, who lives with kind 1 diabetes.
However, regardless of the advantages of adopting diabetes well being behaviors, research reveals conduct change is difficult.
“Behavior is difficult to change because most of us try to make too many changes at once,” mentioned Dr. Lakeisha Gatling, a licensed social employee in Houston. “In addition to making too many changes at once, we may also get trapped in thinking patterns such as all or nothing thinking, blaming, or negative mental filtering, which keeps us ‘stuck’ in maladaptive patterns of behavior which can prevent or delay change.”
According to Dr. BJ Fogg, conduct scientist at Stanford University and creator of “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything,” conduct change doesn’t should be overwhelming or daunting.
In “Tiny Habits,” Fogg introduces a easy and sensible method to conduct change. He suggests you begin with a objective you need to obtain, break it down into small, achievable steps and establish the place every step matches naturally in your life. Then, ensure you’re taking the time to nurture every step, give your self optimistic reinforcement for making progress, and have a good time if you attain milestones.
With sufficient follow and dedication, you’ll ultimately be capable to make the conduct part of your life. It will come naturally with out counting on willpower or motivation alone. And that’s the place behavior stacking is available in.
What is Habit Stacking?
Habit stacking is a conduct change technique created by Fogg that entails connecting an outdated behavior to a brand new one. The behavior stacking technique is much like behavior change plans that define how, when, and the place to carry out a conduct.
However, behavior stacking differs since you hyperlink the brand new conduct to a different behavior as a substitute of a particular time and place.
Here’s the behavior stacking components: after/earlier than [current behavior], I’ll [new habit].
For instance: After I pour my cup of espresso every morning, I’ll meditate for one minute, or After I order at a restaurant, I’ll ask the server to place half the entre right into a “to go” field.
Stacking habits might be approached in a number of methods, and the good information is that you’re not restricted to a single technique of behavior stacking.
The Chain Method
“The chain method involves linking a new habit to an old habit,” Warnke mentioned.
For instance, you need to begin consuming more healthy snacks, so that you chain it to an present behavior like making ready lunch for work. “Every time you prepare lunch for work, you portion out nuts to take for a snack,” she mentioned.
Using the components the chain would learn: After I put together lunch for work, I’ll portion out nuts for a snack.
The Sequence Method
Sequencing entails doing a sequence of present, associated habits so as and including a brand new one.
For instance, if you happen to’re seeking to enhance your bodily exercise, Warnke recommended one of these sequence: After I get up and switch the bathe on, I’ll carry out 20 squats [the new habit], after which take a bathe.
The Pairing Method
The pairing technique entails combining two habits, in order that they occur on the similar time. This technique is especially efficient if you use temptation bundling — linking a pleasurable conduct with an motion you might want to do.
For instance, in case your objective is to be extra bodily energetic and you’re keen on listening to your favourite playlist, Warnke suggested that you just pair the 2 actions. “Listen to your favorite playlist [existing pleasure] while out for a run [new behavior],” she mentioned.
How to Start Stacking
Identify a set off. Identifying a set off is an important first step in behavior stacking. A set off is an motion or occasion that helps remind you to hold out your required conduct, and it’ll often come from an present each day routine. Selecting triggers which might be already a part of your each day routine makes remembering and appearing upon them simpler. So begin by creating an inventory of your present habits.
“The key is to find a behavior or habit that you already have almost on autopilot and then add a new one to it,” says diabetes educator Vandana Seth. “For example, one of my clients struggled with drinking water throughout the day. We discussed the idea of drinking at least one glass first thing in the morning. Since he loved having his cup of coffee first thing in the morning, I asked him to consider keeping a glass of water right by the coffeemaker, and while the coffee was brewing, he drank his glass of water. After doing this consistently for a week, he began to look forward to his glass of water.”
It’s additionally important to make sure your set off aligns along with your new behavior. “If you’re trying to remember to take your diabetes medication with breakfast every morning but only eat breakfast on the weekend, that habit will only happen on the weekend,” Warnke mentioned.
Select a brand new behavior. Start by stacking one new behavior with an already established one and carry out the stack for one or two weeks. Once you’ve obtained the hold of it, add one other behavior to your stack. “Pick one or two new habits you’d like to work on. Trying to change everything all at once can be overwhelming and make you less likely to be successful,” Warnke mentioned.
Be particular. Whenever setting new targets or habits, attempt to be as particular as attainable. “For example, wanting to exercise more is a good intention, but it doesn’t really explain how or when you will exercise more,” Warnke mentioned. “Instead, think about what exercise you’d like to do, how much time you can realistically spend doing it, and what days or times would work best.”
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Trying completely different habits or stacking them in another way may also help you discover essentially the most helpful and sustainable routine. It’s additionally necessary to trace your progress and replicate on the habit-stacking course of, so you possibly can decide what works finest for you.
Aim for progress, not perfection. It is necessary to do not forget that striving for perfection might be counterproductive in relation to way of life adjustments. Instead, give attention to making progress and celebrating small wins. It can take anyplace from a couple of weeks to a number of months for a behavior to turn out to be automated. “Changes aren’t going to happen overnight,” Warnke mentioned. “However, the small things you do every day to improve your health will lead to significant changes in the long run.”
Create accountability. For much more success with behavior stacking, contain your diabetes assist workforce. A assist system could make all of the distinction in serving to you stick along with your way of life targets. “Accountability and support play a key role in using habit stacking and seeing sustainable results,” Sheth mentioned. “Dietitians can help guide clients with this process and collaborate on creating a structure to the old and new habits to build consistency with healthy eating as well as monitoring blood glucose.”
Finally, be affected person. “While habit stacking may make it easier to maintain a habit, changes to lab results, diabetes symptoms, and weight still take time,” Warnke mentioned. Lifestyle conduct change might be difficult, but it surely doesn’t should be overwhelming. Habit stacking is an method that may show you how to set practical targets and develop new habits which have the potential to enhance your diabetes administration and the standard of your life.
