Seven Keys to Creating Lasting Change

Building
Healthy
Habits:
Seven Keys to Creating Lasting Change
Creating new healthy behaviors means
re-mapping ingrained patterns of behavior
–but it can be done.
Humans are adaptable creatures capable of
dynamic change. Our brains are elastic enough to
learn new languages and scientific principles; our
bodies are strong enough to overcome traumatic
injuries, such as the loss of an arm or leg; and we
continually dream up answers to our most complex
problems and apply them to our lives in innovative
ways. Still, for most people, exchanging daily bad
habits – such as overeating or smoking – for good
habits – such as exercising regularly or eating
more broccoli – proves difficult.
While most people know that giving up smoking
or drinking to excess is very difficult, studies show
that smaller, seemingly less aggressive lifestyle
measures, such as going to bed earlier or studying
more, are nearly as difficult to implement in the
long -termi. The truth is, we are capable of change,
but it is hard work. The more ingrained an activity is
to an individual’s daily life, the more difficult it is to
re-map, but there is a fair amount of research that
sheds light on ways we can beat the odds, re-wire
our brains and drastically increase our chances
of success. People who perceive themselves as
having the skill-set necessary to make a change
and stick with it are more likely to follow-through,
according to a study in the American Journal of
Preventative Medicine. And, the study says, those
folks who see the new, positive behavior as more
consistent with their overall self-image, as well as
those who encounter positive cues or enablers
along their journey have more success, too ii.
Following are eight ways to create lasting behavior
changes.
Building Healthy Habits
2
Mythbuster:
It Takes 21 Days to Change a Habit
Most everyone has heard the conventional
wisdom that it takes three weeks, or 21 days, to
form a new habit. It’s a seductive idea. Stick with
that new running regimen or hide your cigarettes
for just a few weeks and soon you’ll be gliding
out the door on your morning run and no longer
craving a nicotine fix. But does it really work?
Digging deep into the scientific research out there
doesn’t yield a whole lot of hope for the 21-day
Theory. According to Yoni Freedhoff, a writer
for U.S. News and World Report, the idea that it
takes just three weeks for the brain to re-wire
itself enough to stop hankering for an old habit
came from a book written in 1960 by a cosmetic
surgeon named Maxwell Maltz who’d observed
that it took roughly 21 days for amputees to
stop feeling phantom pain from their lost limbs.
Maltz extrapolated that the human brain can reconfigure a new neural pathway in just several
weeks. It sounds good, but is less than definitive.
A more modern study doesn’t exactly back up the
21-day Theory, either. A study published in 2009
in the European Journal of Social Psychology
concluded that people generally formed a new
habit somewhere between 18 and 254 days.
While a definitive study on the subject is yet to
be published, the takeaway message is likely that
broaching major behavior change requires a dose
of reality followed by a chaser of patience. xxii
Change is a process, not an event
Approaching any new habit with a healthy sense of how much work it will entail, as well
as viewing occasional failures as a natural part of the journey and not a reason for defeat,
can set the stage for long-term success. “… We’re motivated too often by a sense of guilt,
fear or regret. Experts who study behavior change agree that long-lasting change is most
likely when it’s self-motivated and rooted in positive thinking,” say experts at Harvard
Women’s Health Watchiii. The Harvard publication offers five stages of change that people
move through as they implement behavior changes in their daily lives:
1. Precontemplation – there is no conscious
intention of making any change.
2. Contemplation – there is awareness of some
unwelcome behavior and an idea that maybe
change should happen in the future.
3. Preparation – There is acknowledgment that
change needs to happen and plans are in place
to make critical changes soon.
4. Action – There is a changed behavior or a new
behavior happening now.
5. Maintenance – The new behavior has been in
practice for at least six months.
Change-makers move through each of these stages and require different strategy
sets to progress properly without skipping a stage or sliding backwards. For instance,
in the preparation stage, it’s critical to think about potential obstacles to the new habit
and brainstorm ways to circumvent them. “If we can find short-term incentives that are
consistent with our long-term objectives, it is much easier to make the right decisions in
the moment,” says Tom Rath, author of several books about human changeiv. Backsliding
is a natural side-effect of the hard work of building healthy habits, and preparing for the
disappointment of the occasional failure and getting right back on the path is the best way
to respond v. Recent research out of Cornell University confirms that consistently making
small, easy changes to our eating habits can lead to sustainable weight loss. For instance,
instead of revamping an entire diet, choose to always put down your fork between bites
to slow the pace at which you eat. Small changes, if consistently performed, can really
pay off. The trick, researchers say, is finding the small behavior changes that will make the
biggest impact on your habits vi.
Building Healthy Habits
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Be realistic.
People often have an inflated sense of
how much they will benefit from a habit
change, and they overestimate how easy
attaining their goal will be. Additionally,
change-makers tend to believe that
making an improvement in their lives
will benefit them more than it really will
vii
. For instance, people may believe that
shedding pounds will not only net them
improved health, but also a more vital
romantic life and a job promotion viii. By
taking a clear-eyed assessment of what
kind of work it will take to implement a
weight loss program, including how long it
would take to safely shed pounds and the
kinds of day-to-day actions it would take
to improve ingrained eating habits and
include exercise in a schedule, is crucial to
long-term success. “If you set somebody up on a path where they’re likely not to succeed,
or you set yourself up to ‘run two hours every day, no matter what,’ when you stop, it’s
not a neutral event—you come back worse,” says Professor B.J. Fogg who founded
and directs the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. “That’s one of the
problems in our culture—we overreach.” Instead, Fogg advocates making tiny, sustainable
changes that are integrated seamlessly into daily routines ix. “Self-change is …generally
more difficult and takes longer than many who attempt it realize when they begin,” say
behavioral researchers at the University of Toronto x. Tempering expectations can help
stem feelings of disappointment later and can keep people on the right track.
Be specific.
Change is difficult, but habit-changers can stack the decks in their favor by nailing down
specific steps to their goals, according to the American Psychological Society xi. For
instance, instead of making a generic commitment to exercising more, make sure to
write down what time of day you plan to hit the gym, what exercises you’ll complete
and how long you plan to break a sweat. The more details you write down and file into
your mental calendar, the more likely you are to follow-through. “What seem like small or
inconsequential moments accumulate rapidly. When your good daily decisions outweigh
your poor ones, you boost your chances of growing old in better health,” says Rath xii.
Building Healthy Habits
4
All parts must work together.
When contemplating a healthier habit change, it’s crucial to consider all the
elements that work toward meeting the goal. For instance, incorporating daily
exercise into your schedule is great, but if you follow up each workout with
a cheeseburger and fries, you’re undermining your own success. For overall
holistic health, nutritious eating habits go hand-in-hand with raising your heart
rate. Even the federal government is advocating a more holistic approach
to health, revamping the Food Pyramid in 2005 with stringent new goals for
calorie intake and exercise recommendations that were criticized by some
for being unattainable, according to the Wall Street Journal xiii. For long-term
success, be sure to consider how factors like stress or environment impact
the initial goal and formulate a plan to address those concerns.
Building Healthy Habits
5
Change is like a
chain of dominos.
Knock one down, and others are sure to follow. At least that’s Dr. Bonnie Spring’s theory, a
professor of preventative medicine at Northwestern University and lead author of a study
on bad habits. When behaviors are closely related – say sedentary time spent watching
television and overeating – changing one of the behaviors will also impact the other. If you
stop watching television and go to the gym, you’ll naturally cut down on the amount of junk
food you consume in front of the TV xiv. Eliminating bad habits which are closely knotted
with others can have a profound effect on overall health. “We found people can make very
large changes in a very short amount of time and maintain them pretty darn well. (Change)
is a lot more feasible than we thought,” said Spring.
Repeat, reward,
repeat, reward.
“Scientists are discovering that habits are simply an extreme
form of learning, a behavior that’s so familiar we no longer need
to think about it,” writes Jonah Lehrer in the Wall Street Journal.
Our brains are hard-wired to learn habits and store them so
deeply that they become automatic for us – like driving, drinking
a morning cup of coffee or brushing our teeth. This has been
a boon to human evolution – once we’ve mastered a skill, we
no longer need to concentrate on it and we can attend to other
business – and it teaches us how to master a new habit, too. “The
secret, it turns out, is the quick combination of a memorable cue
and a rewarding experience,” writes Lehrer. To really cement a
habit into an individual’s daily life, the good behavior should be
repeated for weeks to months (depending on how pleasurable
the activity is or becomes) and followed closely with small
rewards to trigger the pleasure centers of the brain xvi. So, the
next time you power through a run at the gym, follow up that new
behavior with something you enjoy, such as a dip in the hot tub or
a phone call to a friend.
Building Healthy Habits
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Small changes can equal
big success!
In a Cornell University research
challenge, 42 percent of study
participants lost weight after making
three small lifestyle/diet changes
and sustaining them for up to three
months, even though the goal of the
challenge was not weight loss, but
healthier eating. xx
Remember
Kindergarten?
We learned the concept in grade school, and it
may be a major key to adopting new behaviors,
too: work together and hold each other
accountable. A major study published in the
medical journal Obesity says in an effort to reach
a common goal, teamwork and accountability
are important ways to supercharge your success.
“Being on a team … was also associated
with (a) greater percent of weight loss. This
finding is consistent with research in industrial/
organizational psychology; among work groups,
similar overarching group goals are associated
with better performance than individual goals,”
researchers noted. In another major fitness
study, weight losses “tended to ‘cluster’ within
teams, suggesting that teammates influenced
each other’s weight outcomes.” xvii One theory
as to why teamwork and accountability seem to
work so well is that group pressure spurs poor
performers to catch up – and fast! Also, group
discussions about an individuals’ performance
can identify potential problems early and provide
advice, preventing derailment from a goal,
say researchers at Clemson University xviii. At
the heart of good health is teamwork, says
Dr. Malissa Wood, co-director of the Corrigan
Women’s Heart Health Program. “Baby steps
can result in great strides in health improvement.
Recruit your partner, friend, or co-worker to
enhance your chance of success. It provides
accountability and entertainment; the more the
merrier.” xix
Building Healthy Habits
“
If you need more
convincing evidence about
the effect of small choices,
consider this: If (everyday)
you swapped out one 16
oz. bottle of soda for water
you would save yourself
73,000 calories in a year.
That equals the amount
of calories stored in 21
pounds of body fat! xxi
”
– Vicki Pepper, M.S., R.D.
7
ABOUT KEAS
Founded in 2008 by Adam Bosworth, the creator of GoogleHealth, the Keas solution is
fundamentally built upon social psychology and effective positive behavior change methods.
Keas, the leader in social health, is the most engaging gamified health and wellness platform on
the market. Keas promotes healthy behavior improvement through teamwork and fun incentives
in an interactive web and mobile application that delivers relevant, personalized content to
hundreds of thousands of employees. Employees are given the freedom and opportunity to create
an account, join a team, and dictate their own health goals. Keas allows companies to provide a
rewarding method for employees to achieving simple exercise and nutrition goals. Inadvertently,
employees gain a greater sense of self-efficacy, a better outlook on their employer and improved
health – decreasing overall healthcare and disengagement costs for the employer. By utilizing
autonomy, gamification, and positive psychology strategies, Keas has gained a proven track record
of supporting corporate HR in increasing retention, productivity, teamwork, collaboration and
competitiveness.
REFERENCES
i
Janet Polivy & Herman, C.P., (1999) The effects of resolving to diet on restrained an unrestrained eaters: The “false hope
syndrome.” International Journal of Eating Disorders, 26 434-447
ii
John P. Elder, Guadalupe X. Ayala, Stewart Harris. (1999) Theories and intervention approaches to health-behavior
change in primary care. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 17(4):275–284)
iii
Why it’s hard to change unhealthy behavior – and why you should keep trying. Harvard Women’s Health Watch, January
2007
iv
Rath, Tom. Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, New York; Gallup Publications. (2010)
v
Why it’s hard to change unhealthy behavior – and why you should keep trying. Harvard Women’s Health Watch, January
2007
Kaipainen, K., Payne, C.R., & wainsink, B. (2012). The Mindless Eating Challenge: Evaluation of a Public Web-Based
vi
Healthy Eating and Weight Loss Program. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14 (6):e168
Janet Polivy & C. Peter Herman (2002) If at first you don’t succeed: False hopes of self-change. American Psychologist,
vii
Vol. 57, No. 9, 677-689
viii
Janet Polivy & C. Peter Herman (1992) Undieting: A program to help people stop dieting. International Journal of Eating
Disorders 11, 261-268
ix
Jennifer Chang, Tiny Habits: Behavior scientist BJ Fogg explains a painless strategy to personal growth. Success, web.
x
Janet Polivy & C. Peter Herman (2002) If at first you don’t succeed: False hopes of self-change. American Psychologist,
Vol. 57, No. 9, 677-689
xi
Making Lifestyle changes that last. American Psychological Association, February 2014
Building Healthy Habits
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xii
Rath, Tom. Eat, Move, Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes. New York, Gallup Publications (2013).
xiii
Munoz, Sara, S., The Food Pyramid Gets Personalized. The Wall Street Journal, 20, April, 2005. Web; 22, Feb. 2014
xiv
Bonnie Spring & Kristin Schneider (2012) Multiple behavior changes in diet and activity: A randomized controlled trial
using mobile technology. JAMA: Internal Medicine, Vol. 172, No. 10.
xv
Lehrer, Jonah. How Habits Hold Us. The Wall Street Journal, 14, February, 2012. Web Feb. 2014
xvi
Jager Wander (2003) Breaking ‘bad habits’:A dynamical perspective on habit formation and change. University of
Groningen, The Netherlands
Tricia M. Leahey, Rajiv Kumar, Brad Weinberg, Rena R. Wing (2012) Teammates and social influence affect weight loss
xvii
outcomes in a team-based weight loss competition. Obesity (Silver Spring), July 2012: 20 (7): 1413-1418.
xviii
Frances A. Kennedy, Linda B. Nilson. Successful strategies for teams. (PDF 2008) Clemson University Publications.
Heart Smarts, Heart Center News – Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care,
xix
February 2014.
xx
Kaipainen, K., Payne, C.R., & wainsink, B. (2012). The Mindless Eating Challenge: Evaluation of a Public Web-Based
Healthy Eating and Weight Loss Program. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14 (6):e168
xxi
Vickie Pepper, Never underestimate the power of a few small choices. Web, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, California.
Positivechoice.org.
xxii
Yoni Freedhoff. Does it only take 3 weeks to form a habit? Rethinking the popular claim that habits form in 21 days. U.S.
News and World report , Web, January 2013.
Building Healthy Habits
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