Jes Davies, PT, CFMT, CSCS, CMTPT, 500eRYT
(A first functional look at all the things affecting BRPT patients, their health and success.)
About 40% of all actions completed each day are not decisions,
but habits.
Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work.
Habits exist because our brain is always looking for ways to
save effort, and our habits allow us to stop thinking about basic
behaviors in order to quiet our mind and prepare for other
thoughts and issues that need our attention through the day.
(A first functional look at all the things affecting BRPT patients, their health and success.)
About 40% of all actions completed each day are not decisions,
but habits.
Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work.
Habits exist because our brain is always looking for ways to
save effort, and our habits allow us to stop thinking about basic
behaviors in order to quiet our mind and prepare for other
thoughts and issues that need our attention through the day.
Habits have a 3 step loop:
CUE => ROUTINE => REWARD
A cue is the trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode, and what habit to use. Cues can be triggered by visual stimuli, a certain time of day, an emotion, a particular situation, or people.
Routine is the repetition of a physical activity, a mental/thought process, or an emotional response.
Reward is the outcome, which could be positive or negative. Our brain cannot differentiate between what habits are ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Habits are powerful because they create neurological cravings. To over power a habit, we need to build awareness of what triggers the habit (the WHY). Unless you deliberately find a new routine, old patterns will unfold automatically. Changing any habit requires determination, a plan, but way more than willpower alone.
So that means changing habits = using the same cue and reward, but inserting a new routine.
Examples:
1. Building upon an already established habit:
I have a goal of drinking more water daily. Each morning I already have a habit of opening the fridge, taking out my creamer and making my coffee. I now ADD or layer an additional habit of having a full glass of water next to my creamer, so as I make my morning coffee, I drink a full glass of water with my morning vitamins.
2. Replacing a habit with a better routine:
After dinner I walk to the fridge for a sweet treat. WHY? Not because I am hungry, but because I am unwinding from a long day at work. I am used to having sugar, which spills insulin into my blood stream, and induce a more sleepy state. I now use the CUE of dinner is done, and instead of eating a sweet treat (OLD ROUTINE), I now put the dishes on the counter and take a short walk with my partner and dog outside (NEW ROUTINE). The walk, outdoor environment and conversation about the details from our day give me the same REWARD of relaxing from my work day.
Let’s keep this in mind as we keep looking at areas of our life to slowly build new habits. Next time I write, let’s get ready for a deep dive into exercise…
For more information on the reference material used for this post, check out The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.
CUE => ROUTINE => REWARD
A cue is the trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode, and what habit to use. Cues can be triggered by visual stimuli, a certain time of day, an emotion, a particular situation, or people.
Routine is the repetition of a physical activity, a mental/thought process, or an emotional response.
Reward is the outcome, which could be positive or negative. Our brain cannot differentiate between what habits are ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Habits are powerful because they create neurological cravings. To over power a habit, we need to build awareness of what triggers the habit (the WHY). Unless you deliberately find a new routine, old patterns will unfold automatically. Changing any habit requires determination, a plan, but way more than willpower alone.
So that means changing habits = using the same cue and reward, but inserting a new routine.
Examples:
1. Building upon an already established habit:
I have a goal of drinking more water daily. Each morning I already have a habit of opening the fridge, taking out my creamer and making my coffee. I now ADD or layer an additional habit of having a full glass of water next to my creamer, so as I make my morning coffee, I drink a full glass of water with my morning vitamins.
2. Replacing a habit with a better routine:
After dinner I walk to the fridge for a sweet treat. WHY? Not because I am hungry, but because I am unwinding from a long day at work. I am used to having sugar, which spills insulin into my blood stream, and induce a more sleepy state. I now use the CUE of dinner is done, and instead of eating a sweet treat (OLD ROUTINE), I now put the dishes on the counter and take a short walk with my partner and dog outside (NEW ROUTINE). The walk, outdoor environment and conversation about the details from our day give me the same REWARD of relaxing from my work day.
Let’s keep this in mind as we keep looking at areas of our life to slowly build new habits. Next time I write, let’s get ready for a deep dive into exercise…
For more information on the reference material used for this post, check out The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.