Any new routine or goal is born out of willpower and excitement that jumpstarts motivation, but willpower alone isn’t enough to keep our energy up and keep the routine going day after day. This is why New Year’s resolutions often fizzle out before Valentine’s Day and why it is important to form strong, healthy habits that carry us beyond the initial excitement of a new routine.

Willpower and self control are part of executive function that takes place in the prefrontal cortex. Research suggests that our ability to regulate emotions and maintain self control decreases when our brains are under load, just like a muscle gets tired after lifting heavy weights. When we have a busy schedule, or something stressful comes up at work, these things require additional resources and energy that will reduce our overall willpower and self control. Willpower also decreases throughout the day. When we first wake up it is easier to make the healthier (and often harder) decisions, but by 3 pm it is much more difficult.

There are ways to overcome the shortcomings of the prefrontal cortex, and set up our lives to reduce mental load and still accomplish big goals that require long term dedication. Here are five ways to rely on the power of habit so you aren’t always drawing on limited willpower resources.

Set Out Your Clothes and Reduce Barriers
If you have an early morning workout planned, set out your clothes and everything you need the night before. Have your shoes ready and your socks picked out. If you are working out at home, have your workout station set up exactly how you need it, even down to adding drink mix to your water bottles. Reduce barriers as much as possible.

As you get started on a new routine, keep an eye out for other barriers that make your routine harder. For example, clearing snow from the car at 5:45 before an early morning winter swim might really decrease motivation. To counter this, you might invest in a very warm pair of snow boots and a giant coat that goes down to your knees. Now when it snows, you’ll probably be less likely to skip a swim.
Celebrate Victories
In “The Power of Habit” Charles Duhigg lays out a clear method for building keystone habits. He says to build a habit, we must do these three things: Foster small wins, set off a chain reaction of related behaviors, and make changes and successes feel possible.

a. Foster small wins

To foster small wins, you may need to break your big goal down into smaller achievements. If you’ve never completed a 5k and your goal is to run a marathon next year, there will be many milestones to celebrate in between. Celebrate your first mile-long run, celebrate the first week where you run five out of seven days, and celebrate the many achievements that will come along your journey.

b. Set off a chain reaction of related behaviors

A chain reaction of related behaviors is a powerful side effect of healthy habits. When you set a new fitness goal, you may discover that you feel better during the workout if you have more water throughout the day. Next thing you know you’re paying closer attention to hydration and reaching for water instead of soda. If you’re getting up early to complete your workout, you’ll notice it is harder to jump out of bed when you had two glasses of wine the night before. The next night you’re skipping the wine for a better night’s sleep. All these behaviors support and feed off each other.

c. Make change/success feel possible

Making change feel possible means you need to set a realistic goal and follow the other tips you find here to make progress towards creating a habit. Making success feel possible also requires that you have confidence in yourself, and believe in your autonomy and self efficacy. You have the power to build healthy habits and routines, and believing this is an important part of the process.
Have A Plan
New habits are formed by putting together a cue, a routine, and a reward, which creates a craving that kick starts this loop day after day. Making a plan for what your cue will be, how you’ll execute the routine, and what rewards you respond to is a recipe for creating a new habit. If your goal is to ride your indoor bike, a cue could be setting out your cycling shoes next to your bike and setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier. Your routine is to warm up, ride, cool down, and stretch. Your reward will vary based on what works for you. Maybe it is scrolling on Instagram for 10 minutes as you do your post-ride stretches, or maybe it is as simple as a checkmark next to the “cycle for 30 minutes” line in your journal or calendar.
Know Yourself
Trying to fundamentally change big things about yourself in order to comply with a new fitness routine will be frustrating and is unlikely to succeed. If you have more energy in the evenings and hate waking up early, schedule workouts for the evening. If your work schedule means that early mornings are the only time you have available to exercise, make sure you are getting to bed early so you can be well rested before the alarm rings. Don’t try to change everything overnight. Start small and celebrate victories along the way.
Create an Accountability System
New habits are much easier to stick to when you have accountability systems in place. There are many options to help hold yourself accountable. On one extreme is hiring a personal trainer or coach to create plans and hold you accountable for completing them. But accountability can be found in a friend who exercises with you once a week, or a run group. There are also several habit tracking apps available to help with tracking and accountability. Find the accountability partners and tools that work best for you to help encourage you in the new habits you are building.

Put these tips to work and watch your healthy habits grow!

Article by Kate Hector

Nest Health Connections

Nest Health Connections is a corporate wellness company revolutionizing health and happiness in the workplace. We create holistic customized wellness programs for employers and their employees.

Habit is Stronger Than Willpower: Five Tips to Build Strong Habits

Nest Health Connections