PHOTO BY DREW BEAMER<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we can create one new healthy habit, we\u2019re off to a good start<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By Catherine Gannon Taintor <\/p>\n\n\n\n August 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at your health honestly. Are you obese or sedentary? Do you drink too much or smoke? Are you stressed? It\u2019s never too late to make the decision to change risky behavior. It\u2019s also not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking a bad habit or establishing a new healthy habit can be especially difficult for aging adults. Our habits and patterns are firmly fixed in our brains. However, adding one<\/strong><\/em> new healthy habit is easier to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, <\/em>suggests creating a new healthy habit to replace risky behavior. He says to stack a new habit on top of an old habit. Clear calls this \u201cHabit Stacking.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose a \u201ccurrent habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.\u201d For example, you may decide to walk for 20 minutes outside every morning. Your current habit could be to eat cereal for breakfast. Your new habit is to put on your walking shoes and step outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The formula:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter I eat my cereal, I will put on my walking shoes and step outside\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then you chain small habits together. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two-minute rule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A new habit should take less than two minutes to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Gateway” habit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You are creating a \u201cgateway\u201d habit. \u201cI will put on my walking shoes and step outside\u201d is a ritual at the start of a larger routine<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PHOTO BY DREW BEAMER Habit Stack to Improve Your Health If we can create one new healthy habit, we\u2019re off to a good start By Catherine Gannon Taintor August 2022 Look at your health honestly. Are you obese or sedentary? Do you drink too much or smoke? Are you stressed? It\u2019s never too late to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[51],"tags":[127,128,125,151],"class_list":["post-1657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adapting","tag-seniors-change-habits","tag-seniors-create-new-habits","tag-habit-stacking","tag-habit-breaking"],"yoast_head":"\nHABIT STACKING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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TIPS TO CREATE A NEW HABIT<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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