Live Younger Longer

Remember the big picture. 
Keep your “why” — your
central motivation — in mind when you’re struggling
with a new habit. Remind yourself that you’re striving to
live longer or set a good example for your kids. That
extra serving of broccoli or weekly Zumba class
represents one more step toward reaching your
ultimate goal.
Seek support. 
Changing your habits can be hard to do
on your own. Many people benefit from enlisting the
support of others. Vital support may come from the
people closest to you, such as a spouse who agrees to
help you cook healthier dinners or a friend who joins
you on a weekly jog. Support might come from a
community, such as a biking club for beginners. Or it
could come from professionals, such as a fitness
instructor or trainer, a registered dietitian, or a therapist
who specializes in stress management.
Make it a competition. 
Some people get a boost from
activating their competitive streak. Joining a fitness or
weight-loss challenge with a friend might be just what
you need to jump-start a new habit or push you forward
if you’re losing steam. Just make sure that whatever

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challenge or competition you choose is safe, reasonable
and a good match for your current level of ability.
Distract yourself. 
New habits can be more enjoyable
when you combine them with something entertaining.
Stream a movie or TV show while you’re sweating on
the treadmill. Listen to some upbeat music when you go
for a walk or run. Play an engaging podcast while you’re
chopping vegetables for dinner.
Turning on autopilot
You already engage in countless habits every day, such as checking your
email each morning, hanging up your coat after work and brushing your
teeth before bed. We do these things without much thought or effort. But
these automatic behaviors didn’t form out of thin air. By nature, all habits
are linked to some sort of cue — a time of day, setting or situation that
unconsciously triggers the behavior.
A ping from your phone prompts you to pick it up and look at it. Getting out
of bed in the morning cues you to turn on the shower. A dark movie theater
triggers your desire for popcorn. Cues like these are powerful forces that
affect how we behave throughout the day.
Knowing this can help you choose a simple cue to send a new behavior into
autopilot mode. Let’s say your goal is to unplug from all electronics an hour
before bedtime to improve your quality of sleep. Your cue might be a
specific time of night. When you see the clock strike 10, that’s your cue to
power down. Or maybe your goal is to graze on vegetables for your pre-

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dinner snack. You might decide to put a bowlful of baby carrots front and
center on a shelf to greet you when you open your refrigerator.
Before embarking on a new goal, take some time to devise a cue you can
easily link it to. It helps if the cue you choose is already a part of your
routine. Getting out of bed, entering or leaving a room, brushing your teeth,
or finishing the dishes are some examples of cues for new habits. But the
possibilities are endless.
In the beginning, it will take conscious thought and effort to perform a new
behavior right after a cue. You’ll have to mentally remind yourself to take
the stairs instead of the elevator when you first arrive at work. But with
each repetition of cue plus behavior, you’ll be one step closer to turning that
conscious action into an automatic habit you can build on over time.