Changing Habits to Live Longer April 7, 2008
To live longer we need to work out what changes we want to make to our lives, and then carry out that changes - regularly, every day, for the rest of our new, longer life. For the lucky amongst us, blessed with an excess of willpower, that’s just another day. For most of us though, changing ingrained habits is harder work than we’d like. Now research has even indicated that when we try and use our willpower in a new area (such as shopping less) then our limited supply of willpower gets transferred from somewhere else (eating healthily). Thankfully even in these situations exercising our willpower leads to an increased supply to draw from, so it’s not all bad.
New Habits in 30 Days
One of the more successful approaches is the ‘30 day rule’, which says that you have to maintain a new way of doing things for 30 days in order for it to become a habit. The 30 days limit also has the advantage of convincing your mind that this isn’t for ever, you’re just ‘trying something out’ for a short time to see if it works. By the end of the 30 days you’re used to doing it and it has most likely become a new way of life for you.
Replace your Bad Habits with Good
Another belief is that if you want to stop a bad habit (like smoking) then you have to replace it with another, healthier habit (like eating carrot sticks). The mind hates gaps, so if you just try and remove a behavior the mind fights to keep it. Replace that behavior with something that you do at the same time as you used to do the old habit, then the brain can be tricked into embracing the new habit in its place. You just have to be sure the new habit doesn’t lead to a negative effect overall in your life, such as binge eating chocolate cake to stop smoking.
Now Over to You…
At Long Life Blog How have you managed to change your habits? What pitfalls did you come across trying to create habits that help you live longer? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.
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