How to Form Healthy Habits that Last

Forming healthier habits can be surprisingly difficult. Myths about why this is and how to simplify the process of habit formation have spread for years, with tons of questionable claims driven by health fads and limited science shaping the conversation.

Fortunately, we now have much greater insight into new habit formation than we once did. There are some well-documented, proven methods of changing habits that can break through the myths and help you build healthy behaviors that stick.

Why are Healthy Habits Important?

The answer is self-explanatory: healthy habits keep you healthy.

Healthy activity and eating habits over time lead to lasting benefits such as avoiding excess weight gain, decreased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, even cancers. Not surprisingly, healthy habits like walking, not sitting too much, and healthy eating lead to health. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get started.

How Long Does It Take to Form a New Habit?

Legend has it that in 1960, a physician was asked how long it takes for a new behavior to become a habit, and his best-guess answer was 30 days. This was followed by a self-help book that claimed it takes about 21 days to form a habit without much scientific basis. Over time, these estimates became widely accepted as truth.

The truth is there’s no one answer.

In Lally and colleagues’ groundbreaking work, we learned that different habits take more or less time to form. We learned that eating candy every day took very little time to become a habit, sometimes as little as a day or two. What about a harder, healthier habit? It took quite a bit longer to form an exercise habit: about 3 to over 8 months, depending on the person! So, it’s fair to say that enjoyable habits form more easily than difficult ones. This is part of what makes forming new healthy habits so challenging.

How Do Habits Form?

Researchers have identified that habit is a process that somewhat automatically follows this sequence: Cue > Impulse to Act > Behavior Response > Outcome. Each time you repeat a behavior in response to the same cue, you strengthen the connection between the cue and the action.

Over time, the behavior requires less conscious effort and becomes more automatic. Eventually, the cue itself creates the impulse to act, making it easier to start and complete the behavior as a part of your normal routine. Strong habits can become so ingrained that it does not feel right to skip them, like not brushing your teeth.

Several factors make habit formation more likely. First, use a cue to remind you to start a behavior you want a habit of doing. A consistent cue linked to starting a behavior you enjoy and want to do to reach a meaningful outcome for you works best. Routinely completing this process of  cue > behavior response > desired outcome leads to habit formation.

The figure below shows a walking habit example. First comes the cue: breakfast finished. Then, once a habit has formed, comes an impulse to act in response to the cue. The impulse to act is followed by acting: somewhat automatically beginning and complete the habitual behavior, which is walking in this case. Thus, the habit process leads to the desired outcome without much conscious though or decision making (cognitively economical). You choose the cue, healthy behavior, and your desired health outcome and, over time, the healthy habit forms. There is no shortcut to habit formation, though.

How Do You Make New Healthy Habits Last?

Research suggests that once healthy habits are established, they become more automatic and easier to maintain over time. Until then, you need to use motivation and discipline to decide to take your action in response to your cue routinely for the time it takes you to form the healthy habit you want.

However, once you’ve developed a new habit your cue and impulse to act make the process somewhat automatic to routinely complete. An enjoyable healthy behavior and an outcome that motivates you can help you persist until you have a habit. Then, instead of relying on motivation and self-discipline every day, the behavior starts to feel more natural and automatic, making it easier to stay consistent and achieve long lasting benefits.

So, if you want to start your day off with some fresh air and exercise for better health, you might  use “finishing breakfast” as your cue to take a walk in your neighborhood before starting your workday as you see in the figure.  Even if you enjoy being outdoors, you will have to make a conscious effort to follow this routine consistently for a few months before it becomes a habit.  As the habit strengthens, however, finishing breakfast will naturally prompt the urge to head outside for a walk which you will finish somewhat automatically to reach your personal outcome goal.

Fortunately, habits are not destroyed by missing the activity occasionally. You can skip your walk during a thunderstorm or while traveling. You may notice that you miss your habit activity when you’re unable to complete it.

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