Do you brush your teeth every day? Shower? Wash your face? Drink coffee? There are many activities in our daily lives that we do without much thought. You have successfully created some good habits surrounding general hygiene and wellness. But I’m sure you also have developed some bad habits too. A lot of times, bad habits are the absence of good behavior. For instance, not working out, sitting all day, not drinking enough water are all habits that do not support a healthy lifestyle.
In educating my clients about changing their daily routine, I often suggest stacking new habits on old habits. Do you drive to work every day? This is a great opportunity to practice good posture. By taking an extra few moments to position yourself in the driver’s seat with upright posture, and then adjusting your mirrors so that you can see properly in both side and rearview is a simple trick to give you feedback. When you start to slouch, you no longer can clearly see out your rearview mirror and it reminds you to sit up!
Not drinking enough water? Do you always forget to drink your water even though it is sitting in front of you? Tie it to another activity like going to the bathroom, answering the phone, or starting a meeting. For me, I take a sip of water every time a new client arrives at my office. This has increased my water intake considerably and has made a world of difference for me.
Still not convinced that you can do this? Read on for more ways to habit stack and the benefits of doing so.