How healthy habits can change your life
Sharing habits of the most successful people and tips for building your own
- Written by Joe Jackson
We all have some sort of routine or a structure within our daily lives. These structures are made up by small habits etched into our minds through years of repetitive behaviour. Whether that is; getting up or going to sleep at a certain time, what we eat for breakfast and lunch every day, or how often we exercise; these habits shape and either help enhance or hamper our progress in life.
Many of us have subconsciously picked our habits, good or bad, and changing, or unlearning them is not always a linear process. Looking to those deemed successful in society can often help us re-evaluate the ones we currently have, possibly even changing them for the better. So, what are these habits they hold that make them so successful, how do you form them and how long does it take this process take?
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
- James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
So, how long does it take to form a new habit?
There is a yearly tradition of trying to correct our bad habits with new year’s resolutions. We often see (80% of the time) that people fail to continue with what they set out to do within a week, or in some cases only a few days. So, how long does it take to build - and successfully maintain - a habit?
One of the most famous studies on habits was conducted by Dr Phillippa Lally and her collaborators in 2009. Researchers recruited 96 people who were interested in forming a new, daily habit like and monitored them over 12 weeks. For some participants, they only needed 18 days for a behavior to become a habit. For others, it did not form even after 264 days. However, on average it took 66 days to solidify a new habit. (2)
What are some of the (not so) secret habits of successful people?
#1 Sleep
When looking at the habits of successful people, sleep is one of the common themes. Usain Bolt, the world’s quickest100m runner, has said that his number one priority is sleep. Tom Brady, a famous NFL quarterback, also ascribes to this theory claiming to be in bed every night by 8:30. Successful people not only see the benefit of going to bed early, but also of rising early. Sir Richard Branson Virgin Group and Disney CEO Robert Iger are known early risers! (Check out '6 ways to ensure you’re getting the best sleep')
#2 Organisation
Another habit that repeatedly crops up when looking at successful people is organisation. Organisation can help to ensure you stay on top of forming a new habit and help set you up correctly for your day, week or month! Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, uses Sunday as his day for preparing for the week ahead.
Making your bed is another example of a daily organisational ritual that has been linked with success. This is explored by Charles Duhigg in his successful book “The Power of Habit” where he states that “making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being.”
#3 Exercising
Richard Branson is up before 5:30am everyday to exercise, “I definitely can achieve twice as much by keeping fit,” he said in an interview with FourHourBodyPress. “It keeps the brain functioning well.” Studies have proved this fact with the correlation to new learning. Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory, concentration, and mental sharpness.[1]
It is easy to see why successful people would want to be exercising when it has been found that regular aerobic exercise appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. It does this through direct and indirect means. The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain.
#4 Reading
This one seems to be another fundamental habit of successful people. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and J.K Rowling are just 3 extraordinarily successful examples who have spoken repeatedly about the importance of reading for them as a daily habit. Set aside just 30 minutes a day to get the full benefits!
Tips on building healthy habits:
1) Do it together - Trying to change these unhealthy habits can sometimes be easier in a pair. You can hold each other accountable and motivate each other when the going gets tough. Make sure you pick the partner wisely; you don’t want to regress twice as quickly.
2) Be patient - Like anything, it is easy when times get challenging to throw in the towel and give up too easily. Little by little, focus on slowly building the habits and make them as easy to follow as possible.
3) Have reminders everywhere - Whether it is having your supplements on your kitchen counter, recurring alarms for a healthier sleep and wake time, books on your bedside table, or filling your fridge with healthy foods - make those habits so obvious that you can’t help but see them everywhere!
Tips on building healthy habits:
1) Do it together - Trying to change these unhealthy habits can sometimes be easier in a pair. You can hold each other accountable and motivate each other when the going gets tough. Make sure you pick the partner wisely; you don’t want to regress twice as quickly.
2) Be patient - Like anything, it is easy when times get challenging to throw in the towel and give up too easily. Little by little, focus on slowly building the habits and make them as easy to follow as possible.
3) Have reminders everywhere - Whether it is having your supplements on your kitchen counter, recurring alarms for a healthier sleep and wake time, books on your bedside table, or filling your fridge with healthy foods - make those habits so obvious that you can’t help but see them everywhere!
How can Truth help your habits?
We recognise the importance of habits, part of our mantra is making health accessible & convenient for everyone. The Truth team love to take care of themselves by prioritising a healthy diet, exercise routine and sleep habit (most of the time). We also love to keep as organised as possible as a team to ensure work doesn’t become overwhelming.
When it comes to supplementation, we highly recommend our subscription offerbecause it means that you can keep on top of your daily supplementation routine - without worrying that there will be a break between your next daily dose.
We love to keep our supplements next to our breakfast foods so that we easily can mix our favourite products into our morning coffees, smoothies or breakfast recipes to set the day up the right way!
Truth’s Top Book Recommendations on Habits:
● “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
● “The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less” by Richard Koch
● “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg
● “High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way” by Brendon Burchard
● “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything” by BJ Fogg
References
(1) https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/regular-exercise-releases-brain-chemicals-key-for-memory-concentration-and-mental-sharpness
(2) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674
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