Subtle, seemingly insignificant changes that we make in our daily routines can have a massive impact on the quality of our lives. And the proof is in the pudding. X (formerly Twitter) user Emily (@emilykmay) sparked a lively discussion after asking people to share what small habits and hacks have greatly improved their lives.
Emily’s post reached a massive number of people around the world. At the time of writing, her thread was viewed 1.1 million times and even caught the attention of bestselling author Mark Manson! Scroll down to see what advice the internet had to share.
Bored Panda wanted to learn about developing healthy eating habits, so we reached out to Nicole Avena, Ph.D. She is a neuroscientist, an expert in nutrition, diet, and addiction, and the author of the book ‘Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction.’ You’ll find the practical insights she shared with us below.
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We were interested in finding out how long it takes for changes in our diet to become automatic.
“Our diet takes quite a while to change, because changing it, in general, means changing your routine and habits,” Dr. Avena, the author of ‘Sugarless,’ told Bored Panda via email.
“It takes about 3 weeks to develop a new behavior pattern. For example, adding veggies with every meal. It then takes about 3 months for the behavior to stick into a habit and lifestyle change. The behavior change stage is crucial for success in the long run!” she said.
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Dr. Avena was kind enough to share some small changes that we can make to what we eat and how we eat to improve the quality of our lives. These shifts aren’t difficult, but they can have a profound impact in the long run.
“Think small-—that is the keyword—you shouldn’t be changing your entire diet to make long-term changes,” the author of ‘Sugarless’ explained.
Some small changes that all of us can embrace this very day include having just one more glass of water or setting ourselves a water bottle goal.
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On top of that, we can add a single serving of fruits or vegetables to just one meal a day. Meanwhile, we can aim to go for a short walk after dinner or before breakfast.
The nutrition and diet expert urged people to practice mindfulness during mealtimes and to take ‘breaks’ while eating. “We often rush meals in between daily activities,” the expert noted.
“These are small things to make you more conscious of your diet and health that are not overwhelming.”
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We should all aim to embrace habits that will follow us into old age and make us happy throughout our lives. That means eating well, getting plenty of rest, and exercising consistently. That means taking the time to strengthen our connections with people. Research has unequivocally shown that it’s our positive relationships that make us the happiest and healthiest.
All of us want to live happy and meaningful lives, be healthy, have awesome social lives, and have financial security… while also having enough leisure time for all of our other passions. However, unless you’re extremely lucky, you’ll probably find that you’re disappointed in a few of these areas in your life.
Maybe you’re overtiming so much that you’re neglecting your family and health. Perhaps you’re spending so much time looking after other people that you’re ignoring your personal goals and needs. Or you might be so overwhelmed with everything that you find it hard to even get out of bed in the morning. Everyone has their personal struggles. Everyone has at least one area in their life that they’d like to work on.
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Though we might want it to, lasting and meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. Healthy habits take a lot of dedication, patience, and grit to engrain themselves into our lives. So no matter how many things you want to change, it’s probably a good idea to be strategic about how you about it. First of all, decide one single habit that you want to introduce into your life. You’re going to make it your priority and focus on just that thing.
Next, you have to be realistic about how long it’ll probably take you to form the habit. Research conducted at Caltech shows that this will depend a lot on the habit itself. For instance, establishing a new exercise routine takes, on average, 6 months.
However, teaching healthcare workers to wash their hands more often is something far simpler and can take weeks, rather than months. If you’re struggling with a new habit, keep in mind that most likely everyone else feels the same way! You’re not alone (even if it sometimes feels like it.)
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You should also keep in mind that getting into the habit of doing something is, at first, much more important than the results you get from it. Let’s say that you decide that you want to exercise and move more throughout the day to improve your health and fitness.
However, if you suddenly try to go from a couch potato to an athlete, you’re likely going to fail, feel disappointed in yourself, and go back to your old (unhealthy) habits. That’s why taking things slow is so important.
Patience, then, is key. And that’s something really hard for perfectionists and ambitious go-getters to understand. They want the results here and now, not in a few months or years.
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If your goal is to walk more because you work a desk job, you could start by walking just a hundred steps more today. The next day, walk a hundred more. And so on. Small changes compound very quickly over time. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself far more active.
The same goes for other habits, too. For example, you want to have a healthy sleep schedule, but you also want to keep in touch with your friends and work on your passion projects.
Going to sleep just a few minutes earlier than the day before will help you get there in a few months’ time. Meanwhile, if you feel that you spend way too much time staring at screens (many are guilty of this!), don’t quit tech cold turkey. Reduce this time by tiny fragments, every single day.
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These shifts in our routines are nearly imperceptible and require very little effort, but they shake things up and improve other areas of our lives. Suddenly, we’re better rested. We have more energy. Our mood’s improved! The quality of our life depends on the dozens if not hundreds of small decisions we make throughout the day. What you do daily is, essentially, a ‘vote’ for the type of person you want to be.
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People tend to get stuck in their routines without properly understanding why they even have these routines in the first place. Often, they’re not the most rational, efficient, logical, or healthiest way to go through life. They’re simply what we’ve defaulted to, automatically.
Any changes that you make are probably going to be painful because your body and brain don’t want to expend more energy. So small shifts are your best bet for making lasting positive changes in your life.
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Which of the habits and hacks in this list do you personally think are the most useful, dear Pandas? What small changes in your lives have had the greatest positive effects? Do you find it easy or hard to establish new habits? If you have a moment, share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this post.
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