Anyone older than 40 who watched Australian TV in the 90s will remember Full Frontal.
It was a comedy sketch show which brought actors like Shaun Micallef and Eric Bana to our screens.
And if you were a fan, you might remember one Eric Bana sketch called ‘Great Ders Of History’.
Passers-by would see Eric in a sticky situation and make an obvious comment much to his annoyance (treat yourself and watch the compilation below).
Wellness advice is kinda like that.
We all know what’s good for us. We’ve heard it a thousand times.
Eat well.
Sleep well.
Exercise.
Meditate.
Be grateful, mindful and compassionate-ful.
Oh der!
Clearly these are the path to better mental and physical health.
But if they’re so obvious, why do so few of us do them?
We reach a point in our lives when we draw a line (or lots of lines) in the sand in an attempt to leave unhealthy habits behind us and embark on a life of unwavering wellness.
We imagine ourselves at our best. Our calmest mind, our strongest body.
We look at the changes we need to make, the list of healthy habits we want to form and dive in with expectations high.
And then reality hits.
Becoming healthy is hard. It’s time consuming. It’s energy consuming. It’s all-consuming.
And when we fail we feel like failures, so we quit until the cycle starts again.
How to form a healthy habit
The key to embedding a healthy habit is to start small.
Let’s use exercise as an example.
Depending on your starting point you might set aside just 15 minutes a day of walking.
For the next two weeks that’s it. 15 minutes. Your goal is to not miss a session.
An effective way to help you embed this habit is to find a trigger in your day.
A trigger is something you do every day which prompts you to do your healthy habit.
It could be putting the kettle on, checking the mail, cleaning your teeth. Anything that reminds you of your habit.
After two weeks, you’ll have achieved your goal. Yes, it’s a small goal, but you did it. You’re a success. You’ll get a little shot of dopamine and feel good about yourself.
It’s time to set yourself another achievable goal. Perhaps a slow jog for 15 minutes, increase your walking time to 20 minutes a day, or find a harder route.
It takes up to two months to embed a habit. And the best way to do it is with small, regular wins. It takes patience, positivity and persistence.
It’s the same with any healthy habit you choose.
But don’t choose too many. Form a habit, then set your sights on another one.
Doing good things regularly makes you healthier. Oh der!
So, take the obvious next step. Start doing them.
Mathew Churchill is a director of Resilience Builders.
