Redesigning your environment for healthy habits
The way you design your environment plays a pivotal role in fostering sustainable habits. When trying to establish a new habit, consider these two questions simultaneously:
How can I make this new habit easier to adopt?
What obstacles are making this new habit challenging?
For instance, if your goal is to eat healthily, but all the nutritious ingredients and snacks are tucked away in a high, closed cabinet, while easily accessible shelves and your fridge are stocked with processed foods, you’re setting yourself up for failure. A simple solution? Rearrange your kitchen. Place healthy options on accessible shelves and stock your fridge with fresh produce. This minor change can significantly influence your choices and solidify your commitment to healthier eating.
Let’s say you find yourself too lazy to cut those fresh veggies and make a healthy dinner for yourself. Somehow you saw your chips packet in front of your kitchen counter and just thought you can have those chips to hold you over until dinnertime. First few days this habit will work but then again you would start skipping to choose a healthy snack and dinner for yourself. Here you must troubleshoot your challenges and can think What is making this new habit hard to do? You then realize that you are being lazy to wash those veggies and just opt to have those chips, packaged food, or some food ordered from outside.
To redesign this habit:
- Dedicate time to meal prep and store portions in the fridge.
- Inform your family members to avoid consuming the prepped meals.
- Ensure there’s enough prepped food in the fridge to last you a week.
- Avoid downloading or better delete the food delivery mobile app
Following one good habit might motivate you to develop more habits related to your environment
Redesign Now!