Taxes and 
It takes 21 days to form a new habit.
Are those 21 days uncomfortable? Sure.
Do they require some discipline? Yes.
Are there tricks for making it a whole lot easier? Absolutely.
When it comes to reaching your goals, the easiest way to get it done is to build habits that get you there. For example, if you want to lose weight, you could try drinking more water, getting more sleep, watching what you eat, or exercising. The key is to do these things regularly. As in, make them into habits.
But these are all things you already know. The issue is actually doing them.
Starting—and sticking to!—healthy habits is incredibly hard. The problem? You’re doomed to fail if you have to spend all of your time forcing yourself to do healthy things. The trick is to make healthy behaviours become automatic.
Sound hard? We’ve got you. Here’s how you can trick yourself past that 21-day mark—so all you see are the benefits 😎
6 Ways To Build Better Habits
Get An Accountability Buddy
Habits like regular exercise can be especially difficult if you have to motivate yourself to do them alone. After all, no one is there to wag their finger if you decide to skip a day—or week. So on days where thoughts like “I’ll do it tomorrow” start to intrude, having an accountability buddy is key. Your partner will add the positive pressure you need to take the first few steps of that jog or get your gym bag into the car. If you’re working out together, they’ll also give you a bit of social time to look forward to. And, on days they’re not motivated, you’ll get the satisfaction of helping them become their best selves.
Set A Reminder
We often fail to build habits because actually doing the thing slips our mind. Whether it’s an alarm on your phone or a post-it by the sink, leaving yourself reminders can provide the prompts you need until the habit sets in. Try using an app like MyHealth+ to send you reminders (whether that’s drinking a glass of water, going for a walk, or getting to bed). MyHealth+ reminders have been proven to be hugely beneficial: users who set reminders to “on” reach their goals 3x faster.
Track Your Progress
Maintaining your new habit can be tough, especially once that initial upswing of motivation has passed. To counter this, try tracking your progress. Cross off the date on the calendar every time you exercise, for example, or use a tool like the Dara Smart Scale to track how your body is changing with every day of better eating. Seeing results, even when they’re minor, will give you the motivation to keep going.
MyHealth+
If you have a Dara Smart Scale, you already know about its companion app, MyHealth: it’s where you view your results and progress. But MyHealth+ is so much more than that. With it, you can:
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Track your food just by scanning it
Let’s be honest: building better eating habits is hard—and keeping a food diary is even harder. That’s why MyHealth has FoodScan. You simply hold your phone over what you’re eating, and it scans your meal for all of its nutritional information. Just scan, tap, and you’re done! Making a habit easier is a great way to make sure you stick to it. -
Remember to move
Daily exercise is one of the best habits to pick up, whether it’s a walk or a CrossFit session. MyHealth+ sends you reminders to get up from your desk and move throughout the day, so you give your metabolism a little boost. You can even head to our exercise programs to do a daily workout from home, without any equipment, based on your goals. -
Drink water, get to bed
Drinking more water and getting more sleep are both proven to help with weight loss—but they’re hard habits to pick up. That’s why MyHealth+ will send you reminders throughout the day to grab that glass of water or shut things down for the night. -
Track your progress
Log every time you workout. Every meal you eat. And watch as your body changes, directly in MyHealth+. Seeing how you’ve progressed over time with a 7-day, 4-week and 12-month view is guaranteed to keep you going.
Journal or Talk About It
Reflecting on how your new habits are benefiting you is a great way to make them a permanent part of your life. It helps you to accept them as a force for good, rather than something you have to do that you just keep resisting against. Building new habits is one thing, but accepting and even learning to love those habits is vital for making sure they stick around long-term.
Learn To Forgive Yourself
When you’re building new habits for life, you’re bound to skip a day here and there. And that’s okay. You haven’t “messed up” if you’ve skipped a day. You’ve just… skipped a day, and you’ll keep going tomorrow. It’s really important that you forgive yourself for the days you don’t have time to go to the gym or cook for yourself. Why? Often, we “punish” ourselves for skipping a day by stopping completely because we feel like we’ve failed. You have not failed. Don’t let these set-backs ruin all of the progress you’ve made.
For better, easier, faster habit forming, try MyHealth+. The trial period is free, and we promise you won’t regret it.
