Pairing New Habits With Old Ones

Do you want to change something in your life? Maybe it's adding a vitamin to your diet or adding some exercise? Perhaps you want to stop eating by 8 pm or make time for reading. In my new book, I talk about how you can change your habits by incorporating your new practices with old ones. Think about something you do every day without fail. For me, it is brushing my teeth. I do it twice daily, every morning and night, no matter what. This gives me two opportunities to add or change new habits I want more quickly.

About two months ago now, I started a new medication. It is best taken in the morning. I am not good at remembering things for myself, so I knew I would have to incorporate this new change effectively so I don't forget to take it. This is why my medicine bottle now resides next to my toothbrush holder. It is a visual stimulus to remind me that I also take medicine when brushing my teeth.

My kids brush their teeth at nighttime, no later than 8 pm. While I used to do this much later than them, I decided also to start doing it at the same time so

I avoid eating late at night. ( I'm working on changing my health) This small change is how I have lost my bloating and am starting to lose some weight! We won't need energy at night; we need to get rest. Therefore, we don't need to eat a stack of cookies or a bag of chips right before bed. *Bonus tip: If you tend to get nightmares like myself, I also find that not eating at night can help!

I hope you find these ideas helpful in your own life to make that change you have been looking for. The small things add up to be very big ones sometimes!