25 Great Ways to Make Healthy New Habits

8. Use framing as a strategy

“Framing draws attention to a specific perspective and alters the way you think about something,” says sociologist Marika Lindholm, coeditor of Between Us: Healing Ourselves and Changing the World Through Sociology. “By changing the way you frame a habit, you can make it more appealing.” For example, too many of us think of healthy habits as punishments — especially when taken to the extreme, such as dieting that feels like deprivation or fitness that feels like self-flagellation. “Instead of punishment, reframe a healthy habit as enjoyable by avoiding drastic changes and finding ways to keep it fun. “I guarantee, for instance, that there is an exercise out there that’s fun for you,” says Lindholm. “Keep trying different types until you find one that brings you joy.”

9. Aim for intrinsic motivation

Another vital element for building healthy habits is intrinsic motivation, which the Harvard Business Review defines as “the incentive we feel to complete a task simply because we find it interesting or enjoyable.” Says Vokoun: “Having a growth mindset, and focusing on learning, growing and improving each step of the way, can help you to be intrinsically motivated to make changes.” She adds that it’s important to create habits that align with your values, make you feel and function better, and bring you joy.

10. Design a vision board

Feeling a bit creative and know you do better with visual cues? Smith recommends making a vision board with images, quotes and reminders related to your new habits. But don’t then hide it away in a closet; place the board someplace you’ll see it every day, like your bedroom or office. “This constant visual reminder keeps your goals top of mind, reinforces your commitment to building these habits and gives you a fun visual reminder of what this healthy habit means to you,” Smith says.

11. Stack your habits

The term “habit stacking” is trending, but what does it mean? According to Cohen, it’s a way to build fresh routines by linking new habits to existing ones. For example, if you enjoy a morning coffee, add a short stretching routine right after. “This method leverages your existing habits as triggers for new behaviors, making it easier to integrate and maintain them,” Cohen says. “Habit stacking reduces resistance and helps new habits become a seamless part of your day.”

12. Create a positive voice in your head

“Minds tell stories, and that’s what they do,” says psychologist Nina Smiley, director of mindfulness at New York’s historic Mohonk Mountain House resort and coauthor of The Three-Minute Meditator: 30 Simple Ways to Unwind Your Mind and Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence. “If we are able to listen to the self-talk that happens throughout the day, we can learn a lot about our attitudes towards ourselves and our new habit formation.” So listen to that voice in your head. If it’s telling a negative story (“This won’t work”) or creating an excuse to stop a new behavior (“Well, I’ll just...), Smiley says to talk back to it. “Take the opportunity to bring energy and an expectation of a positive story into the moment as you discover how to converse with that voice in your head,” she says.

13. Challenge yourself with consistency

Grizont says that small, achievable goals are the secret weapon of habit formation. Instead of committing to a 30-minute walk on a nature trail every day, start with a three-minute walk around the block. Consider the tiniest, most realistic action you can take consistently, given your energy and resources. When you set up “micro-habits,” it primes your brain for success and snowballs into bigger achievements, she says. Challenge yourself to be consistent first, then amplify your goals.

14. Reduce friction wherever you can

Grizont recommends asking yourself a series of questions to see where you can minimize obstacles. How can I make this habit easy? How can I reduce the amount of willpower needed to choose it? What can I automate? Who can support me? What can I modify in my environment? What temptations can I avoid? “Notice when, where and with whom you have more resistance, and architect a way through it,” she says. “Want to walk during the day? Perhaps you block out time in your calendar, find a walking buddy at work and have your walking shoes under your desk, ready to go.”

15. Use the buddy system

Social support makes a big difference in how we see and perceive challenges. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in 2008 found that people who looked up at a hill with a friend perceived it to be less steep than people who looked at a hill by themselves. That’s why Grizont suggests buddying up with a friend, colleague or coach. “Just the presence of someone else will help your nervous system feel safer and thereby [make] the challenge less daunting,” she says. “We’re designed to do things together.”

16. Write new social scripts

Social scripts are deeply ingrained patterns of interaction — and you’ll need to tweak yours to build healthy habits. When asking friends or colleagues to get together, we often say, “Let’s grab lunch” or “Let’s get together for a drink.” But Elizabeth Anne Wood, a sociologist and coeditor of Between Us: Healing Ourselves and Changing the World Through Sociology, says scripts like these “can make it difficult to adopt healthier eating habits, cut back on alcohol or caffeine, or save money. The good news is you can rewrite [them].” For example, suggest things like, “Let’s grab a smoothie” or “Let’s get together for a walk” the next time you want to hang out with a friend.

17. Don’t strive for perfection

The popular expression often attributed to Winston Churchill is right: “Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.” Perfectionism can also get in the way of building healthy habits. “When we strive to be flawless in our efforts to change an existing habit and come up against a self-imposed standard we can’t meet, it can feel discouraging, deflating and distressing,” says Smiley. “Yet underneath this perceived failure lies an opportunity for a moment of insight. Ask yourself some simple questions, such as, ‘Are my expectations reasonable? Can I break this into smaller steps?’ ”

18. Just start already

It can be easy to push your start date until all the stars align and everything seems perfect — but what if that ideal day never comes? Getting started is the hardest part of creating a healthy habit, says Smiley. Sure, you should use common sense and not begin a new diet the same week you’re going on an all-inclusive cruise, but beyond that, know that the best day to begin is always today. And because you’re starting with bite-sized habits, you can begin with the bare minimum (think a walk around the block or adding in one more vegetable a day) and build from there as you gain confidence. 

19. Track your success

Wondering how you’re doing once you’ve started building healthy habits? It’s human nature to quantify things, and tracking success can enhance the likelihood that a healthy habit will take hold. “When we define a new behavior, make it specific and put the result on a chart or calendar, we can see a pattern,” says Smiley. “Let that pattern provide immediate feedback.” A satisfying row of check marks on a calendar showing consecutive days of exercise lets you enjoy the trend. If you miss a day, you’ll notice it and bring renewed focus to your efforts. When you change behavior, you’re navigating new territory, adds Smiley.  Visual cues can help chart the course of your personal growth.

20. Celebrate micro wins

Don’t just focus on huge milestones along your journey, because you’ll miss important opportunities to celebrate small victories that build momentum and confidence. “Whether it’s choosing a nutritious snack or taking a short walk, each small step adds up,” Cohen says. “Celebrating micro wins helps your brain recognize and seek out positive outcomes, making healthy habits easier to maintain.”

21. Lose the all-or-nothing mentality

You may think that if you don’t have time for a 30-minute walk, then there’s no point in doing a 10-minute walk, but this is an example of all-or-nothing thinking that can derail your efforts. “If we are seeking to make changes in our diet, for instance, there will be many choices throughout the day,” says Smiley. “Understanding that each moment is a choice can also remind us to bring in self-compassion if there’s a moment when we’re less than skillful in our new habits.” Starting over shows how awareness of our behavior shapes habit change — each choice is a fresh opportunity to get it right, and you don’t have to wait until a new day.

22. Celebrate progress, don’t judge it

In The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer found that progress is more motivating than rewards and makes you just as happy. Says Grizont: “Credit yourself for the choices you made toward being who you want to be. Then ritualize your celebration in a way that feels good — whether it’s a high five in the mirror, writing down your progress in a journal or sharing it with a friend. This builds confidence and a sense of control.” Of course, it’s important to reward yourself, but make sure it doesn’t jeopardize your new healthy habits. “We tend to engage in ‘moral licensing,’ where we tell ourselves that we deserve a break from being so good and can be a little bad,” Grizont says. “Instead, remind yourself of that vision and keep going for more progress.”

23. Plan for failure

This may sound doom and gloom, but planning for all outcomes — even bad ones —can get you back on track when life happens. Gabriele Oettingen, a professor of psychology at NYU, found that people who engaged in “mental contrasting” or conducted if-then scenarios were more successful than those who simply visualized success. Grizont suggests asking yourself: What obstacles can you anticipate already? Write them down and make a plan for what you’ll do if you suffer a setback. For example, if you wake up late and miss your morning meditation, do it before you go to bed. Work through possible scenarios and have a plan in place so you can move forward.

24. Avoid the ‘what the hell effect’

Grizont says the “what the hell effect” describes how one slipup can lead to a spiral of unhealthy choices. “It happens when you regret a bad choice and then go back for more to soothe yourself,” she says. For instance, if you’re avoiding carbs and feel guilty for having a slice of pizza, you could say, “What the hell, I might as well eat the whole pie.” Instead, she says, you should practice  self-compassion to bolster your resilience. “Acknowledge the feeling by labeling it, treat yourself kindly, and remember nobody is perfect,” says Grizont. “Each moment is a new beginning. Start again.”

25. Accept that habits take time to form

There’s a long-standing myth that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but the time needed is different for every person, according to a 2009 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology. Researchers found that it took between 18 and 254 days to develop a habit. Participants reported that they needed a median of about 66 days to incorporate one of three new healthy daily activities into their routines. The researchers concluded that daily repetition was the biggest factor for success, once again driving home the point that consistency is key.