Atomic Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Will Durant

If you have read any of my previous blogs, you know how strongly I believe in the power of habit.

After all, we can only be our best nutritional selves if we adopt positive nutritional habits and leave behind negative ones.

I picked up a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear that provides a powerful, proven framework for building positive habits and removing negative ones. I strongly recommend checking it out.

Today, I want to take that framework and apply it to our nutrition habits.

Let’s start with his 4 steps to make a habit:

1. Make it obvious

2. Make it attractive

3. Make it easy

4. Make it satisfying

Conversely, to break a habit:

1. Make it invisible

2. Make it unattractive

3. Make it difficult

4. Make it unsatisfying

Let’s say the habit you want to build is eating 2 cups of broccoli a day. Let's go through the steps.

1. Make it obvious

What if your broccoli was cooked and ready to go. It was front and center in your fridge. Maybe a big post-it that says “Eat me!” Ok, maybe not. What if you wrote down a meal plan for the week, and broccoli was there each day. Now it is obvious.

2. Make it attractive

Could you research all of the benefits of broccoli? What if you found a healthy way to make the broccoli taste great. Baked with olive oil and sea salt? Adding a little ghee or grass-fed butter and sea salt. Could you pair broccoli with something else you love? When I eat broccoli, I also eat this other food I love.

Now it’s attractive.

3. Make it easy

Can you take your habit and make it even easier? I will eat at least 1 cup of broccoli a day or even I will eat 1 piece of broccoli a day. Can you break your habit down small enough that it can be done in 2 minutes or less? Make it silly small. Now it is easy.

4. Make it satisfying

After you eat the broccoli can you reward yourself? If I eat broccoli, then my wife gives me a 10 minute back rub (Good luck with that one). Can you keep a streak? 23 days in a row. Don't want to break the streak! Visible progress is satisfying. Never miss twice. Sure we miss a habit here and there. The day after is the day where we make or break the habit. Now it is satisfying.

Of course broccoli was just an example.

How could you apply this framework to exercising, meditating, taking a multivitamin, writing more, calling friends, playing a sport, drinking a daily smoothie or eating a daily salad?

Conversely, how could you apply the opposite to eating junk food, drinking soda, smoking, binge eating at night, or any other habit you want to break?

This is exactly what I do as a nutrition coach with my clients. We establish positive habits and remove negative habits, getting 1% better each day.

By the way, do you know how much better you would be if you got 1% better each day for a decade? Do the math. It’s big. Like 5 quadrillion times better big.

And what is the vehicle to get 1% better each day? Our habits.

So, what is your #1 habit you are going to implement today? What is your #1 habit you are going to get rid of today?

Take them through the 4 Atomic Habit steps, so we can build and break habits, 1 minute at a time.