When people decide it’s time to be healthier, they often jump in wholeheartedly with numerous activities and goals to improve their health and wellbeing. Many fizzle out within a few weeks or months in frustration and defeat without much success.
The problem: focusing on too many things at once is often not sustainable and can be overwhelming. The solution: start small and build on the power of habit. This is referred to as the Domino Effect — when you make a change to ones behavior a chain reaction is activated, causing a shift in related behaviors.
If your goal is to improve your health, start with one daily habit such as making sure you are drinking enough water. Then build on that action by adding in exercise but make it realistic. Rather than jumping in with 5:30 a.m. workouts five days a week, set an achievable goal to exercise for 30 minutes three days a week and take the stairs rather than the elevator. Focus on small wins builds confidence making it more likely that you will stick with and achieve other goals.
Not to oversimplify, but much of the Vitality One program is based on this type of behavioral science – empowering our members to focus on and achieve success around specific habits as opposed to setting overwhelming and unachievable goals.
Taking a bite-sized approach to forming habits by rewarding members for completing weekly goals that – over time – add up to sustainable, long-term behavior change. One size does not fit all, and our behavior change platform is also tailored to an individual’s specific health needs, be it someone already living a healthy lifestyle or supporting a member with chronic conditions.
Health is also easier when it’s fun which is why we incorporate gaming and rewards into our program to motivate people to continue healthy behaviors so that they became habits.
It’s remarkable how creating good habits and building on small changes can impact health and wellness. We’d love to hear about the success of some of the small changes you’ve made!
