Our habits are the building blocks of our day-to-day lives, and strengthening our habits can support the achievement of our health and wellness goals. Below are five ideas for building the habits you want and harnessing them to work for you:

Start your habit change process by building awareness. Pay attention to your current habits and identify one that you may want to change. For example, "I will incorporate more physical activity into my day"

1. Anchor your new habit to something you do on a regular basis. For example, "I will go for a walk after each meal"
2. Gain clarity about what you want to do and how you will do it. Set clear and specific goals. For example, "I will incorporate 30 minutes of walking into my day"
3. Start with a simple step. Break the habit into “micro-commitments”, small “chunks” and celebrate small wins. For example, "Week 1, I will walk 5 minutes after lunch and 5 minutes after dinner; week 2, I will walk 5 minutes after lunch and 10 minutes after dinner, etc. until the daily 30-minute daily goal is achieved"
4. Remember the “why.” Keeping in mind why you are doing something – the personal value, meaning, and importance of a behavior can be helpful. For example, "I would like to lose weight"