Exercising regularly is for many people a keystone habit because when they do it, they also make healthier eating and life choices and procrastinate less.
Other keystone habits include: meditation, reading, writing and socialising. They provide a nice foundation for a healthy life in all domains
In my book New York Times bestselling book Atomic Habits, I explain that the process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. The image below shows the habit loop and how these four factors work together to build new habits.
The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.
At some point in the past week (or five minutes ago after a Google search), you've made a resolution to change your life: I'm going to exercise every day! I'm going to start flossing! I'm going to start eating better! I'm going to quit smoking! I'm going to stop wearing jorts!
There are 3 parts to a good or bad habit: Cue (what triggers the action), Routine (the action itself), Reward (the positive result because of the action).
You have trained your brain to take a cue (you see a doughnut), anticipate a reward (a sugar high), and make the behavior automatic (nom that donut).
Compare that to a cue (you see your running shoes), anticipate a reward (a runner’s high), and make the behavior automatic (go for a run!).
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months - habits that will have the most impact on your life - what would they be?