Building Sustainable Healthy Habits: The 5 Second Rule

by Susan Brady | Sep 10, 2021 | Healthy aging

Why is it so hard to discard “bad” habits and instill sustainable “healthy” ones? One reason is that most of us thrive on routine and consistency and shy away from change. The human brain actually uses various methods to stop a person from making a change. This is because change involves emotions and doing things that are different or unpredictable can be scary.

Making changes becomes even harder during times of stress, fatigue, or overwhelm. Think about all the times you’ve made New Year’s resolutions, or were excited about a new diet or exercise program, or promised yourself that you would start meditating. Then “life” got in the way and all your good intentions went out the window. This is when having a tool that allows you to take action, stick to your plan, and follow through is invaluable. One of the tools I use to stay on track is called the 5-second rule.

The 5-second rule, created by Mel Robbins, author, speaker, and life coach, is often described as the ultimate brain hack for keeping you focused and moving towards your goals. It is a tool that can help you take action in any situation.

This is the way it works:

According to Mel Robbins, when you are faced with a challenge or a decision, you only have 5 seconds to take action and make the right choice.

The tool is simple and straightforward. When making a decision or leaning towards that unhealthy food choice, procrastinating with exercise, or talking yourself out of doing something you know you really should do, you simply start to count backward  5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – GO. At GO, you take action!

The count down forces your brain to act and helps to push you toward what you know is doing the right thing, the healthy habit, the healthy choice.

This is why it works:

Although there is a lot of neuroscience behind why this works, the most simplistic explanation is that the count down takes you out of your emotional brain and engages the part of your brain that makes decisive decisions.

The fact is that we are emotional beings and most of the time we act impulsively on emotion rather than making purposeful choices.

When you count backward it shifts your thoughts away from the emotional center of your brain to the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that is responsible for concentration, planning, and problem-solving.

It also contributes to a variety of executive functions like:

• Predicting consequences of one’s actions

• Managing emotional reactions and impulses

• Processing the information around you and adapting your behavior accordingly

• Helping you set and achieve goals

Counting backward interrupts that conversation going on in your brain about all the reasons why you don’t want to do something.

For example, your alarm goes off in the morning so you can up and exercise. But instead of getting up, you lie in bed, and swirling around in your brain are all the reasons why you don’t want to get up. Maybe your emotions are telling you that it is too cold, or you are too tired, or you just need a little more sleep. When you start to count backward, all those excuses are shut down and you are up and on the way to the gym!

 “The moment you have an instinct to act on a goal you must count 5-4-3-2-1 and physically move or your brain will stop you.” ~ Mel Robbins

I like to think about the 5-second countdown as a rocket blasting off the launch pad. We are all familiar with the 5-4-3-2-1 BLAST OFF and the excitement and action that it brings. At ZERO that rocket goes off, with great force and energy. What is interesting is that counting up from 0-5 doesn’t have the same effect, perhaps because it doesn’t relay the same excitement or urgency.

I have found the 5-second rule to be pretty effective for me. I use it frequently to get out of bed in the morning when my alarm goes off. If I am being drawn in by the smell of the bakery at the food store, I start the countdown and walk right on by. Sometimes I use it at a restaurant when I am hungry and drooling over the comfort foods on the menu. Upon ordering, I count backward… 5-4-3-2-1….and making the healthier choice is easy.

Thinking about making good health decisions is not enough, you have to take action. Most of us know what we need to do to be healthier, but all too often our brain sabotages us, and this is where I have found the 5-second rule to be very helpful.

It’s a simple, quick, and effective tool for overcoming obstacles that might be holding you back and preventing you from reaching your goals.

Try it! Let me know how it works for you!

Need some guidance on making your health habits sustainable? Reach out! I am always happy to help.

Susan@nurturedbones.com/703.738.4230

Check out all of Mel Robbin’s work at melrobbins.com 

Building Sustainable Healthy Habits: Creating a Positive Mindset

by Susan Brady | Sep 2, 2021 | Healthy aging

Building sustainable health habits is hard! We all know that we need to eat more vegetables, get regular exercise, sleep more, and incorporate a daily stress-reducing routine. But making, and sticking to, these changes is hard. One of the reasons why sustaining healthy habits is so hard is because we are emotional beings and many of our habits are driven by how we feel. Many of our unhealthy habits are driven by negative emotions and breaking bad health habits and instilling healthy habits requires a positive mindset.

If you are waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror and thinking, ugh, I have gained so much weight, or have gotten so flabby, or look so old, or stressed. Or if you jump out of bed thinking about all the things you have to do and how stressful your day is going to be, you are setting up for a day of failure. Not only will you struggle to achieve your daily goals, but you are also telling yourself that you are not worthy of getting healthy, nor do you have the time or energy to focus on your health. Your emotions and outlook on life are key components for creating healthy habits.

Here are 2 quick and easy ways that can help flip the switch for a more positive mindset:

The Maui Habit

The Maui habit was developed by Dr. BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist at Stanford University and author of the book Tiny Habits. The habit grew out of inspiration from a birthday card Dr. Fogg received one year from a Hawaiian friend. The words on the front of the card read “Every Day is a Gift.” Being deeply touched by those words, he began incorporating that sentiment into his life by waking up every morning and stating what a great day it is going to be. He began to see how this one tiny habit of starting the day with a positive mindset had a huge impact on his life.

The Maui Habit is to start each day repeating the phrase “today is going to be a great day” or “an awesome day”, or “an amazing day.” Saying and repeating this simple phrase can trigger your brain for positive thoughts and positive outcomes throughout the day. This simple 3-second habit helps to create positive energy for the day, which will intern help you to make positive, healthy choices. Additionally, these positive thoughts crowd out those negative, self-sabotaging thoughts that lead to destructive habits.

Positive Self-Talk

Self-talk is that running internal dialogue that goes on in your head every day. It can be negative like “you are not good enough”, or “you can’t do anything right” or it can be positive like “you are doing great.” The way that you talk to yourself can have a profound impact on your behavior and your habits. It is very hard to stick to a health goal if you don’t feel as if you are ever going to achieve it, or deserve to achieve it. Positive self-talk boosts your self-confidence in your ability to achieve your goals and instills the belief that the things you want are achievable. Then, when you are faced with certain challenges or barriers to your goal, it is easier to find ways to overcome them. Even a small shift in that dialogue in your head towards more positive words can have a tremendous impact on helping you change your behavior and reinforce healthy habits.

Just having a positive mindset can improve your health. 

Positive thinking has been associated with:

• Increased lifespan

• Lower risk of depression

• Greater resistance to the common cold

• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease

• Better coping skills during stressful times, reducing the harmful effect of stress on your body

People with a positive mindset tend to live healthier lifestyles; they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

Keeping a positive mindset, engaging in positive self-talk, starting your day with a positive thought like “it is going to be a great day”, I believe, is the first step in helping you to make those proactive changes that lead to long-term, sustainable health habits.

Need help achieving your health goals? Reach out, I can help! Susan@nurturedbones.com/703.738.4230