Habit Stacking 🥞

This week, we’re focusing on one simple but powerful strategy for building healthy eating habits: habit stacking. This technique will help you make good nutrition choices feel effortless by pairing new habits with things you’re already doing every day. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a clear plan to stack a healthy habit onto something that’s already part of your routine.

What Is Habit Stacking?

Habit stacking is a method where you “stack” a new habit on top of an existing habit. The idea is that you use something you already do regularly as a reminder to practice a new behavior. For example, if you already brush your teeth every morning, you could stack a new habit like drinking a glass of water right after. By linking habits, the new behavior becomes automatic over time.

Why Habit Stacking Works for Nutrition

Nutrition habits can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if you're trying to overhaul your whole diet at once. Habit stacking helps you build small, manageable changes that fit naturally into your day. Instead of trying to remember to eat healthier, you use the cues from things you already do—like having your morning coffee, preparing meals, or watching TV in the evening—as triggers for your new nutrition habit.

Step-by-Step: How to Stack Nutrition Habits

1. Choose an Existing Habit
   First, think about something you do every day without fail. It’s important to choose something that’s already consistently part of your routine. This could be:

• Drinking your morning coffee

• Brushing your teeth

• Preparing lunch

• Watching TV in the evening

• Walking the dog

• Preparing for bed

2. Choose a New Nutrition Habit
   Next, think of one small nutrition habit you’d like to build. It should be simple and easy to achieve. Pick something that aligns with your health goals but doesn’t feel overwhelming. Examples include:

• Drinking more water

• Taking creatine

• Eating more vegetables

• Taking your vitamins

• Adding protein to your breakfast

3. Stack the Habits
   Now, pair the two habits together. The key is to clearly define the order of actions so they become connected in your mind. Use the formula:
   “After [existing habit], I will [new habit].”
   For example:

• After brushing my teeth in the morning, I will drink a glass of water.

• After I have my breakfast, I will take my vitamins.

4. By linking the new habit to the existing one, you’re creating a clear trigger for the behavior.

5. Start Small and Be Consistent
   Remember, the key to successful habit stacking is to start small. Focus on one habit at a time, and practice it consistently. It’s better to succeed with one tiny change than to get overwhelmed by trying to do too much at once. Over time, this new habit will feel automatic.

Earn Your Coffee

One of my favorite ways to use habit stacking is with the “Earn Your Coffee” strategy. If you’re someone who never skips their morning coffee, this is a perfect opportunity! The idea is simple: because you love your coffee, you won’t miss it. So, by pairing a new habit before you have your coffee, you ensure that new habit gets done every morning.

Here are some examples of how to “earn your coffee”:

• Drink a glass of water

• Go for a 10-minute walk

• Have a balanced breakfast

• Take your creatine

• Take your vitamins

By linking your coffee to one of these healthy habits, you’ll start the day off on the right foot while enjoying your favorite morning ritual.

Take Action!!

This week, focus on just one small change: use habit stacking to build a new habit into your day. It’s all about making healthy choices feel easier and more automatic. Remember, small steps add up over time. What will you accomplish this week?