It may be “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for some people, the holiday season brings feelings of sadness and depression. Feeling down when everyone else is in a festive mood can be confusing, but there are good reasons for these feelings. If you find that you’re struggling a bit with sadness and depression during the holidays, you’re not alone. Holiday depression is more common than the cards and movies make it out to be, but some practical solutions can help.

Common causes of depression around the holidays

Having depression around the holidays can have many contributing factors. First, in the US, this time of year is in the winter, which is when seasonal affective disorder occurs. This automatically increases the chances of having depression. Yet, there are additional factors that occur during the holiday season that increase the risk of developing these feelings.

Increased pressure

Living in the Pinterest era puts even more pressure on everyone to keep things picture-perfect, but Pinterest boards are not real life. If you’re feeling pressure to do everything perfectly and meet everyone’s expectations for a magical holiday, it can take a toll on your mental health.

Grief

If you’ve recently had a major life change or lost a loved one during the past year, the grief associated with these events can feel more acute during the holidays. Not having life as it normally is can make you feel sad and lonely.

Financial stress

The holidays can get expensive, especially if you’re facing high expectations for how you’ll celebrate and what gifts you’ll give. This increases financial stress.

Poor time management

During the holidays, you still only have 24 hours a day, and you have to use some of those hours to sleep. If you lack time management skills, you'll find that the stress levels you face increase significantly, leaving you feeling depressed and tired.

How to cope with holiday stress

Understanding the factors that can trigger the holiday blues is the first step in managing your mental health during this season, but you’ll also need to take some proactive strategies to help. Here are some ideas.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness refers to being fully present and aware of what is happening in a particular moment, both outside of you and inside your body. All people can be mindful, but our busy society can make it harder to practice this mental state, so learn how to bring yourself back to mindfulness when your stress levels start to rise.

To practice mindfulness, take time to slow down and notice what’s happening around you. What do you see, hear, feel, and taste? Focus on your breathing, taking in deep breaths. Take an inventory of your emotional state. By doing all of these things, you can correct your thinking and bring yourself back into a state of mindfulness. This may help you enjoy the holiday festivities more because you’ll be able to take them all in.

Learn relaxation exercises

When stress levels start to rise, relaxation exercises may help. Here are some to try:

• Progressive muscle relaxation: Practice relaxing your muscles a few at a time, tensing and relaxing from your toes to the top of your head.
• Visualization: Visualize a calm, relaxing place or situation, and picture yourself in it.
• Deep breathing: Take a deep breath, hold it for a count of five, and then let it out slowly.
• Yoga: Yoga involves breathing and stretches to create a sense of balance and relaxation in the body.

Set realistic expectations

One of the factors leading to holiday stress is the high expectations many people place on themselves during the holidays. Remember, the holidays are about spending time with family and friends and learning to appreciate those you love even more. You don’t have to have a five-course meal with specialty centerpieces to enjoy your time. If you make your expectations more manageable, you may face less stress.

Don’t neglect physical health

The holiday season is a time with extra treats and fewer opportunities to exercise. However, it doesn’t have to derail your healthy living goals. While you can restart healthy habits after the holidays, you may find that your mental health stays in a better place if you keep up with healthy eating and exercise routines as much as possible. Allow yourself some tasty holiday treats, but aim to balance them with your healthy food choices, too.

Make mental health a priority

During the holidays, you’re going to want to do what you can to protect and prioritize your mental health, especially if you’re prone to struggles with depression. You are the only one who can protect your mental health, so make sure you’re doing all you can to do so. These tips may help.

1. Prioritize self-care

Getting enough sleep and making time to exercise should be a top priority during the holidays. Prioritize the types of self-care that make you feel healthy and energized, and you may find your mental health is better protected.

2. Get support

Whether it’s from friends and family who can help you with your “to-do” list, the listening ear of a loved one when you need a moment to vent, or the professional support of a therapist or counselor, get support for your mental health concerns and keep up with that support through the holidays if you can.

3. Practice healthy boundaries

There is only so much you can do throughout the holidays. Set boundaries to help you protect your mental well-being. Whether it’s saying “no” to a friend’s party or limiting the guest list to the family get-together you’re hosting, boundaries are a key to protecting your mental health.

4. Use Evidation to track your physical health

One aspect of self-care is ensuring you get enough sleep, healthy food, and exercise. One way you can monitor this is with the help of tracking tools, like those that work with Evidation. Connect your tracker to Evidation to better track your physical health markers so you can get through the holidays with an improved mood and fight holiday depression before it starts.

Are you ready to enter the holiday season well-armed? Track your health with Evidation today. You can also learn how health data, such as the data tracked with Evidation, can help you predict seasonal changes in depression.‍

If you’ve worked to get into a good routine with your workouts and runs, running every day to keep up your stamina and strength, then winter can feel frustrating. You may feel like your only option is to run indoors on a treadmill or focus on other exercise during this season. Yet the cold season doesn’t mean you need to hang up your running gear. Running in winter or cold weather has many perks that are worth exploring. From burning more calories to keeping fit all year long, you can benefit from running when the temperatures drop. The key to learning how to run in the cold is to be prepared with the right gear, and this guide will help.

Note the benefits of cold weather running

Running in cold weather carries both psychological and physical benefits. In regard to mental health, winter can bring the winter blues due to shorter days and less time in the sun. Going for a run can trigger the “feel good” endorphins that can boost your mental health. If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, you may notice that it improves with running. Getting exercise outside also improves clarity by stimulating blood flow to the entire body, including the brain.

Physically, there are multiple benefits found in running in the cold. First, when you exercise in the cold, you may burn more energy. Not only is your body burning energy through the exercise, but you may enter a state called thermogenesis, which is an increase in metabolism designed to help you stay warm. This process activates brown fat, which is the type of body fat that burns calories. Burning the brown fat can actually change your body composition as well.

In addition, running in the cold creates less heat stress on the body. While this might not show in your results because your muscles will contract more in the cold, it will give you a bit more endurance for your run. This is one of the reasons that many of the world’s top marathons take place in the fall.

Finally, winter running can keep your metabolism and motivation to work out going strong. Both of these will help you avoid the weight gain and fitness losses that are often common at this time of year.

Grab the right gear

Before you head out on a winter run, make sure you’re prepared with the right clothing and gear. Some factors to consider include these:

Cover exposed skin

Use as much covering as you can to keep exposed skin protected. Exercise leggings or joggers for your legs, jackets, and coats for your torso, and ski masks and neck gaiters for your head and face will all help. If it’s extremely cold, consider goggles.

Protect yourself from moisture

Moisture will make you feel colder, and this includes moisture from your body in the form of sweat. Use moisture-wicking fabric, especially in the layer closest to your skin, to protect yourself.

Pay attention to the temperature

Knowing how many layers to use can be challenging. Cleveland Clinic recommends dressing for conditions that are about 20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. This will account for your increased body temperature due to your workout.

Choose the right footwear

When running, regardless of the weather, you’ll want running shoes that are ideal for your gait. However, you may want shoes with additional tread or grip in the winter due to the risk of falling. Another option is to keep your existing running shoes and add cleats or grips on top for winter runs.

Get prepared

Before you hit the ground running in the colder months of the year, make sure you’re properly prepared. In addition to the gear already mentioned, you’ll want to focus on your nutrition and proper warm-up and cool-down exercises.

Nutrition guidance for cold weather running

Your body may have different nutritional needs when you run in cold weather. Fitness First recommends stocking your glycogen stores before running in the cold because you may burn more carbohydrates to create heat for your body. Adding an extra serving of fruits and vegetables to the meals you eat prior to running is a good option. After running, consider consuming warm carbohydrates, like pasta or rice, to increase your body temperature and restore your energy. Protein may also help with rebuilding muscle after a winter run.

Warming up and cooling down

Getting blood flowing to your muscles is important when running in the cold. Start stretching inside before you hit the pavement. This will limber up your joints and muscles so they don’t tense up when they hit the cold air. Dynamic stretches, such as squats and walking lunges, are great warm-ups for cold-weather exercise. This will get your heart rate up and increase your range of motion before you start running.

After your run, your body temperature will drop quickly, and in cold temperatures, this can cause chills. If you’re sweating, the sweat can contribute to this sudden drop in temperature. Use a hot shower as a cool down after your run, or at least change your clothes. Drink a warm beverage to keep your body temperature up. Cool-down stretching is also important, but getting and staying warm is the biggest factor after a cold-weather run.

Stay safe

Running always carries a little risk, but winter weather brings a few additional considerations.

Don’t slip

One of the biggest is the risk of slipping on icy sidewalks or roads. Trails also have risks of ice and snow, especially since water tends to pool on these uneven grounds. If you don’t have a safe, clear path, then wait for the ice and snow to melt.

Hydration

Staying hydrated is essential when running in the cold weather, and it is sometimes overlooked due to the lack of heat. You may not feel as thirsty as you do in hot weather. You’ll want to drink room-temperature water rather than ice water, so you don’t lower your body temperature too much.

Visibility

Because it gets dark earlier in the winter and the sun rises later, you may need to wear reflective gear to stay visible. Even if you don't think it will be dark, consider lighter-colored clothing in case you’re out when the sun starts to go down.

Track your winter runs, and earn rewards with Evidation

As you decide to tackle winter running, make sure you’re getting all of the rewards possible for your work. Evidation allows you to track your exercise and healthy eating choices and earn rewards for them. If you’re ready to embrace winter running, track your choices with Evidation to stay on the right course.

Not getting enough sleep can take a major toll on your well-being, and it makes sense to look for techniques that can help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Many people who are interested in improving the quantity and quality of their sleep are interested in trying natural methods, rather than turning to pharmaceutical options. Thankfully, magnesium supplementation is an option for people who are interested in using natural methods to boost the quality of their sleep. Research on whether magnesium supplementation works to boost sleep quality is mixed, but many people find that adding magnesium-rich foods to their diets and taking magnesium tablets helps them rest easily.

Here, we'll take a look at the role that magnesium plays in helping you get great sleep, what the current research says on magnesium and sleep quality, whether you should consider supplementation, and a few things to watch out for if you decide to introduce magnesium supplements as a part of your sleeping routine.

Why does magnesium help you sleep?

The jury is out on whether magnesium supplementation contributes to improved sleep quality, but one thing is for sure: there's a connection between magnesium and sleep.

Scientists aren't exactly sure why magnesium seems to improve sleep quality for some people. Magnesium can help to aid with muscle relaxation, which may mean that the body releases tension after ingesting magnesium, making it easier to fall and stay asleep. It's also possible that magnesium works to lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, while also increasing the brain's natural levels of melatonin, an important sleep chemical.

It's possible that magnesium may regulate the level of GABA (a neurotransmitter) in the body's central nervous system. GABA can help to calm the nervous system, and researchers believe that magnesium may help the body maintain the appropriate levels of GABA to act as a gentle sedative when it's time to sleep.

In addition to the potential sleep benefits, adding magnesium to your diet can also support your overall health. Magnesium may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, reduce the frequency of migraine headaches, and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

The research on magnesium and sleep quality

Research shows that older adults may benefit greatly from magnesium supplementation when it comes to getting better sleep. Magnesium seems to be related to the reversal of age-related sleep changes that can make it harder for seniors to get the rest necessary to maintain their overall health.

Healthy magnesium can also help little ones get the rest that they need--it's possible that healthy magnesium levels contribute to healthy wake and sleep cycles for infants and babies.

Scientists still aren't completely sure of the role that magnesium plays when it comes to getting great sleep, but research is promising. A recent study showed that older adults dealing with insomnia were able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer after supplementing with 500mg of magnesium per day for eight weeks.

Are magnesium-rich foods or supplements better for you?

If possible, it's generally best to get your vitamins and minerals from whole food sources. Eating a diet rich in magnesium can boost your health in many ways, as foods that contain high levels of magnesium typically also contain high levels of other nutrients.

If you aren't sure whether you're able to get all of the magnesium you need from food sources alone, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor about a blood test to measure your magnesium levels. Based on the results of your test, your doctor may recommend a supplement to help you get maximum magnesium benefits.

Foods rich in magnesium include:

• Almonds
• Bananas
• Beans
• Beef
• Brown rice
• Dark chocolate
• Milk
• Oatmeal
• Peanut butter
• Poultry
• Salmon
• Spinach

If you're enjoying magnesium-rich foods in an effort to improve your sleep, be sure that the foods you choose don't contain ingredients that have the opposite effect. For example, enjoying some dark chocolate before bed can be a fantastic treat, but if it's combined with foods that have high levels of sugar, you may find yourself jittery and trying to relax instead of easily drifting off to dreamland.

Recommended magnesium dosages

It's important to take the right dose of magnesium for your body. Taking too much magnesium can increase the likelihood that you'll experience negative side effects.

Guidelines for magnesium supplementation in the United States are as follows:

• Adult and teenage males—270 to 400 milligrams (mg) per day.
• Adult and teenage females—280 to 300 mg per day.
• Pregnant females—320 mg per day.
• Breast-feeding females—340 to 355 mg per day.
• Children 7 to 10 years of age—170 mg per day.
• Children 4 to 6 years of age—120 mg per day.
• Children birth to 3 years of age—40 to 80 mg per day.

A word of caution

As with all supplements, it's important to approach magnesium supplementation carefully. There can be side effects that come with taking too much magnesium, including digestive issues like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. It's also possible to experience lethargy and muscle weakness, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory issues.

Taking magnesium with a meal can help to reduce the risk of side effects associated with the supplement. It's important to swallow magnesium tablets whole. If you're using a fiber magnesium supplement, be sure to mix it with the appropriate amount of water.

Before beginning magnesium supplementation, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor to learn whether adding magnesium to your diet is a good fit for you. This is especially important if you take any prescription medications, as these can interact with magnesium and cause additional unwanted side effects. Certain supplements--like diuretics (water pills)--can cause the body to hold onto magnesium, increasing the risks of health issues and side effects.

Evidation: Live well and rest easy.

Whether you're looking for information on how to live the healthiest lifestyle possible or you're embarking on the journey toward a new health and fitness goal, Evidation is here to help. Download our app today to put your health data to good use.

If you're dealing with racing thoughts and endless to-do lists that make it hard to fall asleep, you're not alone. Anxiety can take a serious toll on the quality of your sleep, making it tough for you to get the rest you need to get through the day comfortably.

Good sleep helps you keep your energy levels up, keep your weight within a healthy range, and give your immune system the support it needs to help you stay well. Many people find themselves wondering how to fall back asleep after waking up with anxiety. This can create a cycle that's hard to break: when you're anxious about not getting enough sleep, it can become even harder to get the rest that you need.

The good news: you're not alone, and we have tried-and-tested tips that can help you stop wondering how to fall asleep fast with anxiety and start getting the shut-eye that helps you thrive.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety--a feeling of intense worry or fear--is normal in some life situations. Occasional anxiety is a standard (albeit uncomfortable) part of life. Ongoing anxiety, however, may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety that goes beyond the feeling many people get right before a first date or a job interview can interfere with day to day life. Often, the feelings of worry and fear associated with anxiety are not in proportion to the activity or fear creating the anxiety. Some people with anxiety disorders may experience the physical symptoms of anxiety without a clear event causing the issue.

Anxiety can show up differently from person to person, and some find that their symptoms come and go depending on both internal and external factors.

Some common symptoms of anxiety include:

• Restlessness and fatigue
• Irritability
• Digestive issues
• Sweating
• Shaking
• Rapid heartbeat
• Rapid breathing
• Trouble concentrating
• Fear that can't be attributed to a reasonable cause

If anxiety is affecting you in a way that's detrimental to your life, it's a good idea to talk with a doctor or mental health therapist about steps that you can take to get your worry under control.

Anxiety and sleep

Whether you're dealing with standard anxiety before a nerve-wracking event or you're living with an anxiety disorder, the amount of sleep you get can help--or hurt--your ability to function.

Anxiety can make it harder to fall and stay asleep. Not getting enough sleep can contribute to anxiety symptoms. This vicious cycle can make it tough to get the rest you need and feel good when you're struggling with anxiety.

Thankfully, there are several steps that you can take to fall asleep when you're living with anxiety.

1. Adjust your daytime habits

Our daytime habits can heavily influence our sleep, and it's important to take steps to make sure your waking hours aren't stopping you from getting the rest you need at night. Making a few small changes to your daily routine can make it easier to fall asleep, even when you're experiencing anxiety symptoms.

2. Make dietary changes to help you rest easy

When it comes to managing anxiety and falling asleep fast, what you eat during the day matters. Your nutrition choices during the day affect both your physical and mental health, and making some changes to the way you eat can improve both the quantity and quality of your sleep when you're dealing with anxiety.

Recent research shows that a high intake of vegetables, fish, and fruit are positively associated with both mental health and sleep. It's important to pay attention to how the foods you eat affect your sleep, as the associations between nutrition, anxiety, and sleep can be highly personal. Keeping a food diary and noticing how what you eat affects both the quality and quantity of your sleep can help you develop insights into how your food choices affect your mental health and overall well-being.

3. Use exercise to ease anxiety

Research shows that exercise can effectively treat anxiety--aerobic exercise is especially helpful. When you exercise, your brain's frontal regions are activated, which helps control the amygdala--the part of the brain that reacts to both actual and perceived threats.

A word of caution: some people find that exercising at night makes it harder to fall asleep, so you may want to keep your cardio sessions to the morning hours, if possible.

4. Cut yourself off from coffee

Your coffee may help you get moving in the morning, but if you enjoy it too late in the day, it's likely to stop you from getting a good night's sleep. Experts recommend having your last caffeinated beverage at least eight hours prior to bedtime.

If you find that an eight-hour caffeine-free window isn't enough, try stopping your caffeine intake even earlier in the day. Be sure to take note of the role caffeine plays with your anxiety--many coffee lovers find that their anxiety tends to lessen when they make the switch to decaf.

Creating a nighttime routine

Setting a bedroom routine can help signal to your brain when it's time to go to sleep, even if you're working to manage anxious thoughts.

A few ways to help your brain realize it's time to sleep include:

• Setting a schedule: When you go to bed at the same time each night, you may find that it's easier to fall asleep. This can also help with your anxiety, as you'll know there's an end point to the day when you finally get to rest.
• Say goodbye to screens: No, you don't need to check your work email one more time. Putting screens away an hour or two before bed can help your brain begin to relax, and can stop you from experiencing anxiety over issues that need to be left for the morning.
• Breathing and mindfulness: Getting into an evening routine of meditating for a few minutes has big benefits when it comes to sleep. In addition to quelling anxiety, meditation can boost your mood and self-compassion, which can make it easier to let go of the stresses of the day as you drift off to dreamland. A quick meditation is also a great way to fall back asleep if you wake up with anxiety in the middle of the night.

Evidation provides the guidelines and support you need to meet your health goals

Ready to start sleeping soundly? We've got you. Download the Evidation app today and enjoy guidance and support that helps you work toward getting your best sleep ever.

You heard it here first: napping is a good thing. Really!

When you're dragging through the day, a little bit of extra energy from a nap can help you make it to bedtime. Strategic napping is key, however. Napping too long can make you feel excessively drowsy and disrupt your nighttime sleep, while naps that are too short may not be effective.

Here, we'll take a look at everything you need to know about productive napping, and how you can get the most out of an afternoon snooze.

Benefits of napping

While getting high-quality rest at night is ideal, it's not always possible. From kids waking up in the middle of the night to jobs that require you to be available during nighttime hours, it can be tough to get the rest that you need. For some people, naps are only needed from time to time. For others, it makes more sense to make napping a part of a normal schedule. No matter what type of nap makes the most sense for you, snoozing in the middle of the day can have many benefits.

Benefits of napping during the day may include:

• Enhanced mood
• Increased relaxation
• Improved alertness and reduced fatigue
• Boost in reaction time
• Boost in memory performance
• Boost in job performance
• Lowered stress levels

While many people enjoy the benefits of napping, it's not the right solution for everyone. If you find that you feel too disoriented to get back to your normal activities after a nap, or you find that napping during the day makes it feel impossible to fall asleep at night, you may want to focus on improving the quality of your normal sleep instead of resting during the day.

An important note: if you're experiencing sudden fatigue during the day that can't be attributed to an obvious cause (such as working longer hours or welcoming a new baby), it's a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor to find the underlying cause of your daytime sleepiness.

Sleep science: How napping affects the mind and body

Mid-day sleeping can be beneficial for your mind. In healthy adults, napping for a short time can increase dopamine, which can make it easier for you to fall asleep later. Naps can also increase your brain's level of serotonin--the happy chemical--which can help you maintain a heightened mood and increase your productivity.

The benefits of napping go beyond the brain. Research shows that taking a short nap may provide your immune system with a boost, which can be especially helpful if you're in the process of recovering from an illness.

Ideal nap duration

Timing is key when it comes to making the most of your afternoon rest. While it may be tempting to nap for hours at a time, this usually isn't the best idea (with a few exceptions).

Are short naps better than long naps?

It's important to understand your sleep cycles in order to find the best amount of time to nap for your situation.

There are four general stages of sleep:

• Stage 1: Light sleep that lasts less than seven minutes.
• Stage 2: Deeper sleep that lasts up to 25 minutes following the end of stage 1.
• Stage 3: Deep sleep that lasts about 40 minutes.
• REM Sleep: Dreaming occurs in this stage of sleep.

You'll want to try to hit the sweet spot when it comes to napping smart--waking up before stage 3 begins, or giving yourself enough time to get through a full sleep cycle. If you wake up in stage 3, you're more likely to feel groggy and fatigued after you wake up.

Generally, short naps are best for getting a quick mid-day boost of energy. Just 10 to 20 minutes (don't forget to set your alarm) can help you get the boost of alertness you need to feel your best.

If a short nap isn't going to cut it, aim for a nap of at least 90 minutes, and try to be done with your nap before 3 p.m. Napping later can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

Napping strategies: How to snooze smart

Getting the most out of your sleep is key when it comes to napping. Here, we'll take a look at a few different strategies you can use to make sure every minute of your nap counts.

Set an alarm

There's nothing worse than promising yourself you're just going to rest your eyes... only to find that you wake up hours later. Setting an alarm as soon as you begin to feel sleepy and decide to nap can help you actually get the rest that you need, without constantly jolting awake worrying about whether you've napped for too long.

Create a restful environment

It can be tempting to snooze on the couch with the TV turned on, but actually taking a nap in a restful space can help you maximize the benefits of your sleep. Heading to your bedroom (if possible), drawing the blinds, and turning on a white noise machine can all help.

Silence your notifications

We've all been there: finally drifting off to sleep for a much-needed nap, only to get pinged with a pointless social media notification. Putting your phone on do not disturb mode can help you relax and enjoy the full benefits of your nap.

The coffee nap

Yep, you read that right--coffee and napping can work together to help you become more alert. Experts recommend drinking a cup of coffee followed by a 30-minute nap. When you wake up, the caffeine from the coffee will have kicked in, and you'll reap the benefits of a brief rest.

Evidation: Taking Your Health to the Next Level

At Evidation, we're here to help you meet your health goals, one healthy decision at a time. Whether you're just getting started on your health journey or you're working to make the most out of your wellness plan, we're excited to be a part of your journey. Download the app today and get started!

The human body has some pretty amazing properties and capabilities. Understanding health facts and interesting insights about the human body may help you take better care of your own. These facts will also help you appreciate all that your body does for you day in and day out.

Surprising connections between lifestyle and health

1. Drinking a cup of coffee can reduce feelings of depression.

Feeling a little down in the morning? One study found that a cup of coffee can boost your mood and lower your risk of depression. But don’t go for the decaf. You need caffeine for this effect.

2. Owning a dog may reduce heart disease risk.

The American Heart Association says owning pets improves mental health and may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lowering your risk for heart disease.

3. Stress increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.

You may already know that stress can increase your heart disease risk, but it also increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to cortisol level increases. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels.

Intriguing facts about the human body's capabilities

4. The body can produce enough heat in just half an hour to boil water.

Each hour, the human body creates 350,000 joules of energy, which creates the same amount of energy as a 100-watt light bulb. This ends up being enough heat to boil a half gallon of water in just 30 minutes.

5. Humans are the only animals who cry due to emotion.

You may see tears in other animals, but they don’t stem from emotions. That’s a human trait.

6. Your nose has a superpower.

The average human nose can remember 50,000 different smells. While a dog’s nose may be more powerful, that number’s still impressive.

7. Your brain is powerful.

The brain operates on 12 to 25 watts, which is enough power to light an LED light bulb.

Surprising effects of sleep on health

8. Getting more exercise may mean better sleep.

Moderate exercise may increase the amount of deep sleep you get. While you won’t want to run a mile before bed if you want to be ready to sleep, getting some exercise earlier in the day may improve your overall bedtime experience. Get motivated to work out with Evidation, and you may notice an improvement in your sleep.

9. Sleep affects almost every tissue in the body.

The National Institutes of Health indicate sleep impacts your growth, hormone levels, immunity, cardiovascular health, blood pressure, appetite, and breathing.

10. Adequate sleep reduces your risk of many diseases.

The Sleep Foundation indicates a decreased risk for high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease when you get sufficient sleep.

Impact of laughter on overall well-being

11. Laughter can actually decrease pain and release happy hormones.

When you laugh, your body releases endorphins, which help you feel happier. These happy hormones boost your mental health. This can also lead to less pain.

12. Laughter causes more oxygen consumption.

The process of laughing increases your respiratory rate. The increased oxygen consumption causes you to enter a state of relaxation for a period of time.

13. Laughing impacts blood sugar.

One study found that watching a funny television show lowered participant’s overall increase in glucose levels after a meal, and research has also found that laughter therapy reduces the heart-related complications of type 2 diabetes.

Lesser-known facts about hydration

14. You may lose 3% of your body weight in fluids before you feel thirsty.

Instead of going by thirst, check the color of your urine. It should be close to clear. If not, you’ll want to drink up.

15. Eight glasses of water is a myth.

While eight glasses of water daily can be the right amount for some people, it may be too little or too much for others. Your hydration needs depend on activity levels, body weight, and temperature.

16. You get hydrated through food.

As much as 20% of your hydration levels come from foods. Soups and produce are high in liquid content, which adds to your overall hydration.

17. You can get too much of a good thing.

People can actually overdose on water. This condition, which is called hyponatremia, causes swelling in the body’s cells and a dangerous drop in sodium levels.

Nutritional facts and their implications for health

18. Not all fats are bad.

Fat has a bad reputation, but you need some fat for heart and brain health. Unsaturated fats, including omega-3 fats, are a vital part of a healthy diet, but unsaturated fats can have negative health implications.

19. Lemons are one of the world’s healthiest foods.

Not only do they contain high doses of vitamin C, but lemons also aid in weight loss and immune system function. Adding some to water can be a simple way to add a wellness boost to your day.

20. The sun is part of your nutrition.

Getting sunshine exposure is essential to making vitamin D. So soaking in some rays is actually part of a healthy diet.

Debunking health myths with facts

21. Eight glasses of water is a myth.

While eight glasses of water daily can be the right amount for some people, it may be too little or too much for others. Your hydration needs depend on activity levels, body weight, and temperature. However, it’s a good average, so you can aim for this amount if you feel you need more water intake.

22. Coffee doesn’t cause dehydration.

Coffee has plenty of water in it. The caffeine in it does serve as a diuretic, but the water content compensates for this. According to a study in PLOS One, You can get hydrated with coffee in moderation.

23. Diet is highly personal.

What’s a healthy diet for one person may not work well for the next. For instance, some people thrive on a low-carb diet, while others need a balance between carbs and protein to feel their best. For that reason, working with a doctor or nutritionist when making dietary changes is important.

Motivate yourself to take care of your amazing body with Evidation

These interesting facts about health and the human body may have motivated you to take better care of your body. Evidation can give you the tools to stay motivated. Check out the app, and download it today to start tracking your health and getting rewarded for doing so.

There's no way around it: today's world is fast-paced, and many of us feel like we're never quite doing enough. When it comes to work, family, and social obligations, it can be tough to balance the ups and downs of life with living a healthy lifestyle.

The key to living a healthy lifestyle? Knowing where to start. We understand that you're super busy, and it can be tough to fit the foundations of a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine.

We're here to help.

Here, we'll delve into everything you need to know about getting started with a healthy lifestyle, from starting a fantastic nutrition plan to practicing mindfulness to keeping your stress levels low. Whether you're looking for some tips to add to your already-healthy routine or you're just getting started with a wellness journey, we've got you.

Healthy lifestyle foundations

If you're curious about starting a healthy lifestyle, it's important to get back to basics. All too often, it's easy to get caught up in the latest technology, workout craze, or nutrition trend, all while forgetting that nailing the basic tenants of a healthy lifestyle is key toward creating a sustainable plan.

It's important to remember that health isn't about a number on the scale or the way we look in a swimsuit. Health is about increasing both the quality and length of your life by providing your body with everything it needs to function at its best.

Three lifestyle factors--nutrition, exercise, and sleep--can set you up to meet and exceed your health and wellness goals.

Nutrition

Food is the foundation of wellness. Depending on how you approach nutrition, it can either be an amazing medicine or the cause of disease. While there's no need to eat perfectly all of the time, getting most of your calories from whole, nutrient-dense foods can help boost energy levels, improve sleep, and help you avoid diet-related disease.

Knowing how to eat well and actually doing it are two different things. Many people who are interested in health and wellness find that despite knowing exactly what they should be eating, it's hard to stay on track.

There are several techniques you can use to stay motivated to continue following your nutrition plan, including:

• Think about adding instead of subtracting: When you're focused on all the foods you're working to eat less of, it can feel like you're being deprived. Instead of focusing on what you're not having, try focusing on what you can have.
• Switch up your routine: Instead of sticking with the same meals from week to week, take some time to introduce new recipes.
• Make it simple: Convenience is key, and when it comes to staying on track with your nutrition, getting into a meal prep routine can make it easier to stick to it.
• Choose foods you love: You don't have to forgo delicious meals when you're eating healthy. If you're not a fan of eating chicken and broccoli day in and day out, exploring recipes that are a good fit for your taste buds can help you stay on the path to wellness.

When you decide that you'd like to clean up your nutrition, it may be helpful to start slowly. Going all-in on a new nutrition plan can work well for some people, but others find that it's easier to make small changes--such as swapping out a morning sugar-laden latte for a bowl of oatmeal and berries--than to do a complete nutritional overhaul.

If you're not sure what type of nutrition plan is the best fit for your body, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian. You'll be able to get valuable insights into the meals that will work best for your health and fitness goals, as well as be able to track your progress over time. Working with a healthcare professional will also help to ensure that you're choosing a sustainable nutrition plan, rather than a too-strict set of guidelines that will send you reeling the minute you decide to venture off-plan.

Exercise

Movement matters, and finding the motivation to work out can be a smart first step in getting and staying healthy. While your exercise needs depend on your individual fitness level, body type, age, and health and wellness goals, it's important to get moving a few times each week.

If you want to get started with an all-out fitness program, more power to you--but this isn't necessary for your body to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. It's recommended that you shoot for about 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. This could be walking after dinner for half an hour each weekday, doing yard work for about 20 minutes each evening, or spending some time chasing after your kids a few afternoons each week.

In order to stick with physical activity long-term, it's important that you find exercise that feels good for your body. You shouldn't dread your workout. If you find that it's tough to get moving on your own, teaming up with family, friends, or neighbors can help you stay motivated to keep moving. If you're more of an introverted exerciser, you may be interested in online fitness challenges that keep you on your toes with others around the world.

A few tips when it comes to keeping yourself moving:

• Remember, motivation wanes, while habits stick. Getting in the habit of moving regularly--even when you're not particularly in the mood to exercise--can help you continue to work toward your goals.
• Small rewards like new shoes after you hit your mileage goal for the month or a manicure with friends after you stick to your plan for a few weeks can help keep you pushing forward.
• Keep track of your statistics--like how long it takes you to walk a mile, or how long you're able to make it through your favorite dance workout video before you have to take a break--can help you to see that you're making impressive progress.

Sleep

When it comes to your health, rest is key. In today's go-go-go world, it can be tempting to burn the midnight oil. While it may feel good to check items off your to-do list late into the night in the short-term, doing so can hurt your productivity the next day, and can eventually hurt your long-term health.

Sleep needs are individual, so it's important to pay attention to the amount of sleep that allows you to feel your best. The recommended eight hours of sleep per night can be a good jumping off point for most adults, but you might need more or less sleep depending on your personal needs.

Establishing good sleep habits can help you stay on track with healthy actions throughout the following day. When you get solid rest at night, you're more likely to exercise and make nutrition decisions that fuel your body than when you're tossing and turning into the wee hours.

It's important that you set the stage for great sleep, night after night. Some great ways to improve your sleep quality include:

• Cool off. Experts say that the ideal room temperature for sound sleep is about 65 degrees. Of course, this is individual--if you find that 65 degrees is too cool for you, it's ok to crank the thermostat up a few degrees. If it's cool outside, opening a window in your bedroom for a little while before you go to bed can let in some fresh air and begin the cool-down process.
• Set a schedule. A bedtime isn't just a good idea for your kids--it's a smart move for you too. When you go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning, your body begins to know what to expect. This can make it easier to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
• Darken your room. While you don't necessarily need blackout curtains to get good sleep, it's smart to close the blinds and draw the curtains each night. The darker you can make your room, the better.
• Make your nutrition work for you. Most people find that they get their best sleep when they stop eating a few hours before bedtime. The old adage of "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper" can help you rest easy--when your body isn't working to digest a large meal at the end of the day, you may find that it's easier to fall and stay asleep.
• Cut the coffee. There's nothing wrong with a cup of coffee in the morning, but if you're struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, it may be time to cut the caffeine habit. If you're not willing to go cold turkey, try switching to half-caf, and be sure to stop drinking caffeine before noon.

Sleep is deeply individual, and it's important to take the time to figure out what sleep techniques work best for you. If it's not distracting, wearing a smartwatch or other wearable health device to bed can provide valuable sleep insights that can help you make the most of your non-waking hours.

Meal planning for busy people

Convenience is king when it comes to food, and meal prepping can be a super-helpful way for you to stick to your nutrition plan when things get rough. No, you don't need to eat every meal out of a plastic container, but having some tried-and-true healthy favorites in the fridge can set you up for success.

Try these tips to get into a meal prepping groove:

• Designate a grocery day. You don't need to run to the store every day after work to pick up a few things for dinner--this makes it all too tempting to order in. Plan your meals for the week according to plan, then take a few hours to hit the grocery store to get everything you need.
• Make meal prep an appointment. Just like you wouldn't blow off a scheduled appointment, you don't get to blow off meal prep. Set your prep time into your calendar each week.
• Keep it fresh. It's tempting to prepare the same foods week after week, but doing so increases the likelihood that your prepped food will sit in the fridge while you munch on something more enticing. Trying a new recipe each week can introduce the variety you need to stay interested.

Incorporating exercise into your schedule

Whether you've been promising yourself that you'll finally exercise tomorrow, you've been waiting for the weather to clear up, or you're telling yourself that taking the dog out was enough, it's easy to make excuses not to exercise when you're busy. No judgment--we've all been there. Thankfully, there are some ways that you can make it easier to get the movement your body craves, no matter how jam-packed your schedule may be.

Try these tips to incorporate exercise into a busy schedule:

• Shift your sleep. Many people find that it's easiest to exercise in the morning, before the tasks of the day begin to pile up. Moving your bedtime to an hour earlier so you can wake up and work out can make it easier to get moving when you have a lot on your plate.
• Find a workout buddy. It can be all-too-tempting to drive right past the gym or the park on the way home after a long day at work, but it's harder to cancel when you know you have someone depending on you. Teaming up with a friend, family member, or co-worker for daily or weekly workouts can help you stick to the plan, even when things get busy.
• Multitask. While this isn't always ideal, sometimes, multitasking is the only way to get your movement in--and that's ok! Whether you need to go for a walk while you take a conference call, do a few minutes of yoga here and there between appointments, or make playing with the kids into a game of tag to get your steps in, small efforts add up.

Mindfulness and stress management

Stress is a part of life, but that doesn't mean that we need to constantly exist in a state of stress. When stressful events happen, it's easy for us to take the physical, mental, and emotional stress of the event into the rest of our lives. While some of this is unavoidable, practicing healthy mindfulness and stress management techniques can both improve your mood and bolster your overall well-being.

Many people find that meditation is a simple, free, and fast way to re-focus and de-stress. Meditation doesn't have to be complicated, and you don't need to be able to empty your mind in order to gain the benefits. Simply setting a timer for five minutes, closing your eyes, and focusing on a word or idea can help your mind and body reset. As you begin to notice the benefits of meditation, increasing the length of your practice or the number of sessions you do each week can help you continue to lower stress levels.

Mindfulness-based movement--such as yoga--can also offer both physical and mental health benefits. While yoga classes can be a fun, effective way to get centered and meet other like-minded people, there's no need to go to a studio to enjoy the benefits of yoga. Getting started only requires a mat and a YouTube video, and you'll notice the immediate benefits--like a clear mind, deeper breathing, and increased energy--right away.

A final note on stress management: don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help if you're struggling. It can be easy to try to deal with stress on your own, but doing so isn't just difficult--it can be exhausting. Turning to your community or a trusted therapist when things get rough is a key part of managing stress.

Why hydration matters

Quick--when last did you have a glass of water?

Hydration is a key part of keeping your body healthy long-term, but it's easy to forget to drink up when we get busy. It can also be hard to remember to drink water when we're enjoying other beverages.

Benefits of drinking enough water each day include:

• Regulation of kidney function
• Supports digestive health
• Boosts energy levels
• Can contribute to healthy weight maintenance
• Improves skin health
• Boosts focus

Knowing how much water your body needs to feel great is a smart place to start. Many experts recommend drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water each day--for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you'd aim for 75 ounces each day, plus more if you're exercising, breastfeeding, or spending time in hot temperatures.

Setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink water can help you stay hydrated, as can starting a water challenge with the people you're around during the day. When you begin to boost your water intake, you may feel that you're constantly drinking--don't worry, this will fade over time. A word of caution: if you're new to hitting your hydration goals, you may want to stop drinking a few hours before you go to sleep, so you aren't constantly waking up to use the bathroom.

Prioritizing self-care

When you're busy taking care of others, it's easy to put yourself last. Whether you end up picking at leftover food on kids' plates because you feel too busy to make a healthy dinner for yourself or you fail to get the sleep you need because you're working to meet deadlines, many people have a tough time prioritizing self-care.

Doing so, however, is key to your long-term well-being. Self-care looks different for everyone, and it's important to pay attention to what self-care behaviors help you feel restored, revitalized, and ready to live your best life.

If you're not at the point where you feel you can prioritize your well-being for your own sake, think about how prioritizing your well-being helps others. When you're healthy and happy, it's easier for you to keep others healthy and happy. When you have high energy levels, the people around you benefit. If you have little ones at home, engaging in self-care helps them see the importance of doing the same.

Self-care isn't always about taking a bubble bath or getting a massage. Some less-often-discussed self-care activities include:

• Asking for help when you need it
• Calling a friend to talk when you feel stressed
• Setting boundaries with others
• Declining invitations when you feel overwhelmed or in need of rest
• Spending time by yourself
• Relaxing with your pet or a family member to recharge
• Preparing and enjoying healthy food
• Participating in physical exercise that is challenging and fun
• Going to the doctor for regular check-ups
• Talking with a therapist to support your mental health

We've all heard the saying "put your own oxygen mask on first," and this is as true in life as it is 30,000 feet in the air. When you put yourself first, you're reminding yourself--and everyone else--that your well-being matters.

Long-term strategies to maintain overall wellness

You don't just want to have a long life--you want to have a high quality of life for years to come. Implementing healthy living strategies now can help you enjoy the decades ahead.

Some tips for maintaining your health over time include:

• Find an activity that contributes to both your physical and social health. Joining a walking or running club, playing a sport, or exercising with family can boost both your physical and mental health, as well as solidify healthy habits that will support your health long-term.
• Follow your doctor's health screening guidelines. Early detection of health conditions is important. While it can be easy to turn a blind eye to your doctor's screening recommendations out of fear of getting unwanted information, ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your health.
• Pay attention--and speak up when something feels off. You know your body better than anyone else. If you feel that something isn't quite right, don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion or a referral to a specialist.
• Weed out unhealthy habits. While some unhealthy habits may seem like they don't affect your health now, it's important to play the long game when it comes to your health. Smoking, vaping, and drinking to excess can all harm your health over time. Quitting now--or getting the support you need to quit--is a key first step in improving your long-term health.

Evidation: Here to support your health, one day at a time.

At Evidation, we're here to help you learn how to have a healthy lifestyle, one step at a time. Download the Evidation app today to learn more and get started.

For many of us, getting and staying healthy feels overwhelming.

Where do you start? How do you determine what steps you need to take to improve your overall well-being? The truth is everyone’s journey to a healthy lifestyle is different.

As you embark on this journey, remember this — building sustainable habits takes time, so having patience and compassion for yourself are essential.

The Importance of Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Establishing a healthy lifestyle begins with the foundation of creating positive, sustainable habits. From eating well-balanced meals to self-care and physical exercise, these habits are created over time and mastered with consistency.

No matter where you are with your physical and mental health, you can make small changes to your daily routine that will benefit your life and health in the long run.

In doing so, you’ll look and feel healthier, be less prone to illness, and have more energy to enjoy your life.

How to Start a Healthy Lifestyle: Research-Backed Steps to Take

Research shows that nutrition, exercise, and sustainable habits are key to creating a healthy lifestyle for long-term success. Here’s how to start living a healthy lifestyle.

Setting clear health and wellness goals

Ever heard the phrase, “A goal without a plan is just a wish”?

Keep that in mind as you imagine a healthy lifestyle for yourself! Without a plan, your goals may never come to fruition because you aren’t creating actionable steps to get there.

Setting attainable, realistic goals for yourself is essential to embracing a healthy lifestyle. When you need to readjust, you can. There’s no judgment for realizing something isn’t working and finding a different solution. That’s all part of your journey — it’s unique and tailored to your experiences, wants, and needs.

Keep a schedule for healthy meals

Changing our eating patterns has the potential to make a significant impact on our overall health. Maybe you overeat at meals, skip meals, snack too often throughout the day, or eat too fast — all of these have repercussions that can be damaging to your relationship with food.

Instead, create a plan for your well-balanced meals each day. Start with a healthy breakfast, including protein, whole grains, and fruits. Plan ahead with healthy snack options in between meals, so you can set yourself up to make more nutritious decisions.

Meal prep your lunches (especially if you work in an office or travel during the day), so you are more likely to eat a filling, nutritious meal. Try to plan your dinners ahead of time, so you can shop for everything you need.

So many of us get off work and head home without a thought about what we’re making for dinner. When we’re tired and hungry, convenience may win over taking the time to prepare a healthy, fresh dinner.

Drink plenty of water

Staying hydrated boosts your mood, strengthens the immune system, and gives you more energy throughout the day. When the body has enough water, the organs can function properly, you’ll get better sleep, and your body temperature is regulated.

Increasing your daily water intake is a great way to improve your overall health. Experts recommend that, on average, men should drink 13 cups of water per day, and women should drink 9.

To drink more water throughout the day, set an alarm every hour to drink a cup or two. Many people use water bottles with markings telling them how much they should consume each hour. This way, it becomes a mindless part of your day, and drinking water consistently will become natural in time.

Exercise regularly

Establishing and maintaining a regular workout routine is very challenging, and there’s no shame in struggling to find consistency.

The immediate and long-term benefits of exercise are reason enough to start implementing movement into your daily life. In the short term, you’ll experience improved brain health, sleep, blood pressure, memory, and focus.

Long-term exercise can benefit body weight regulation and cardiovascular health while reducing your risk of chronic disease and mental health conditions like depression.

If you’re just starting out with physical exercise, try to walk for 10 to 15 minutes each day and slowly add time or distance as you feel stronger. You can also incorporate strength training 2 days a week as you feel comfortable.

In general, the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. It may seem like a lot, but you can scale up to that number over time. Building small habits leads to big changes!

Reduce screen time & unplug

We’re living in a digital world, but we don’t have to let it consume us. Many of us work in front of computer screens all day long and also use our phones, tablets, and TVs in the morning and evening.

Screens are everywhere, and the benefits of reducing our interactions with them are robust. From lower stress levels to improved posture, better focus, sleep, and brain function, there are so many reasons to reduce your daily exposure to screens.

It can be uncomfortable to find ways to fill your time, making this a great opportunity to add to your self-care routine. Unplugging gives you the chance to read a book, meditate, go on a walk, nap, or any other activity you feel fulfilled doing.

Prioritize sleep

Did you know that 1 in 3 Americans report not getting the recommended amount of sleep - at least 7 hours - each night?

The power of quality sleep is pretty incredible for your body. During sleep, your brain repairs itself, flushes toxins, and processes memories. Blood flow repairs the body’s muscles, promotes cell regeneration, and more.

That’s why after a good night’s sleep, we wake up well-rested, energized, and mentally clear. Your body needs quality sleep to stay mentally and physically strong, fight off illnesses, and reduce your potential risk of disease.

Breaking unhealthy habits

Building positive habits is important, but you’ll also have to break your unhealthy habits along the way. Everyone has unhealthy habits, and these behaviors can become very difficult to control, particularly those that are harmful to our health.

As you break up with your unhealthy habits, be sure to analyze why you need to do this for your well-being.

For example, if you’re quitting alcohol, vaping, or smoking cigarettes, acknowledge why this decision will benefit your long-term health and happiness. From saving money to reducing your risk of heart disease, putting a benefit to the action will help hold you accountable, even when you’re struggling.

Build Healthy Lifestyle Habits with Evidation

Creating healthy lifestyle habits is not an overnight occurrence, and you may not get it right every day. The key is to keep going and to utilize tools and resources along the way to help support your journey.

Evidation is a free health app that supports members in tracking their habits while providing helpful health and wellness information. Evidation Members can take surveys, participate in research, and gain access to relevant trends, insights, and health content. Along the way, our members are empowered to make healthy decisions to improve their physical and mental health.

Did you know that approximately 40% of your behaviors are not conscious choices but habits? There are hundreds of actions you take on a daily basis that you don’t think twice about. Habits are part of everyday life, but they can be a highly positive or highly negative thing. Often, making big lifestyle health and wellness changes or becoming more productive in your professional and personal life requires changing your habits. If you’re wondering about how to create new habits, this guide will walk you through the process.

Habits are essential for personal development

As you’re looking into your own personal development and healthy lifestyle changes, the development of healthy habits is at the heart of it all. Whether you're hoping to add more exercise, excel at work, increase your physical activity, or even get more organization into your schedule, developing habits will help you get there more naturally.

Why are habits so essential to grow as a person? Because they're the building blocks of daily life. If you have goals you want to achieve, you need to develop habits to get you there. Also, everyone has them. You may not think you have many habits, but in reality, you do. They just may not be pushing you toward your goals. Understanding your habits, and then developing the ones you need for success, is a key to personal growth and development.

Understanding types of habits

Every action you take throughout the day is a result of some of your habits, but not all habits are the same. There are three main categories of habit: good, bad, and neutral.

Bad habits are those habits that keep you from attaining your goals. If your goal is to get more healthy sleep at night, but you're in the habit of doom scrolling on your phone after you hit the bed, then you have a bad habit that’s preventing you from reaching your goal.

Good habits are those habits that help you reach your goals. If you're hoping to boost your mood and improve your mental health, and you have a healthy meditation habit each morning, then you’re doing an action that will help you meet your goal.

Neutral habits are the everyday things that you do that don’t really hurt or help you. They just exist. For instance, every day you eat breakfast in the same seat at the table, and you may make your coffee in the same order. If you changed up your routine, it wouldn’t keep you from getting to work on time or meeting your goals for the week, but the habit exists, nonetheless.

When it comes to taking charge of your habits, the key is to focus on changing the bad habits and building new good habits. Most of the time, neutral habits can be left alone as they don’t help or harm you.

What science says about habit formation

If you're wondering how to build a habit, a look at science could be helpful. According to Harvard Business Review, neuroscience teaches us there aren’t any shortcuts to building a habit. Small, incremental steps combined with repetition will eventually lead to new habit development.

Habits start with routines

Building a habit starts with building routines in your life. Routines are intentional, whereas habits are involuntary. When you regularly perform a behavior or set of behaviors, it becomes a routine. After enough repetitions, the routine can become a habit.

There’s no set timetable

You may have heard that it takes 21 days to build a new habit. According to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the answer is more complex. So, how long does it take to build a habit? The answer depends on how challenging the habit is, how different it is from your current habit set, and personal factors that affect each individual differently. If you’re wanting to learn how to create new habits that support your goals, just keep repeating the positive habits until they become second nature, but don’t put yourself on a timetable.

Understanding the habit loop

As you’re working to build better habits, a tool that can help is the habit loop. Coined by journalist Charles Duhigg, the habit loop is a framework to better understand the development of habits. It includes three main steps:

• Cue: This factor triggers habitual behavior.
• Routine: This is the behavior itself
• Reward: This is what the behavior does or the benefit you get

When the cue is strong enough and the reward sweet enough, you'll quickly develop a habit.

So, how can you use the habit loop to build your own habits? Consider a healthy habit like exercising. If you want to build more exercise into your life, create a cue. It could be as simple as a reminder on your phone or as structured as wearing your workout clothes as pajamas, so you can jump out of bed and hit the pavement.

Next, practice the behavior. Make yourself exercise several days in a row after facing the cue.

Finally, build in a reward. The reward should happen soon after the exercise, not at the end of the month. For example, you might reward yourself with something luxurious in the shower, such as new shampoo or body wash, that you only use on days you exercise.

Identifying what motivates you

For a habit loop to work and a new habit to develop, you must understand your own motivations. What reward will motivate you to perform the behavior? It’s going to be unique, and it may not work for everyone.

As you work to identify your motivation, also look at your goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Sometimes, a clearly defined goal can be exactly what you need to motivate yourself. Consider making large goals as well as small goals so you retain the healthy motivation that will push you toward a new habit.

How to grow and then maintain healthy habits

So now that you understand more about the science of habits, how can you start building them? Consider these practical tips.

1. Write down specific goals

Make specific, measurable goals, and write them down. This will help motivate you as you move forward in your habit building.

2. Find or avoid cues

If you’re hoping to build a healthy habit, find a cue you can attach to it. If you’re hoping to break a negative habit, learn to avoid cues that trigger the behavior.

3. Start small

Small changes are easier to make than big ones. Start small, and build new habits slowly. For example, if your goal is to be able to run a marathon, start with learning to run a mile, then a 5K. Eventually, you’ll be able to run longer distances, and running may become part of your daily routine.

4. Get accountability

Ask a friend or mentor to hold you accountable for your new habit. When someone’s going to check up on you, you’ll be more likely to stick to your new behaviors.

Build healthy habits with help from Evidation

There are many areas of life where you can develop great habits, but your overall health and well-being are some of those areas. Evidation gives you tools you can use to build healthy habits, cues to trigger those habits, and rewards to keep you motivated. Get started building your habits. Download the app today.