About Carolyn Hansen

Carolyn Hansen is a noted Holistic Health and

Wellness Coach who hails from Whangarei,
New Zealand where she owns an Anytime
Fitness Gym. She has gained a reputation
online as an authority on health, exercise
and weight loss matters and is the author of
several thousand health and fitness articles
along with eBooks and programs that can be
found here.

She has devoted more than three decades

to the fitness industry, both offline and
online, teaching people the simple secrets to
getting into better shape, losing weight, and
improving health.

Her main goal is to change the paradigm of health care from sickness care
to wellness care and will be showing people how to live longer, healthier
lives while avoiding the many mistaken beliefs and practices that diminish
health and longevity.

She will encourage you to become stronger and stay that way through each
decade of your life, maintain your health, wellness and vitality and to ensure
your “health span” matches your “life span”.

Click Here To Discover The Carolyn Hansen Catalogue

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 2

Table of Contents

About Carolyn Hansen .....2

Introduction .....4

Chapter One .....7

Simple Health Habits Worth Adopting Into Your Life

Chapter Two .....18

First Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do

To Build Habits That Last

Chapter Three .....23

Second Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do

To Build Habits That Last

Chapter Four .....30

Third Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do

To Build Habits That Last

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 3

Introduction
Why new habits are tough to start -
and how to make them easy instead

It’s a shame that many people suffer with low energy and less than stellar health
(and therefore overall enjoyment of life!) for years. You may have tried the latest
diets, naturopaths, massage therapists, taken supplements, purchased home
exercise equipment and eaten the latest superfoods, but nothing has worked – or
at least not well enough.

Why is this? Well I can tell you hand on heart that the secret to vibrant health is
not in a supplement, the latest superfood or green smoothie or even the newest
exercise trend. It is in your HABITS!

Some people build healthy habits that promote a higher sense of well-being daily,
while others lean towards lifestyle habits that take away from their overall well-
being.

Where do you fall in these categories? Are you building and honoring healthy
habits that boost your mental, emotional and physical health or have automatic
bad habits taken over?

If you are currently looking to develop more happiness and greater health, maybe
it’s time to focus on the little habits in your life that have become so automatic,
they likely go unnoticed for the most part.

The truth is, few realize it is the little things in life that we do on a day to day basis
that are empowered to change us in a profound way. Most often, it’s the smallest
of changes that result in the largest of benefits, empowered to change our entire
level of happiness or health.

Are YOU feeling the urge to upgrade, refresh, or improve your life?

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 4

 NOW is always great time to start something new or approach something you
would like to change in a different way.

To create lasting habits and routines is to keep things manageable and integrate
do-able changes into your life so that they become automatic and then expand as
you go.

In order to expect great things, think great things, feel great things, and accomplish
great things, we must be willing to do something to develop healthy, positive brains
and mindsets.

After all, if you change nothing, then nothing will change.

I know without a doubt that change starts from the inside and when new ideas are
implemented will give you...

 A healthy body
 Enjoyable work
 Meaningful relationships
 Monetary wealth
 Abundant energy for life and living
 Greater disease protection
 Anything you can imagine!
...all of the above require thoughts, emotions and ACTIONS that are in alignment
with your goals.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 5

 In the sea of habits that could enhance your life, only a few of them stand out from
the rest to give you an edge in life.

And they are right here within this eBook for you to take that first, vital step to
harness the power of your mind and live the life you deserve starting today!

There are many places in our lives where we can build or improve healthy habits
– nutritional (shopping/eating), activity (exercise/movement), sleep quality, stress
reduction and the biggest one of all – mindset.

So lets get started…

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 6

Chapter One
Simple Health Habits Worth Adopting
Into Your Life

Why Create Good Health Habits?

Habits are important as our life today is essentially the sum of those habits. How
in shape or out of shape you are? How happy or unhappy you are? How successful
or unsuccessful you are? All a result of your habits.

Good habits serve to create routine, efficiency and order. Bad habits have the
opposite effect and can lock us into negative or rigid patterns of behaviour.

But what if you want to improve? What if you want to form new better habits?

Yes, it’s HARD to form new good habits and many of us wonder how we can have
the best of intentions to become better, and yet often see so little progress.

After all, we know how to get in shape, we know how to eat healthy, and we know
how to exercise, and yet often we are no closer than we were six months ago
towards our goals.

What’s going on here?

Well, mostly we tend to bite off more than we can chew, go too hard too soon, and
then get overwhelmed too quickly. Does this sound familiar?

• I’m going to eat 100% perfect AND

• I’m going to walk 5 miles a day AND

• I’m going to workout at the gym three times a week.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 7

 Unfortunately if you are somebody that eats a typically poor diet, never walks far,
and hasn’t set foot in a gym for years, doing all of these things at once is almost a
sure-fire way to succeed at precisely NONE of them.

This is what happens: after an exciting week where things go perfectly, you realize
you don’t have time to walk five miles a day or eat perfectly…and if you don’t have
time to do those things, then what’s the point right? It’s already a failure and a lost
cause!

Square one. Welcome back!

So how CAN we make it happen?

Let’s look at a few of these habits and how we can work to improve ourselves, and
thus our health.

Nutritional habits –

First your food shopping habits. Purchasing the right foods is mandatory towards
good mental and physical health. Your food habits impact every single element of
your life – your risk for disease, your energy levels, your weight and self-confidence all
get a boost with the right foods but take a real hit when you choose the wrong ones.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 8

 Developing conscious eating habits. Simple things like slowing down to eat. If you
find you automatically start eating your food fast without much thought, put your
fork down in between bites to slow down the process.

Other important small habits that will help with conscious eating is to sit rather
than stand when enjoying your meal and to avoid any distractions during meals
(don’t be reading, watching TV, looking at your cell phone, talking to your pets, or
working on a computer). This allows you to focus on your food.

When you do this, you will even notice the taste and texture of the food you eat,
and you will be much more aware of the amount of food eaten as well.

Be aware, the minute you remove your attention from the food you are eating, is
the moment you reduce the psychologically satiety that comes with eating. That
automatically puts you in danger of over-eating, which results in excess calories
and weight gain.

Getting Back to the Kitchen

Obesity and diabetes have both become worldwide health issues for a multitude
of reasons and the “collapse of home cooking” is one of the primary reasons why.

Because life and schedules are crazy, hectic in most households these days,
diet (our intake of important nutrients) is usually the first thing that suffers. This
eventually puts our body in a nutrient poor environment that, if not addressed,
leads to ill health.

According to a report by the USDA, the amount of money spent by those in

the Western world eating out has now, for the first time ever, surpassed what
consumers spend on food at home.

And, with so many prepared foods and fancy packages strategically placed to tempt
us when we grocery shop, eating has become “eye candy” and a convenience habit
rather than a healthy lifestyle habit.

The sad truth is, home cooking has given way to convenience foods with devastating
results - a spike in obesity, diabetes and other diet related diseases.

It may be adding to our convenience meter timewise, but these “convenient foods”
are subtracting from our health meter and playing havoc with our healthy lifestyles!

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 9

 Although we believe we are helping ourselves by adding to our available time,
what’s the use of having more time on our hands if our health suffers and we are
miserable? It’s time to take a stand against this onslaught of health damage.

The best and easiest way to avoid falling prey to nutritionally dead fast-foods and
other conveniently prepared foods that your local supermarket tempts you with
is to learn to create your own delicious snacks and meals right in the comfort and
cleanliness of your own kitchen.

We place our health at the mercy of others whenever we eat outside of our own
kitchen because we cannot control what has gone into the preparation of the food
before we ordered it.

Of course, enjoying the company of others while eating out on occasion is perfectly
fine and acceptable. What we are talking about here is a diet primarily fixed on
processed, unhealthy sugars and fats, and toxic laden foods - one that offers
relatively little, if any, nutrient dense, fresh, whole food choices.

It’s time we take a pro-active role in our own future health and well-being by
returning to the kitchen and taking charge of what nutrients our bodies receive
and what additives go in our food before we eat it.

Increasing our intake of whole fresh ingredients not only helps us to become
healthier and leaner, but our energy levels get a real lift as well.

This is a family affair. If we want to experience a reborn culture of home cooking,

its needs to be a lifestyle change, not an occasional occurrence and that requires
everyone in the family (or household) to be knowledgeable and involved.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 10

 Here’s the primary benefits of enjoying homemade meals:

Healthier ingredients –
Eating homecooked meals allows us to pick the best, freshest, nutrient dense
ingredients we can get our hands on. We will know exactly what went in and the
amount that went in of anything added. No second guessing. Much easier to
control our weight when we prepare our own meals at home as well.

Saves money –
When we eat at a restaurant, we are not only paying for the food we are served,
we are paying to keep that restaurant open, staffed and running. That eats up
much more money than purchasing our ingredients and putting them together in
an exciting new recipe right in the comfort of our home kitchen! Even eating fast-
food consistently (that returns little if any nourishment), not only robs our body
of nutrients, but empties our wallet as well with little to no return on investment.

Portion control –
Portion control is a lot more important to pay attention to than most people want
to admit. For the most part, our modern portions well exceed what we need to be
eating to be healthy. We cannot control what size portion is served when outside
of our own kitchen. This excess temptation contributes to our health/weight crisis
(some eat this excess food to avoid feeling guilty about leaving it on the plate)!

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 11

 Focused family time –
Mealtime is a great time to share time with and enjoy our family and cooking at
home takes that a step further by inviting all members of the family to participate
in making it as well (some families even shop together). Just watch the joy on your
child’s face as their little chests beam proudly when you serve them a snack or
meal, they personally participated in creating.

Like everything else, healthy eating begins with healthy, correct perceptions.
Viewing food as the direct path towards building and maintaining health is what
gets us focused on the ingredients we are buying and cooking with, and blind to
the ease and tease of fancy packaging.

In other words, eating needs to be perceived as something we do to increase our

health, boost our vitality and add to our longevity, not something we do to appease
our senses, ease our emotions or fill our lonely, soul-tank.

Whether its snacks, treats or full meals, when it comes to our health, home cooking
will always trump convenience, prepared/packaged meals or ordered food. And
with the glut of healthy food recipes readily available on the Internet boredom
doesn’t have a chance! Discovering and playing with new food choices and simple
or exotic new recipes has become an unending joy.

Activity habits –
Once your nutritional habits are in check, you need to focus on activity habits –
those that will ensure you are staying fit, active and healthy.

Exercise is NOT optional. It is a vital component towards improving your overall well-
being and is something that must be incorporated into your life one way or another.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 12

 If you struggle with exercise motivation you can create a daily, weekly and monthly
goals calendar. You can also take progress pictures on a bi-weekly basis. This
allows you to see the small changes taking place, gives you direction and inspires
you to keep on keeping on.

It also helps if you take note of how you feel after exercising. Notice your energy
levels and mental clarity so that on days you just don’t feel like exercising, you can
draw upon this feeling and use it as a motivating factor to get going.

Lifestyle habits are many. Here are some of the main ones you should concern
yourself with.

Sleep –
Believe it or not, but most adults are not getting the required amount of sleep that
their bodies require. However, there are habits you can develop that will help you
to sleep better.

Set regular bed and wake times, sleep in a cool room, use a stress journal (putting
your thoughts on paper releases you from having to think about them for hours
on end). Electronic devices emit light that simulates the brains and makes it harder
to fall asleep so make sure you turn off the TV and leave your smart phone, tablet
or computer alone.

Snack wisely before bed –

Eating heavily can cause you to wake due to heartburn or indigestion. Be sure to
curb your caffeine consumption as well at least 6 hours prior (longer for some
people) to retiring. And, be aware, it isn’t just coffee that has caffeine in it.

Stress reduction –
People with high stress levels are prone to developing depression, heart disease, stroke
and diabetes. To make matters even worse, stress can even pack on added body fat.

Stress is often the result of not honoring ourselves and our own needs and putting
others in front. We must learn to delegate tasks to others and to say “no” when we
feel “no” to others without feeling guilty.

Our personal happiness should always be our number one concern. After all, how
do we expect to make others happy if we do not own this feeling for ourselves?

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 13

 Mindset habits –
The mind is a powerful tool. The most powerful tool we own. The more good habits
we build, the better our chances of leading a healthy, happy life.

A healthy mindset involves finding ways to grow from your thoughts instead of
letting them control your life. Rather than dwelling on a negative thought until it
becomes overwhelming, the healthy mindset tries to a) move beyond that thought
or b) simply accept it.

Instead of obsessing over a positive mindset, we should focus on cultivating a

healthy mindset. I say that because you can have a healthy mindset even if you
feel negative sometimes.

Is YOUR mindset getting in the way of making positive changes in your life?

It could be that a fixed mindset is holding you back. Cultivating a healthier “growth
mindset” can help you improve wellness. Here’s how:

A growth mindset is a belief that we can develop our talents even further. We can “grow”
our abilities through hard work, a willingness to learn and an openness to feedback.

A growth mindset is one in which we see we have capacity to change. It drives

achievement and behavior change and can help you reach personal wellness
goals like improving your sleep habits, eating healthier, exercising consistently or
increasing your energy.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 14

 We may, for instance, believe that wellbeing can be achieved through increased effort
and skill development. Research has shown that a growth mindset allows people to
navigate stress and challenges better and can lead to higher levels of wellbeing.

The flip side of the coin is a fixed mindset. An individual with a fixed mindset says,
“My talents are what they are - I’m very strong in this area, not so strong in that
area, and that’s the way it is.” The fixed mindset is less open to learning and more
resistant to feedback.

If we hold a fixed mindset, we assume that our character, intelligence, and abilities
are static and cannot be changed. This could manifest in us believing that we
cannot, for instance, influence our future wellbeing.

It can be important that people understand the difference between growth and
fixed mindset. If you have a fixed mindset, it’s much more difficult to make the
changes needed to reach your goals.”

But it’s not quite so simple as an either/or. Each of us is actually a blend of both
growth and fixed mindsets. But, importantly, whichever mindset we practice most
tends to get cemented in our brains.

Affirmations –
It is relatively easy to create new positive habits. All that is required is to practice
the desired action daily, until, through repetition, it becomes hard-wired into the
subconscious mind. Some say this process takes 21 days; others say 30.

From experience I have found that it takes as long as it takes… depending on how
much reprogramming is involved and how often one practices.

Getting rid of an old, unwanted habit is not quite so easy. It all depends on how
long it has been a part of your life. The most effective way to eliminate an old habit
is to find a new empowering one to replace it with.

With a little creative thought, one can easily find a suitable new habit to displace
the old one. But don’t forget you need to repeat the new habit every day. And of
course, when using affirmations please ensure that you confine your ‘affirming’ to
the new behaviour and all of the positive results it will bring.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 15

 Here are some examples:

All habits in my life are health-giving

All my habits are positive and beneficial
All my habits support me in positive ways
Changing my behavior is as easy as changing my thoughts
Day by day, I am gaining more control over my past habits
Every day I am developing new and positive habits
I always do what is best for my body
I am always adding positive new rituals to my daily routine
I am calmly and confidently letting go of…
I am changing my habits by changing my thoughts
I am changing my life for the better
I am cleansing myself from all past habits
I am completely committed to living a life free from…
I am finally free!
I am forever grateful to finally be free from…
I feel great about my healthy new habits
I form new, positive habits every day
I have the willpower to live a healthy life
Today I cultivate new, health-sustaining habits
Today I find a better way of being
Today I let go of negative habits
Today I take back control of my life
Week by week I am changing my habits for the better
Each day I become a better version of myself.

Affirmations are great confidence builders. Use them daily to reinforce the good
about you and your life. It’s time to embrace who you are, what you stand for and
what you have to offer.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 16

 Use your powers of visualization –
Close your eyes and picture in your mind the positive results you are after. Convince
your mind of something and it soon becomes your reality.

Read more to expand your perspective. Reading also helps to build the tools and
resources you need to use that help get you through the tough times in life.

Create a gratitude journal –

Gratitude is the great attitude. Stop taking things for granted and realize how lucky
you are to be alive and breathing, that you have a roof over your head and a meal
to eat. Spend 5-10 minutes a day focusing on what you are truly grateful for. Too
often, what we take for granted each day others are praying for.

I often tell my clients, don’t say, “I have to go to the gym today”, say – “I CAN go to
the gym today!”.

The most important thing towards shifting your life and your daily habits to
healthier ones is to be patient with yourself as you go through the process.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to master more than one or two new habits at
once. You need focused energy, not energy split in a hundred directions. Splitting
your energy this way only dilutes its power.

Remember, there is only one you and no one is going to care for this “YOU” the
way you do. You are responsible for your happiness and state of mind. If you don’t
like something about your life, it’s time to change it. The real power begins by
accepting responsibility for your position in life. This acceptance is what empowers
you to change it.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 17

Chapter Two
First Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do
To Build Habits That Last

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.

Changing our behaviors can feel like a monumental task. We pressure ourselves
to go big or go home. Not surprisingly, these big expectations are often unrealistic,
and that’s a recipe for disappointment and self-criticism.

Instead, we should think small - as in tiny behaviors that can become habits. The
idea is to make these behavior changes so small that they are easy to do.

And when it’s easier and faster to make changes than most people think, it can
even be fun, if you do it in the right way.

This proven, step-by-step guide is going to help you design your new healthier
habits and make them stick through positive emotion and celebrating small
successes. Whether you want to lose weight, exercise more, de-stress, sleep better,
or be more productive each day, you will be able to cement them into your life in
an easy to achieve manner - by starting small.

So, what is a small or tiny habit, exactly? How tiny are we talking?

As simple and tiny as possible.

First, you take any new habit you want, and you scale it back so that it’s super-tiny.
In the case of wanting to be more active, it might be doing just a minute or two of
exercise, if you want to improve your nutrition you might simply create and eat a
healthy meal or snack each day.

You make it so simple that it’s almost like you have no excuse not to do it. So even
when you are in a rush or you are sick or you are distracted, it’s so tiny that you
can still do it.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 18

 Then you find where it fits naturally in your existing routine. Ask yourself, what
does this habit come after? Can I piggyback it onto another already established
habit so it shares that importance?

In addition to making the goal tiny and then attaching it to an existing established
habit or routine, is to hack your brain by calling up a positive emotion, by celebrating,
when you are about to do that habit - whether that is with a silent “yee ha”, a fist
pump in the air, raising your arms or doing a little dance. Whatever it is that helps
you feel successful, that’s what will help wire in the habit.

There are three things that come together at the same time for any behavior to
happen.

There’s got to be motivation to do the behavior. Second is the ability to do the

behavior. And the third is a prompt. The prompt is anything that reminds you or
says, “Do this behavior now.” And when those three things come together at the
same moment, a behavior happens.

It’s almost like an algorithm for changing our behavior.

The harder the behavior, the more motivation you need. The less motivation an
action takes, the easier it will be to carry out that action. For example, if you want
to be more active, taking a walk around the block or hitting tennis balls for five
minutes takes less motivation than running a marathon.

Why motivation alone is not enough to propel behavior change…

Our motivation won’t always be high, and the way we get around that is to make
the behavior really, really easy to do. It’s about understanding that motivation is
going to go up and down over time so we cannot rely on it to get or keep us going.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 19

 If a behavior is easy to do, it doesn’t require a whole bunch of motivation. Let’s say
somebody wants you to donate 5 cents. You don’t have to be super-motivated to
do that. But if they are asking for $5,000, that takes a lot of motivation.

In the same way, if you think, “Hey, I’ve got to clean my entire house,” you are going
to have to be super-motivated. But if [you tell yourself to] tidy one room, all you
need is a tiny bit of motivation.

So basically, the key to change is to set a really low bar.

And it’s perfectly ok to lower your expectations. Which hopefully surprises people.
But it’s also the right way to go if you want to help yourself feel successful and [you
want to] progress.

And that makes it easy to actually achieve success when you reach and exceed the
bar. You could say to yourself, “You did a good job!” And if that makes you feel so
successful it helps wire in the habit.

Establishing new habits means you have to learn to have some self-compassion
and change the narrative inside your head, to adopt positive self-talk.

Let me give a common example. Load any popular video game onto your phone
and notice how quickly it tells you are succeeding and doing a good job. Any one
of the popular ones - notice that even for the silliest of things, it’s going to tell you,
“Good job. You did awesome. Way to go.”

Well, why is that? Because the most successful games are the ones that help you
feel successful, that wire in the habit.

So, I hope you can already see how YOU can use tiny habits to build up to really
big change.

Well, and that is what will happen - in a few different ways. That as you make these
changes and feel successful, the way you think about yourself starts to change,
your identity starts to change. So you begin to think, “Oh, I’m the kind of person
who eats healthily” or “I’m the kind of person who enjoys physical activity.”

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 20

 Even if it’s just super-tiny, as you start thinking of yourself in those ways, you
find other opportunities to continually eat healthier or to be even more active
and continue to extend yourself and your horizons. It’s exciting to know that the
healthy habits also naturally propagate to other parts of your life.

And when you learn how to feel good about your successes, no matter how tiny,
then that changes how you think about yourself and your opportunities. That’s
what leads to transformation.

Good Habits: Dream Big, But Start Small

How to get started

Pick ONE habit, make it absolutely tiny, and focus on that habit for a period of 21
days to a month (or longer if needed to cement it).

Want to start exercising? Awesome. For that first week, aim for just five minutes
per day. Just five minutes!

Want to start cooking your own meals? Don’t try to cook ALL of your own meals
yet. Just aim for one meal (or even a snack) per day.

Keep your goals SMALL and simple. The smaller and simpler they are, the more
impossible it is to say no and the more likely you are to keep them.

To succeed a tiny habit has to be: A behavior you do at least once a day, takes you
less than 30 seconds to do, requires little effort and is relevant to the full behavior

So, instead of thinking of your life goals, as big, audacious things that you can only
achieve when the time is right or when you have better resources… but instead as
tiny, daily behaviors that are repeated until success

Just DOING IT (the habit) is much more important than how much you do.

What seeds would you like to plant this week that can grow into a character quality
or good habit? More intentional physical activity or cooking from scratch? More
time with people who are important to you or more energy on your gifts than on
daily trivia?

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 21

 And…the really good news is…by consciously deciding to create a new habit in a
small way, you can harness the power of your subconscious mind making it easier
to do once established – motivation and willpower no longer required!

To give it even more strength as already discussed, piggyback the new habit onto
an old established habit or something you regularly do. It will seamlessly become
part of your routine.

And it couldn’t be easier. No matter what you want to work on - from eating cleaner,
to moving more, to managing your stress – just take small steps to start with.

Before you know it, your small changes will add up to big results, implementing
real, sustainable lasting change!

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 22

Chapter Three
Second Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do
To Build Habits That Last

Don’t Break The Chain

The method encourages you to accomplish your goal every day for an extended
period. It’s a simple way to track actions to create new habits.

Don’t Break the Chain means putting an X on your calendar every day you
accomplish your goal. In the long run, you will see a chain of X’s that stretches for
days until it becomes weeks and then months.

Putting an X in your calendar is simple and easy, which is one of the primary
reasons why it’s so effective. Instead of getting distracted by multiple goals and
tasks, it encourages you to focus on one thing consistently. At the same time, you
don’t need anything complicated or expensive to track your progress.

Seeing the X’s in your calendar can provide a sense of accomplishment and deter
you from breaking that chain. Being consistent in working toward your goal can help
you develop a new habit like eating better, working out, journaling, mindfulness, etc.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 23

 Why “Don’t Break the Chain” actually works

This very popular motivational method is simple:

Pick a goal.

Mark off the days on a calendar on which you work toward that goal.
Use your chain of marked-off days as a motivator.

Do something related to your craft every day, no matter how small the action is.

Then don’t break the chain!

This idea dovetails perfectly with “tiny habits,” the popular concept that has been
discussed above.

Using this approach, you commit to taking one small action every day toward a
bigger habit you want to develop.

For example, working toward your goal of getting stronger/fitter/healthier by

practicing for a few minutes a day is far more beneficial than trying to practice for
2 hours once a week. Your body and brain has time to process and accept your
last workout, you regularly strengthen the neural pathways that help build muscle
memory and you notice and remember small opportunities for improvement.
Plus it’s sustainable - it’s much easier to commit to few minutes than a few hours!

The beautiful thing is that you don’t have to do it perfectly each day. Some days
you are feeling ‘off’, and that’s fine! It doesn’t matter if you are doing the best you
have ever done, or you don’t even finish whatever it is you want to do. The only
rule is that you don’t break the chain. You do it because it’s just something you do
every day.

Progress is inevitable when you have built up this kind of powerful momentum.
No matter how perfect or imperfect your efforts are each day, it builds upon the
efforts you have made in the past.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 24

 Getting started -
Getting started with your chain is really simple. Here are the basics:

Figure out your goal, or goals -

It’s best to stick to just one or two at the beginning. You can always add more as
you get better at it!

Figure out your minimum requirements -

Cook a healthy meal, do some physical activity. Shop for some healthy ingredients.
Plan some healthy meals. Walk for 10 minutes.

Pick your tool -

A printed calendar, or a dedicated app. Pick what works best for you.

Set your boundaries –

What do you do if you are sick or on vacation? What’s an acceptable reason to not
accomplish your goal that day, without having to break the chain?

Choose a reward (optional) –

While not breaking the chain is great motivation in and of itself, sometimes it helps
to have a reward to look forward to!

It’s as easy as that! It should only take a few minutes to set up, and requires almost
no bookkeeping. The calendar is your guide, and following it is as simple as just
marking off your progress!

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 25

 I guarantee, a tiny habit backed up with “don’t break the chain” accountability will
gain momentum and expand. You will soon discover there is time to devote to
your goal in some meaningful way on a daily basis.

If you really want to cement this practice, buy an annual wall calendar and mark
off each day that you lived up to your goal requirements. Its exciting to watch your
chain of X’s grow.

And then don’t break the chain!

Why this works so incredibly well…

It motivates you further…

We are all visual creatures. We love seeing things. This method gives you the
motivation to keep going because you will see the string of days that you were
already able to do it. It reminds you to stay committed to whatever daily goal you
have.

Having your goal in mind and seeing it visually can boost your motivation and
willpower. Rather than focusing on what you still need to do in the future, you are
focused on what you’ve done so far and what you will do today.

It works as a reward…

Every habit has a neurological loop called a habit loop. The habit loop is made up
of three elements: a cue, a routine, and a reward. The cue is anything that triggers
the habit; for example, the time of day, emotional state, or certain people.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 26

 The routine is the habit itself, like reading, stretching, staying in bed after the alarm
goes off and so on. Lastly, the reward is a positive reinforcement to do the desired
behavior consistently.

If you don’t break the chain, you can opt to give yourself rewards. For example,
you can reward yourself every time you achieve 10 X’s in a row in your calendar.
Consistently repeating the practice shows that you are disciplined to create a new
habit.

Your reward might be buying yourself your favorite comfort food, purchasing
something for your house, or maybe getting a massage. You can choose whatever
you like that makes what you’re doing rewarding.

It makes your progress visible…

It’s good to be reminded how far you have come. And that’s exactly what this
method does. It not only makes progress visible but also helps you see how far
you have come and makes it harder to give up when you feel lazy or tired.

Handy tips for implementing the “Don’t Break the Chain” rule into your life

1. Choose a single habit to start with

Don’t overwhelm yourself by starting with 10 new life changes all at once. It might
be exciting to start something new, but setting unreasonable expectations for
yourself will just leave you feeling disappointed and discouraged. Just start with
one. Try to reflect and think about the habit that will have the greatest impact.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 27

 2. Connect small habits to your bigger goals

Remember that our habits affect our lives and our goals. Imagine that your goal is
to buy a large house. Right now, you have a habit of overspending. These two are
related because your habit of spending money will eventually affect how you will
save up for your bigger goal.

Be mindful of your small habits because they can turn out to have big impacts.
Whenever you see that you have a bad habit, try to evaluate the bigger goal. That
can help you appreciate how important it is to change it.

3. Set a deadline for your chain

You can choose to keep your chain going for as long as possible. But, if you are
just getting started, you might have more success if you aim for a 10-week, 60-day,
or 30-day streak to give you an early sense of accomplishment. It will help you to
have an achievable goal so that you know what you want to accomplish.

4. Decide what failure is

Make sure you are clear about defining what accomplishing your goal looks like for
the day to earn that X in your calendar. Set clear parameters, such as the length of
time you spend exercising or meditating or how many healthy meals you need to
create/eat each day so you know what success and failure look like.

For example, if your goal is to exercise every day, specify how much time you need
to spend exercising to earn your X. If you meet your time goal (say, 15 minutes),
add another X to the chain.

5. Never miss twice

As much as possible, make sure not to break the chain twice in a row. This is
important because the stronger your streak, the more momentum you will feel
and the easier it is to keep it going. And when you have momentum, nothing can
stop you.

6. Surround yourself with chains

When you have accomplished your first streak, don’t stop there. Look again at
your habits. What can you change? What can you do more?

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 28

 Summary
Don’t Break the Chain is a great method for building good habits, and it can help
you keep going while tracking your goals. It might be hard at first, but when you
see the progress you have made, you won’t want to stop. Keeping your streaks
going will make you more disciplined, productive, and successful in reaching your
goals.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 29

Chapter Four
Third Surprising Simple Thing You Can Do
To Build Habits That Last

For Even More Motivation…Build Yourself an Exercise “Reward Path”

Many people wonder how to find the illusive motivation to exercise and eat
healthy. What and where is this special motivation thing you need to get yourself
out of bed and out the door to your workouts?

If we sit and wait for that burst of motivation, when someday we will wake up and
finally feel the desire to exercise we may be disappointed. The fact is it’s something
we create for ourselves, something we build and strengthen not something we
wait for.

The good news is that within just 10 minutes of starting an exercise session your
brain chemistry changes in a positive way.

This unique chemical transaction means dopamine is secreted making you feel
fantastic, strong and accomplished. This dopamine release is called a “reward
pathway” which means the more you do something to release this feel-good
chemical the more you desire to do that thing.

Rewarding yourself with that little surge of dopamine is an important part of a

positive, self-perpetuating feedback loop. When you feel good it can be a highly
motivating factor when cementing a fitness regime permanently in your life.

You could think of this concept like receiving compound interest on a deposit in
the bank. Around it goes – the better you feel, the more you want to feel better.

And the better you feel, the better choices you also make with your activity levels,
your food choices, the better you sleep, the better you cope with stress and so on.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 30

 The cycle continues with one thing supporting and strengthening the other creating
a positive upward spiral which leads to the best possible life.

Research shows that regular exercise boosts mood and reduces anxiety and
depression and provides all sorts of emotional, spiritual and biochemical benefits
that make us feel, think and perform better in our daily lives. This mental or
emotional rejuvenation makes us more comfortable in our body and leads to
greater peace of mind.

The quickest and easiest way to succeed at fitness is to create a positive feedback
loop which includes experiencing enough results to continue to motivate you to
keep going.

So in itself, your health/fitness program becomes its own reward.

This model is the same as a business that must become profitable to survive.

You must create this self-perpetuating feedback loop to stick to a healthy lifestyle.
There is no substitute.

If you have previously struggled with maintaining a fitness regimen, it doesn’t

mean that you are unmotivated or weak-willed. It simply means that the self-
perpetuating loop was not in place or there was a break down somewhere in its
creation. The perceived outlay of effort, time or money for exercising was too high,
not enough rewards accumulated, or progress wasn’t measured.

Both life satisfaction and health and fitness satisfaction are made up of hundreds
of small individual steps each one building on the others. It’s never just one set of
instant happy outcomes.

Each time you exercise, you confirm that you are making your personal health and
fitness a priority.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 31

 Sure, looking great is a terrific bonus for active people. But for many, fitness
satisfaction and success is not defined by one’s physical appearance. It’s not
uncommon for those who initially choose to get started simply to look better or
lose weight to discover that the real key to satisfaction lies in how they feel about
themselves and their fitness regime.

At best, a commitment to exercise, fitness and physical activity is a reflection of

your values about self-care, health, and integrity. And like true beauty, fitness
satisfaction radiates from inside.

Here is how the self-perpetuating loop looks on paper.

How To Implement An Effortless Plan Of Action

Now that you are aware of what it takes to begin forming new healthy habits that
stick you might be wondering how to go about it with the least amount of mental
friction.

If you are, and your goal has to do with getting into better physical shape, then I
would love to offer you help with that.

Whether you are looking to do something transformational with your body, or you
just want to move away from bad habits you have established which are limiting
your general health, my new program is designed from the ground up to help you
implement healthy habits that stick.

I call it “The 12 Step Weight Loss Or Get Into Better Shape Program”.

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 32

 If you are looking for a way to get started with the ideas in this guide, here is a
ready-to-go plan of action you can implement today.

In practice the program spans a 12 week period during which I introduce you to,
and take you through, a simple yet powerful approach to putting in place the 12
essential habits for lasting good health.

You will implement one habit each week for a period of 3 months. Every week you
will receive a message from me with instructions for how to advance to the next
part of the program.

To summarize, that is just 3 short months to put in place the kind of health-
sustaining habits you would have already implemented yourself if you had been
able to figure out how to do it on your own.

But with me helping you every step of the way you will not need to figure it out
for yourself. All you will need to do after signing up is just keep an eye out for my
messages.

When you follow the instructions I will be sending your way shortly thereafter you
will find you are reaping the rewards of putting the program into effect.

To learn more about how “The 12 Step Weight Loss Or Get Into Better Shape
Program” works, what it is that we will be tackling each week, and how ridiculously
inexpensive it is to become a member of the program, click on the following link
to get the complete plan of action:

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 33

 Click here for The 12 Step Weight Loss Or Get Into Better Shape Program

This is how you can put your health goals on track without having to shell out for
the expense of a personal coach. In effect I am going to be that coach for you, but
in an entirely inexpensive and unobtrusive way.

I really hope you will consider joining me so that we can put the ideas outlined
in this guide into practice for you. I guarantee, this is the fastest and simplest
possible way to implement lasting habits for your personal long-term health!

Cheers,

Carolyn Hansen
Healthy Habit Former, Nutrition Expert, & National Champion Bodybuilder

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 34

 For more tools and resources that will assist you in attaining your
goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

https://CarolynHansenFitness.com

YOU CAN BUILD HEALTHY HABITS THAT STICK Carolyn Hansen © 35