Understanding Habit Formation

When it comes to coaching, whether in fitness, nutrition, or lifestyle, understanding habit formation is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Your clients don’t just need information; they need transformation, and transformation happens through consistent behaviours, not just good intentions.

So, let’s break down the science of habit formation, how to effectively help clients create lasting change, and how to troubleshoot common challenges along the way.

What Are Habits and Why Do They Matter?

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated so many times it becomes automatic. Habits are driven by neural pathways in the brain that reduce cognitive load, making it easier for us to perform tasks without overthinking. The brain creates shortcuts to help conserve mental energy, which is why repeated behaviours become second nature over time.

For your clients, this means that the key to long-term success isn’t just motivation or willpower, it’s making the right actions habitual.

Why Do Habits Matter for Long-Term Success?

Without effective habits, clients rely on sheer effort and self-control to stick to their goals. However, effort and willpower feel like finite resources and can be depleted over time, leading to burnout, decision fatigue, and inconsistency. This is why many people struggle to maintain diet and exercise regimens for the long term.

By forming habits, clients can integrate positive behaviours into their daily routines without having to make constant decisions or exert excessive willpower. The more automated a behaviour becomes, the less effort it requires, leading to long-term consistency and success.

This is why some of the healthiest and most successful individuals have daily habits that support their goals, things like prepping meals, waking up early, or exercising at the same time each day.

When these behaviours are ingrained, they require little thought and become part of a person’s identity.

The Habit Loop: How Habits Are Formed

Charles Duhigg, in The Power of Habit, describes the habit loop as a three-part process that governs how habits are created and maintained. Understanding this loop is key to both forming good habits and breaking bad ones.

1. Cue (Trigger)

A cue, or trigger, is a signal that initiates the habit. This could be:

• A time of day: Waking up might trigger making coffee.
• An emotion: Feeling stressed might trigger emotional eating.
• An external event: A notification might trigger checking social media.
• An environmental factor: Seeing a yoga mat might trigger a stretching routine.

Cues are powerful because they set off an automatic chain reaction, leading directly to a behaviour. Recognising these cues is the first step in changing your habits.

2. Routine (Action)

The routine is the actual behaviour that follows the cue. This could be:

• Eating a snack after seeing an ad for food.
• Going for a run after putting on running shoes.
• Checking the phone after receiving a notification.
• Taking a deep breath when feeling stressed.

The action itself is reinforced over time as it becomes a natural response to the cue. The more frequently a habit is performed, the more deeply ingrained it becomes.

3. Reward

The reward is the benefit that reinforces the habit and keeps the cycle going. Without a reward, the brain is less likely to encode the habit as something worth repeating. Rewards can be:

• A physical reward – The feeling of endorphins after exercise.
• A psychological reward – A sense of accomplishment after completing a task.
• A relief-based reward – Stress relief from deep breathing or meditation.
• A social reward – Praise from friends after sharing progress.

Over time, the brain begins to associate the cue with the reward, making the habit automatic. The stronger the reward, the more likely the habit will stick.

How Coaches Can Use the Habit Loop to Help Clients With Habit Formation

Understanding this cycle is critical to helping clients build positive habits and break negative ones. Coaches can use this framework to:

• Help clients recognise their cues: Identifying what triggers certain behaviours is the first step toward control.
• Adjust the routine: Replacing an unhealthy response with a beneficial one (e.g., replacing stress-eating with a short walk).
• Ensure positive reinforcement: Creating a compelling reward system to encourage consistency.
• Optimise the environment: Setting up physical and digital spaces to minimise negative cues and increase positive triggers.

By focusing on creating strong, positive habits that align with clients’ goals, coaches can help them achieve sustainable success without relying on fleeting motivation or willpower.

The Science Behind Habit Formation

Understanding some of the science behind habit formation will help you to really get to grips with habit change. You don’t need to get into the weeds with this stuff, but being at least casually familiar with the science is a great help.

Repetition and Neural Pathways

The more a habit is repeated, the stronger the neural connections become. Think of it like a trail in a forest. At first, it’s difficult to navigate, but with frequent use, it becomes a well-worn path. In neuroscience, this process is called long-term potentiation, where repeated activation of neural circuits strengthens connections between neurons. This means that the more a person performs an action, the more ingrained it becomes, requiring less conscious effort over time.

For new coaches, this means emphasising consistency over intensity with clients. A client who works out three times a week for six months is more likely to succeed than one who works out every day for two weeks and then quits. Small, sustainable actions reinforce neural pathways, making it easier to maintain habits over the long term.

Additionally, research suggests that the frequency of repetition is more important than the duration or effort exerted in a single session. This is why starting small and building gradually is more effective for long-term success. Encouraging clients to create daily, low-effort rituals (such as stretching for five minutes each morning or drinking a glass of water before coffee) can significantly improve habit formation and retention.

Dopamine and Reward Systems

Every time we experience pleasure (from food, exercise, social interactions, etc.), dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter that reinforces behaviour, creating a craving to repeat actions that lead to pleasurable outcomes. This is why incorporating immediate, positive feedback is key to habit formation.

For example, instead of focusing on long-term fitness goals that may feel distant, clients should celebrate short-term victories. Completing a workout, making a healthy food choice, or drinking enough water should be acknowledged and rewarded. Over time, the brain associates these behaviours with positive reinforcement, making them more likely to become habitual.

There are several ways to harness dopamine’s power in habit formation:

• Gamification: Turning habits into a game, such as using fitness trackers or rewarding clients for streaks, keeps engagement high.
• Personalised rewards: Encourage clients to reward themselves in meaningful ways, such as enjoying a relaxing bath after a workout or purchasing new workout gear after reaching a milestone.
• Social reinforcement: Accountability partners and group challenges can provide external rewards through encouragement and recognition.

By understanding how dopamine impacts behaviour, you can strategically implement rewards that drive long-term habit adherence.

The Role of Environment

Our surroundings influence our habits more than we realise. A well-structured environment can set clients up for success, while a poorly structured one can create obstacles to progress. This concept is known as choice architecture, where small changes in an environment can significantly impact decision-making.

For instance, if a client’s home is filled with unhealthy food, they are more likely to consume it. If they keep their workout clothes visible, they are more likely to engage in exercise. Therefore, structuring an environment to support positive habits is a critical step in habit formation.

As a coach, help clients design their environment to support their goals:

• Meal prepping: Preparing healthy meals in advance removes the decision-making burden, reducing the likelihood of resorting to unhealthy options.
• Workout readiness: Laying out gym clothes the night before makes it easier to exercise in the morning. Keeping a yoga mat or dumbbells in a visible spot serves as a visual cue.
• Removing triggers: Keeping junk food out of the house reduces the temptation to eat it. Similarly, placing the phone away from the bedside can discourage excessive screen time before bed.
• Simplifying choices: The more friction between a person and an undesirable habit, the less likely they are to engage in it. Encouraging clients to delete delivery apps, unsubscribe from junk food deals, or remove distractions from their workspace can make positive behaviours easier to sustain.

By integrating these environmental strategies, you can help clients establish habits that feel effortless and automatic, leading to long-term success in their health and fitness journeys.

Strategies for Helping Clients Build Habits

Understanding habit formation is useless if you don’t actually know how to implement habit change in your clients. So here are some strategies to help your clients build habits.

Start Small

One of the biggest mistakes clients make is trying to change too much at once. Instead, start with micro-habits. Tiny changes that feel almost too easy. Small habits serve as the foundation for bigger changes. The idea is to make the behaviour so small that it is impossible to fail, ensuring that the client builds confidence and consistency before gradually increasing difficulty.

Examples of Micro-Habits:

• Instead of “I will work out for an hour every day,” start with “I will do five minutes of movement each morning.”
• Instead of “I will never eat sugar again,” start with “I will add a serving of vegetables to my lunch.”
• Instead of “I will meditate for 30 minutes,” start with “I will take three deep breaths before bed.”
• Instead of “I will read a book every week,” start with “I will read one page per day.”

By making habits easy to start, clients are more likely to follow through and eventually expand on them.

Anchor New Habits to Existing Ones

Attaching a new habit to an existing one makes it easier to remember. This is called habit stacking (a term popularised by James Clear in Atomic Habits). When clients link a new behaviour to something they already do consistently, it reduces the mental effort required to establish the new habit.

Examples of Habit Stacking:

• “After I brush my teeth, I will do 10 push-ups.”
• “After I make my morning coffee, I will drink a glass of water.”
• “After I sit down at my desk, I will write down my top three priorities for the day.”
• “After I put on my pyjamas, I will do five minutes of stretching.”

By linking habits together, clients reinforce consistency without having to remember a standalone behaviour.

Make Habits Attractive

If a habit is enjoyable, clients will stick with it. When people associate positive emotions with a habit, they are more likely to continue engaging in it. As a coach, you can help clients increase the appeal of habits in multiple ways:

• Find enjoyable alternatives: If a client dislikes running, they may enjoy cycling, swimming, or dance workouts instead.
• Pair a habit with something pleasurable: For example, listening to an audiobook while working out or watching a favourite TV show while on a treadmill.
• Incorporate variety: Monotony can kill motivation. Encourage clients to change up their routines in ways that still keep them on track so they stay engaged.
• Create a social component: Working out with a friend or joining a community fosters accountability and enjoyment.

Use Identity-Based Habits

Rather than focusing on what clients want to do, focus on who they want to become. Identity-based habits create lasting change because they are tied to self-perception. Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” a client should affirm, “I am someone who prioritises my health.”

Steps to Implement Identity-Based Habits:

1. Define the desired identity: Ask the client, Who do you want to become?
2. Align actions with the identity: Each behaviour should reinforce that identity. For example:
   • A client who wants to become a stronger person lifts weights regularly.
   • A client who wants to become a mindful person meditates daily.
   • A client who wants to become a disciplined person follows a structured schedule.
3. Reinforce the identity with small wins: Each successful action strengthens the belief that they are the kind of person who does that behaviour.

Track Progress and Celebrate Wins

Tracking habits increases awareness and accountability, leading to greater adherence over time. When clients see their progress visually, they gain a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue.

Ways to Track Habits:

• Habit-tracking apps: Tools like Habitica, Streaks, or HabitBull allow users to log daily behaviours.
• Journaling: Keeping a simple daily log of habits and reflections can help clients recognise patterns and areas for improvement.
• Checklists or calendars: Marking off completed habits on a calendar provides a visual cue of progress.
• Accountability partners: Naturally, if your clients are getting coaching with you, accountability is built in. But you can also encourage your clients to involve friends, or an online community as a way to reinforce consistency.

Celebrating Wins:

Recognising small victories reinforces positive behaviour and makes clients more likely to stick with their habits. Celebrations don’t need to be extravagant, they can be as simple as:

• Telling themselves, “I’m proud of myself.”
• Sharing progress with a supportive friend or group.
• Rewarding themselves with non-food incentives, such as buying new workout gear or taking a relaxing bath.

By implementing these strategies, clients can build and sustain habits that create lasting transformations in their health, fitness, and overall well-being.

How to Break Bad Habits

Helping clients replace destructive habits is just as important as forming new ones. Here’s how:

Identify Triggers

Work with clients to identify what triggers their bad habits. Common triggers include stress, boredom, social situations, fatigue, or even specific locations. By understanding these triggers, clients can be more conscious of their actions and begin to develop alternative responses.

• Stress: Many people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating or excessive screen time, when stressed. Encourage clients to identify stressors and implement healthier stress management techniques like meditation, journaling, or exercise.
• Boredom: Snacking, doom-scrolling, or procrastination often stem from a lack of engagement. Suggest engaging activities like puzzles, reading, or creative hobbies to replace mindless behaviours.
• Social Situations: Peer pressure or group dynamics can reinforce bad habits, such as over-drinking or skipping workouts. Encourage clients to set clear boundaries and seek supportive social circles.
• Fatigue: When tired, willpower diminishes, leading to impulsive decisions. Recommend improving sleep hygiene and pre-planning healthier choices to avoid decision fatigue.

Make Bad Habits Inconvenient

Reduce the ease of engaging in a bad habit by adding obstacles or friction. The harder it is to engage in the habit, the less likely the client will perform it.

• Modify the Environment: Keep junk food out of reach, avoid purchasing unhealthy snacks, or store them in hard-to-access places.
• Limit Digital Distractions: Use app blockers to restrict social media usage during productive hours. Set up screen time restrictions or grayscale settings on devices to reduce compulsive scrolling.
• Create Barriers: Keep workout clothes in plain sight while storing away TV remotes. Place books in visible locations to encourage reading over mindless browsing.
• Adjust Daily Routines: Set a bedtime alarm to signal when it’s time to wind down and avoid screens. Establish designated tech-free zones in the home to prevent overuse.

Replace Rather Than Eliminate

The brain resists simply “quitting” habits, but replacing them with a healthier alternative is far more effective. The goal is to swap the behaviour with something that fulfils a similar need but in a positive way.

• Healthy Snacking: Instead of snacking on crisps, snack on fruit, nuts, or protein-rich foods that provide sustained energy.
• Tech-Free Evenings: Instead of scrolling on the phone before bed, read a book, listen to calming music, or engage in a relaxation practice.
• Smart Beverage Choices: Instead of drinking soda, opt for sparkling water with lemon or herbal teas to satisfy the craving without added sugar. At the very least, opt for the sugar free (and potentially caffeine free) versions.
• Stress Management: Instead of using food for stress relief, practice deep breathing, take a short walk, or engage in mindfulness exercises.

Accountability and Support

Having an external accountability system increases success rates dramatically. Clients are more likely to stay on track when they have support and guidance. This is generally naturally taken care of with coaching, but you do also want to think about helping your client long term, and thus you will need to set them up to deal with this after coaching finishes. There are a few options here:

• Workout Partners: Partner with a workout buddy to stay consistent and encourage one another.
• Community Support: Join a community, support group, or fitness class that aligns with their goals.
• Technology Assistance: Use habit-tracking apps with reminders and streak-based motivation systems.

Reinforce Positive Behavior

Celebrating small wins and setting up positive reinforcement systems can significantly improve adherence to breaking bad habits and forming better ones.

• Reward Milestones: Encourage clients to set up rewards for reaching specific goals, such as treating themselves to a massage, new workout gear, or a fun experience.
• Track Progress: Keeping a journal or habit tracker provides visual motivation and a sense of accomplishment.
• Self-Compassion: Encourage clients to acknowledge progress without harsh self-judgment. Remind them that setbacks are normal and part of the process.

By implementing these strategies, clients can systematically replace bad habits with healthier alternatives, creating long-term success in their health and wellness journey.

Troubleshooting Habit Formation Challenges

Even with the best intentions, clients will struggle. Here are common roadblocks and how to overcome them:

Lack of Motivation

Motivation is unreliable because it fluctuates daily based on external and internal factors. Instead of relying on motivation alone, emphasise discipline, consistency, and habit-building. Motivation gets clients started, but habits keep them going. To help clients stay on track:

• Encourage them to focus on their why (the deep reason behind their goal).
• Help them build systems, such as setting reminders or scheduling workouts like appointments.
• Introduce the concept of minimum viable effort (i.e. on low-motivation days, doing something (even a 5-minute workout) is better than nothing).
• Teach them how to reset quickly after a setback rather than waiting for motivation to return.

Perfectionism and All-or-Nothing Thinking

Many clients fall into the trap of believing that if they mess up once, they’ve failed. This black-and-white thinking can lead to discouragement and abandoning progress altogether. Instead, shift their mindset toward flexibility and long-term consistency:

• Teach the 80/20 rule. 80% adherence over time is better than striving for 100% perfection and giving up when they can’t maintain it.
• Help them see setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures.
• Encourage a never-miss-twice mentality. If they skip a workout or make an unhealthy choice, their goal should be to get back on track with the next opportunity.
• Use journaling or self-reflection exercises to help them recognise patterns in their behaviour and adjust accordingly.

Impatience and Unrealistic Expectations

Many clients expect rapid results and become discouraged when progress is slower than anticipated. As a coach, help them set realistic expectations and focus on sustainable long-term change:

• Educate them about the time it takes to form habits (on average, 66 days, according to research, although it can take 18 days to 254 days).
• Reinforce the idea that progress is not always linear. Plateaus and setbacks are normal parts of the journey.
• Shift focus from outcome-based goals (e.g., losing 20 pounds) to behaviour-based goals (e.g., exercising 3 times per week consistently).
• Use tracking tools to highlight small, incremental progress, such as strength improvements, better energy levels, or improved sleep.
• Celebrate non-scale victories (NSVs), such as feeling more confident, having more stamina, or enjoying activities they once avoided.

By addressing these common challenges with structured strategies, you’ll empower clients to stay consistent, overcome setbacks, and create lasting habits that support their long-term success.

Understanding Habit Formation Final Thoughts

As a coach, your job isn’t just to provide workouts or diet plans, it’s to help clients build habits that lead to lifelong success. Understanding the science of habit formation, using proven strategies, and helping clients navigate challenges will set you apart as an effective and results-driven coach.

Remember: habits shape identity, and identity shapes habits. Help your clients see themselves as the kind of people who prioritise health and fitness, and they will naturally build the habits that support that identity.

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