February 28, 2025 • 38 mins
Ready to build better habits? This episode of Cycling Over Sixty is for you! Host Tom Butler kicks things off with a lively report from the first group ride of the season, capturing the energy achieve ride goals. But the real focus here is on habit change. Tom shares his personal journey of cycling success over the past two years and connects it to the principles of building sustainable habits. He’ll break down science of habits and provide actionable strategies to help you implement positive changes in your life, whether it's related to cycling or any other aspect of your well-being. Get ready to be inspired and empowered to make lasting improvements.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tom Butler (00:04):
This is the Cycling Over 60 podcast, season three,
episode 19,.
Embracing Habit Change, and I'myour host, Tom Butler, If
you're new.
This is where I share myjourney to get and stay fit
(00:27):
later in life by focusing oncycling.
Well, the cycling season hasofficially started for me with
the first group ride of the yearlast weekend.
It's called the Chili Hilly andit's put on by Cascade Bicycle
Club.
This is the second year thatI've done the Chili Hilly and
only the second year that I'veplanned to do multiple group
rides.
Two years ago at this time, Iwas celebrating that I was able
(00:50):
to ride 60 miles on my 60thbirthday.
I feel like I've come a longway since then.
Even though I didn't put in asmany road miles as I would have
liked to get ready for the ChiliHilly, I felt great after the
ride.
I think one thing that helpedwas that I doubled up on
electrolytes.
I think that really helped so Ididn't have leg cramps after
(01:10):
the ride.
We actually didn't do the fullride.
Somehow we ended up takingshortcut by mistake and
eliminated four of the original32 miles.
But the odd part about that isthat we climbed more feet than
the ride with GPS route showedand we missed the biggest hill
on the route.
So something seems to have beenoff about the ride with GPS
(01:33):
calculation.
My daughter McKenna rode with me.
She definitely didn't getenough preparation for the ride,
but I was really proud of herbecause even though she was
struggling on the hills she justkept going.
At one point she was feelingreally discouraged and she said
that she should have cut theride short.
But even with that she justkept going.
I was pretty happy with my ridebecause I didn't step off on
(01:55):
any of the hills.
My heart rate never really gotthat elevated either, and then
later I saw the Strava data andfound that I had done better
this year on 27 differentsegments.
Last year Chilly Hilly was thefirst organized ride I did on my
Specialized Roubaix.
I'm glad to see that this yearI got stronger, and it wasn't
just that I was riding a new,faster bike.
(02:17):
Some of the other rides I'vedone are the first time I've
done it on the Roubaix, so Ican't really compare it to my
old times.
I am very happy to see that itlooks like I'm still getting
stronger.
I'm now 125 weeks into thiscycling journey.
I started at age 59, and I seemore gains in endurance and
climbing strength still.
That is a real testament to theability of our bodies to stay
(02:40):
strong later in life.
The next big test I want totake on is to see if I can set a
new personal best for 50 miles.
My current best was set on oneof the first rides I did after I
got to Roubaix.
I set that best with an averageheart rate of 137 beats per
minute.
I averaged 13.8 miles per hour.
I would love to be able to do15 miles per hour over 50 miles
(03:03):
and to stay under 140 beats perminute intensity.
I feel like that would be areal step forward for me.
I really would like to do thesame 50 mile route that I did
before, so I have a really goodcomparison.
Unfortunately, there is abridge out that makes that route
impossible, so I'm hunting foran equivalent route.
A quick update on the ZwiftThursday group ride.
I love riding with people.
(03:25):
This week I rode with Sean.
He also joined me in the Zoomchat and it was really fun
getting to know him.
I hope others of you can do thesame thing, Even though I know
it's not possible.
I would love to meet each andevery one of you.
You do need to be a member ofthe Zwift Cycling Over 60 Club
to join the ride, but even ifyou are riding another app or
not riding at all, I would loveto have you drop by the Zoom
(03:52):
chat, Send me an email for aZoom link.
You can find my email in theshow notes.
I feel like I have only justfigured out how to do Zwift
group rides.
I really like the route I chose, even though I kind of chose it
randomly.
Now, originally Zwift set thisroute at 15 miles.
I'm thinking that was maybejust a nice number for a ride,
but it seems like you have toride over 16 miles to actually
compete the coast to coast badge.
(04:14):
I haven't been able to figureout exactly what is going on,
but I changed the group ride to17 miles and that seems to
include more than the 15 miledefault.
I don't know.
Maybe this has to do with thelead-in segment of the group
ride, but I couldn't confirmthat anywhere.
No matter what is going on withthe route, I do think that 17
miles works for the cycling over60 group ride.
(04:36):
As a reminder, the ride happenson Thursdays at 3 pm pacific
time.
I plan to ride the route at avery easy pace so that people
can join in without worryingabout being able to keep up.
But I would like it if someoneelse started coming in to do a
more brisk pace for those thatwant to push it.
So I hope to see you Thursday.
(05:04):
I normally have a guest on thepodcast at this point, but I had
a hard time finding someone totake this topic on, so I'm going
to do something different andjust share my perspective.
I want Cycling Over 60 to be aresource for people that want to
keep cycling after they hit 60.
Actually, I see it benefitingpeople in their 50s so that they
can be ready to go as soon asthey hit 60.
Actually, I see it benefitingpeople in their 50s so that they
(05:25):
can be ready to go as soon asthey hit 60.
A major component that I wantto offer is help adopting new
healthy habits.
I've been interested in healthhabit change for a long time.
In 1982, I began studyinghealth habit change as a part of
my undergraduate degree inhealth psychology.
I remained interested in howpeople change through both my
master degree programs.
(05:45):
On March 21st of last year, Idid an episode called Behavior
Change for Good.
I interviewed Sean Ellis fromthe Behavior Change for Good
Initiative at the University ofPennsylvania.
I believe the work at theinitiative is helping to shed
light on how we can adopt newhabits.
This episode is building onthat information.
I want to share what I thinkare important scientific
(06:05):
insights and practicalstrategies for adopting healthy
habits.
These are things that I'mlearning and applying in my own
life.
For those of you who regularlylisten to the podcast, you've
heard some of this informationalong the way.
The first point, and somethingthat I think is absolutely vital
to understand, is that when wetalk about habit change, we're
talking about something thathappens at the core of brain
(06:27):
function.
I have recommended the book thePower of Habit by Charles
Duhigg before, and I'm doing ithere again.
There's so much in that bookthat helps the reader understand
what is going on in our brainswhen we change a habit.
Here's a key concept Our brainswant to do as much as possible
on autopilot, so our brain isalways looking to take things
out of the thinking realm andmake them happen from less
(06:50):
energy expending parts of ourbrain.
Our bodies just simply haven'tgotten the message that energy
is abundant, so our bodies stillfunction as if we are on the
edge of starving all the time.
That causes many problems in anenvironment where calories are
abundant.
Despite being only 2% of ourbody weight, our brain uses 20%
of the energy we consume.
(07:11):
The brain uses glucoseprimarily.
However, there's someinteresting aspects of how the
brain uses ketones that I won'tgo into.
Having the default perspectivethat we need to buffer against
starvation, the brain works tokeep fuel consumption to a
minimum.
When we are doing a lot ofcognitive processing, that takes
a lot of energy.
An important part of energy usein cognition is the development
(07:33):
of new neural pathways.
It is amazing thatneuroplasticity is a feature of
our brains, but it is a highenergy activity and, again, our
body's default to wanting toconserve energy whenever
possible.
So we have another system ofour brain that happens without
having to cognitively processinformation.
To illustrate, I have gone tothe same grocery store for close
(07:54):
to 30 years.
There are many aspects ofdriving to the store that are on
autopilot for me.
In fact, sometimes I even losetrack of where I am because I've
made the trip so many times.
I don't need to cognitivelyanalyze everything that I'm
doing.
There is something called thequote default mode network in
quote that gets activated andeven allows me to daydream while
(08:16):
I am driving.
Now, unfortunately, I am alsoon autopilot when I park my car.
This usually isn't a problem atthe grocery store, because I
always park in the same area,but if if I go to a mall, I have
to be very deliberate to forcemyself to make a mental note
about where I've parked.
Several times I've finishedshopping at a mall and I don't
have a clue where I parked.
I don't even remember whichentrance I came in.
(08:38):
My wife, Kelly, on the otherhand, has an automatic parking
location retention feature andshe can't understand why I can
so easily forget where I parked.
The autopilot aspect of ourbrain can keep us locked into
bad habits, but, as Power ofHabit explains, we can also use
this function to make good habitchange stick, and by
(08:59):
implementing habit change incertain ways, we can leverage
that to our advantage.
Another foundational principleis the fact that habits have
three components.
There is the cue, the routineand the reward.
The cue is some form of sensorystimulation, the routine is
what happens in response to thatstimulation, and the reward is
(09:20):
something perceived asbeneficial that follows the
routine.
Let's look at this in real life.
For 55 years I had a certainhabit when I went on a road trip
.
I ate high-fat, high-sugar,low-fiber foods, and a lot of it
.
In other words, I was aprocessed food junkie.
On the road, Traveling to mewas a time to splurge on food.
We can imagine numerous cuesthat are present on a road trip.
(09:42):
Being in the car is a cue.
Being with Kelly is a cue.
Having a bag of chips lookingat me from the backseat is a cue
.
Driving into a new town is acue.
Lots and lots of cues.
So my routine would be to finda restaurant at the end of the
day and have a rich, verystimulating meal.
I don't want to put downenjoying new foods when
(10:05):
traveling.
However, for me now, my habitof having a lot of sugar on road
trips is damaging to my health.
But it has become a habit.
It has worked its way into thatunconscious part of my brain.
So I have to work hard to notgive into cravings for sugary
treats when I'm on the road.
The reward component is obviousin this case.
After driving all day on a roadtrip and then stopping for
(10:25):
something rich and flavorful andsatiating, my brain is happy.
Let's expand the aspect ofreward a bit.
When you look at food as areward, it is a complex picture.
Food is rewarding because itbrings in energy and remember,
our brain thinks that we need toprotect from starvation.
So energy is a really goodthing to our brain and again,
(10:47):
our brains haven't learned thattoo much energy is a big problem
for most people.
Another rewarding thing is allthe sensations created when
eating.
There are five basic tastessweet, salty, sour, bitter and
umami.
Unfortunately, Richard Johnsonpoints out in his book Nature
Wants Us to Be Fat.
Unfortunately, Richard Johnsonpoints out in his book Nature
Wants Us to Be Fat that thoseflavors are perceived as tasty
(11:07):
because they stimulate us to getfat and our brains want us to
be fat.
Another form of sensation isthe feel of food in our mouths.
I love crunchy things.
In fact, as my wife wouldtestify, I can be somewhat
socially inappropriate when I'meating something crunchy because
I'm trying to maximize thecrunch.
Finally, there are socialaspects of food that make it
(11:28):
rewarding.
My mother used to make Germanchocolate cake for both my dad
and me for our birthdays.
It is for me the only truebirthday cake choice, so eating
German chocolate cake to metriggers a rewarding feeling
that is more about love thanabout flavor.
It is true that my mom madeawesome tasting cakes, but the
social connection adds toexperience, as I'm sure you all
(11:49):
know.
So there's a lot of rewardingthings happening when you're
eating something.
And let's add another extremelyimportant component to reward.
Now we can't really understandhabit change without
understanding the role of aneurotransmitter called dopamine
.
If you want a very soberinglook at dopamine, read Dopamine
Nation by Ann Lemke.
Here is the important part.
Dopamine is the primaryneurotransmitter that leads us
(12:12):
to learn how to survive.
It motivates us to seek reward.
Dopamine serves an absolutelyessential function in helping to
strengthen neural pathways,shape our behavior to seek
rewards.
In this way, reward-seekingbehavior becomes more automatic.
It is important to realize thatthe dopamine system can be
(12:32):
hijacked by addictive substances, and sometimes it's beneficial
to see habits as addictive inorder to have a better strategy
to disrupt the dopamine systemthat pushes the habit.
For me, and maybe for you aswell, there is an addictive
element to sugar.
So if we revisit the aboveexample of reward eating on a
trip and include sugar addiction, it adds another layer to how
(12:56):
difficult it is for me to eatwell when traveling.
When dopamine is triggered.
It creates a feeling ofwell-being From driving all day
on a trip, especially if traffichas been stressful.
Eating something high in sugartriggers a dopamine release and
in turn that helps me feelbetter.
And, to stress this once again,my brain believes that a pretty
much unlimited amount of sugarintake is a good thing.
(13:18):
So the dopamine system ispushing me to keep consuming
sugar.
To me, there's a sinister aspectto dopamine it adjusts with
stimulation.
If I eat sugar all the time andI constantly stimulate dopamine
release, I become lesssensitive to its effects.
This can lead to a quotedopamine deficit state end quote
(13:39):
.
That means that unless I'mconstantly doing the behavior
that stimulates dopamine, I canhave a genuine feeling of unease
because my dopamine levels haveadjusted and then dropped below
normal.
The scary thing is thatDopamine Nation lays out a
pretty convincing argument thatour digital environment is
creating a constantoverstimulation of the dopamine
(14:00):
system.
If that is the case, then weare all chasing after ways to
keep dopamine levels fromdropping.
That can lead to conditionsthat make habit change really
difficult.
Before we switch gears, let'sreview what we've talked about
so far.
First, it's important torealize that our brains want to
shift behaviors into autopilotso that less energy is used for
cognitive processing.
(14:20):
Secondly, a helpful way ofconceptualizing a habit is to
break it down into three steps.
The first is a cue, followed bya routine and then a reward,
and a third important element isthe role of the
neurotransmitter dopamine thatfunctions as a motivation for us
to continue doing rewardingbehaviors.
Reward perception is based onour biology that didn't develop
(14:44):
in our current reality of energyabundance and that impacts
habits that have to do witheating and also habits that have
to do with activity.
The point of everything that weare learning about habit change
is that a big reason that it'sso hard to change is that our
habits function outside ofcognitive thought Areas of the
brain that don't require thought.
Keep habits going Takes morethan just knowing what is right.
(15:07):
To develop better habits Takesleveraging the natural system
for habit generation to ourbenefit.
Now I want you to think about ahabit that you would like to
change.
My experience is that mostpeople have something that they
want to do to improve theirhealth.
Put it in terms of somethingthat you would like to do more
of, For example, instead ofsaying I want like to do more of
, For example, instead of sayingI want to eat less ice cream
(15:27):
after every dinner.
Think of something to do toreplace the ice cream.
Now, eating ice cream everynight might seem like a lot to
some of you, but for others, itcould be a reality.
Maybe, instead of ice cream,you want to go for a walk after
dinner instead, or maybe youwant to replace the ice cream
with an apple.
It's important to look for ahabit to add that can be
(15:48):
enjoyable, because the enjoymentis the reward.
Now, if you think that yourhabit change goal is impossible,
it might be worthwhile toevaluate your mindset.
When you thought about the newhabit, did you question your
ability to make the change?
If you doubted it, where doesthat doubt come from?
(16:09):
One of the more powerfulconcepts that Kelly and I
adopted as parents was to tryand promote a growth mindset.
There's a lot of work that hasbeen done around growth mindset
and if you haven't heard of itbefore, take some time to find
information about it.
There are two aspects of agrowth mindset that I believe
are crucial to habit change.
One is that we should embracechallenges.
(16:30):
We should see difficultchallenges as opportunities to
learn and improve.
The second principle is that weneed to persevere in the face
of setbacks.
Think about how you've handleddifficult changes in the past.
Almost every meaningful changecomes with the risk of setbacks.
A growth mindset helps us tolearn from problems and not get
stopped on the way to change.
(16:51):
Look again at the change thatyou identified above In Atomic
Habits.
James Clear emphasizes thatsmall habits add up to
significant results over time.
See if the change that you wantto make can be broken down into
smaller chunks that aremanageable.
It is a myth that change has tobe big.
For example, instead ofchoosing to avoid ice cream
(17:13):
every night, maybe start outwith just a night or two a week
to find a healthy after-mealalternative.
Maybe choose specific nightsand have a plan in place for a
different routine on just thosenights.
Then, once you establish apattern with those nights, then
add in more nights.
Once you've identified a smallhabit change, do an analysis of
(17:35):
cues, routine and reward.
Charles Duhigg suggests that tochange a habit.
Charles Duhigg suggests that tochange a habit, keep the cue
and reward in place, but changethe routine.
With our ice cream habitexample, we could imagine that
clearing the table of dishes isa cue that is then followed by
getting the ice cream out anddishing it up, and here the
(17:56):
reward is the rush of sugar, fatand flavor that triggers a
pleasurable response.
Therefore, to make a change,the cue remains the same.
Clearing away disses needs tobe a cue for a different routine
, a routine other than dishingup ice cream, and that behavior
has to end up being stimulating.
It has to produce a pleasantphysical sensation in order for
(18:19):
the reward to be the same.
Now this illustrates anothervery important aspect of habit
change.
It is highly individual.
For some, a walk after dinnercan be as pleasurable as having
ice cream, but others would finda walk to be negative.
So you might need to do someexperiments to find out for you
specifically what is rewarding,and a growth mindset is valuable
(18:42):
here to get through the processof learning what is and what
isn't rewarding, Becausechanging a habit is actually a
difficult change of neuralprocessing.
We can expect in advance thatthere will be mistakes and
corresponding opportunities tolearn.
In some cases you can do whatJames Clear calls habit stacking
(19:04):
.
You can connect a new habitwith an old one.
Let's say that in addition toscooping up ice cream every
night after dinner, you watchtelevision.
It can be helpful to stack someform of exercise with the
television watching.
I specifically have mystationary trainer set up in
front of the television and thatmeans when I'm watching
(19:28):
football it is a trigger for meto also do time on the trainer.
The more times I use thetrainer while I'm watching
football then the more that willget linked in my brain.
Another part of creating newneural pathways is that
consistency is important.
We want to repeat habits overand over again to get them to
the point where we don't have tothink about it.
Doing habits over and overagain lays down new neural
(19:50):
pathways, and this is whatDuhigg means when he talks about
the power of habit.
If we make healthy behaviorshabits, then it takes less work
to maintain them because in ourbrains they go on autopilot.
I want to add to thisdiscussion five barriers that
Katie Melkman emphasizes in thebook how we Change.
They are procrastination,impulsivity, forgetfulness,
(20:15):
laziness and lack of confidence.
Now I can relate to every oneof these barriers, and it's a
worthwhile exercise to do somereading on what Melkman says
about these barriers.
So how about a real-lifeapplication of these concepts?
I failed to do upper bodyworkouts last season.
The more I learn, the more Isee upper body strength as vital
(20:36):
for longevity.
I wanted to turn that failurearound and make upper body
workouts a new habit, and I wantthat habit to be on autopilot
by the end of this season.
So first of all, I appliedanother Katie Milkman concept.
I used the power of quote freshstart.
Like many of us, I chose thebeginning of the year as a fresh
(20:58):
start to try to develop thehabit of upper body workouts.
I wanted to start with a smallstep.
I figured that upper bodyworkouts twice a week was
something that I could easily do.
Eventually I want to expand itto three times a week, but I'm
going to give it a long time andmake sure that I've got two
times a week really etched in mybrain, really made a new habit,
(21:21):
before I expand to three timesa week.
Another concept from AtomicHabits is that the process needs
to be simple.
There needs to be as littlefriction as possible to do the
new behavior.
Last season I was relying ongoing to the local gym.
I like the fact that the gymhas quality machines that I can
do in a circuit, meaning that Ican move from one machine to
(21:43):
another machine and eventuallyget a full workout, I would walk
into the gym and do the circuitthree times and walk out quick
and easy.
But, like I said, that didn'twork out for me last season, so
I decided to eliminate someobstacles.
I identified three of them.
First and this might seem minorto some, but changing to get to
(22:03):
the gym was an obstacle.
The second was having to pick atime when no one was at the gym
, because otherwise the machineswould be busy and it would take
forever.
And the third was the fact thatthe machines need to be wiped
down after every use.
Here's an important concept.
Wiping down machines is not ahuge problem, but it was a
negative for working out at thegym, so I wanted to eliminate it
(22:25):
in order to give me a betterchance to develop a new habit.
Every muscle group I wasworking with the machines at the
gym could be stressed with freeweights at home.
Working out at home with freeweights, eliminated all the
barriers associated with workingout at the gym, Sounds good,
right.
However, it was even easierthan that.
We working out at the gymSounds good, right.
However, it was even easierthan that.
We actually have a home gym.
There are two reasons why Ihaven't used the home gym in the
(22:47):
past.
I will get to one of thosereasons later.
But another reason is that themachines at the gym are easier
to use than the home setup, andthe gym equipment is better
because it is designed topromote proper body mechanics
and therefore reduces the riskof injury.
But, as I have said, I wasn'tgoing to the gym, so it doesn't
(23:08):
matter how much better theequipment is.
Ultimately, I decided toeliminate friction by using the
home gym, but I could have donethe same thing with free weights
at home.
It isn't that important for meright now that the workouts are
ideal.
The important thing is that Ican be consistent.
I want to have as muchrepetition as possible, because
that is what will move upperbody workouts from being
(23:31):
something I have to think aboutto something that is an
unconscious habit.
That's the goal Again.
The power of habit is that wemove things into a different
realm in our brains.
To create a plan, I applied cueroutine and reward analysis For
a few years now.
Finishing lunch has been a cue.
That cue leads to physicalactivity that usually comes in
(23:54):
the form of a bike ride.
In addition, starting toprepare lunch is a cue.
That cue leads to me gettingdressed for physical activity.
I have learned that the soonerI begin exercise after I eat,
the better.
So to remove friction, I changeto cycling gear before I eat.
To create the habit of upperbody workouts, my strategy is
(24:15):
that twice a week I respond tothe lunch cues by modifying my
routine Again.
That keeps the cue the same.
Instead of going for a ride as aroutine, my routine is using
the home gym.
As I've said, a key is to keepthe reward part of the equation
in place as well.
Let's talk about reward in thiscase.
I don't like lifting weights.
(24:35):
I find the physical strain oflifting to be very uncomfortable
.
So using a home gym is verydifferent than going for a bike
ride, which I inherently enjoy.
There are questions going on inmy head when I'm lifting.
They are things like do Ireally need this?
Or maybe two rounds is enoughinstead of three, or I'm just
(24:57):
too tired to do it today.
This might sound a littlestrange, but I think of this
self-talk as not really mythoughts.
I think of these as my survivalbrain talking to me, Keeping in
mind that our brains stilldon't understand that we have
access to excess amounts ofenergy.
Our brains function from asurvival perspective and that
means our brains think it'sbetter for us to conserve energy
(25:18):
.
The survival brain prefers asedentary lifestyle.
So I will actually talk to mybrain and say that I'm going to
be okay, even though I'm puttingout a lot of energy when I'm
lifting.
I have to do the same thingwhen I'm climbing hills on a
training day.
I literally talk to my survivalbrain and calm it down like I
would to a child.
After all, our survival brainis not really a grown-up.
(25:40):
Another really important aspectof our brain is that we are
wired to prioritize immediategratification.
Lifting weights, for me, ispretty much the opposite of
immediate gratification.
My survival brain is constantlytelling me to do something with
instant stimulation, likeentertainment or social media or
eating processed foods.
My survival brain thinks thosethings are amazing and lifting
(26:01):
weights is stupid.
In response, I tell my brainover and over that it is
important that I develop myupper body.
What I do find rewarding fromlifting is the feeling I get
when I am done.
The feeling of muscles thathave been stressed makes me very
happy, because I associate thisfeeling with better health down
the road.
That same feeling comes fromseeing the amount of weight that
(26:23):
I'm lifting increase.
Seeing the weight increaseisn't something that will last
forever.
As time goes on, I will seefewer and fewer gains in the
amount I can lift.
From a cue routine rewardperspective, the reward from
lifting weights is very similarto the reward I get from cycling
.
From the cue routine rewardperspective, in some ways the
(26:43):
reward I get from lifting issimilar to the reward I get from
cycling.
With cycling I get feedbackfrom Strava that lets me see
progress.
That progress is reallyimportant as a reward for
pushing myself to be active.
In this way I'm doing whatAtomic Habits recommends.
I'm keeping the cue and thereward in place and I just
(27:04):
change the routine.
And now we come to somethingthat for me is actually the most
important thing for new habitpromotion.
That is, the social aspect ofhabit change.
It's interesting that with thesocial aspect, I'm not fighting
against my brain, Unlike witheating and activity.
What my brain wants is in linewith what I need.
My survival brain wants me tocreate strong social bonds.
(27:27):
Therefore, I make sure to havesocial accountability baked into
my habit change efforts.
With cycling, I have the wholeCycling Over 60 community
cheering me on and that isextremely powerful With upper
body workouts.
I changed it up a bit.
I set a goal of doing two upperbody workouts a week.
Then I made everyone around meaware that this was my goal, and
(27:48):
the most powerful incentive isthat I promised to take some
friends to the remodeled SeattleAquarium if I exceed.
In doing 25 weeks in a row ofupper body workouts, the family
includes two young kids whoreally, really want to go to the
aquarium and I don't want tolet them down.
In effect, that gives me my owncheer squad.
As you know, the social aspectcan be a two-way street.
(28:10):
Sometimes our social circle canhinder our habit change.
I love donuts.
You wouldn't be surprised tohear that my love for donuts
isn't anchored in theirnutritional value.
I have no plans of eatinganother donut in the future.
I just can't handle it.
But if my main group of friendsmade meeting at a donut shop a
primary activity of the group,it would make it harder for me
(28:31):
to make good donut choices.
So I might need to take thelead in finding other ways, in
addition to donut meetings, togather as a group.
Habits that are ingrained insocial networks can be very hard
to change.
Sometimes alternative socialnetworks need to be formed.
For example, because of cycling, I am meeting an incredible
group of people who like to ride.
That social network is a realbenefit for keeping me going.
(28:54):
Even harder than habits that arepart of a social network are
habits that are part of familytraditions.
Take the presence of cakes,pies and candy at family
gatherings.
Until the last couple ofhundred years, sweets were rare,
and that meant that they wereonly for the most important
celebrations.
As sugar production began toget cheaper, this once rare
treat became commonplace.
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Sweet pies and cakes havebecome synonymous with people
gathering together.
No one ever says that somethingis like baseball and a green
salad.
What's cool is that I recentlyhad a birthday and no one
thought about making me abirthday cake.
I do think that's still rare,but it shows that it's possible
to change family traditions.
(29:35):
Keep in mind that it will takea bit of creativity and a lot of
understanding to change familytraditions.
For my birthday, we did go outand have ice cream.
Mine was sweetened with datesand a shout out to Frankie and
Joe's, by the way, Expensive icecream, but amazing.
One of the reasons that I wantedto go to the gym instead of
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working out at home last seasonwas that I planned on the gym
being a date night with Kelly.
I felt like that would be aperfect idea because we could
create a family tradition ofspending time together and, at
the same time, keeping strong.
In the end, it turned out to bea negative.
First, it was difficult tocarve out time in the evening to
(30:17):
go to the gym, but maybe abigger negative is that we
didn't actually work outtogether.
She has her way of lifting andI have mine, so it really didn't
feel like we were actually on adate.
We were just going to the sameplace and that didn't create the
motivation that I had hoped itwould.
And again, this is wheremindset comes in.
It's easy for me to getdiscouraged when things don't
(30:38):
work out.
I failed to meet my goal lastseason for upper body workouts
and part of that was that mystrategy for going to the gym
failed.
But a growth mindset looks atthat as a beneficial experience
because ultimately, I learnedmore about what will work.
If you are looking for a socialsituation to get more help
(30:59):
staying motivated, considerdropping in the Thursday Cycling
Over 60, Zoom, chat and groupride.
Even if you aren't riding, dropin and share how your journey
is going and talk about anystruggles you're having.
My goal is to make the Zoomcalls more of a resource for
people.
The call happens at 3 pmPacific time on Thursdays.
Send me an email for the Zoomlink.
(31:21):
It's just starting, so don'texpect a lot of people yet, but
I would love to have you helpmake it grow.
Considering the habits of yoursocial networks and family is
part of the social environmentthat influences habit change.
It is also important toconsider the physical
environment.
One of the functions ofdopamine is that it imprints on
our neural network theenvironmental cues around a
(31:43):
perceived positive event.
The association withenvironmental cues with reward
is amazing.
For example, alcoholics canexperience a form of
neurological relapse from simplydriving past a place where they
did a lot of drinking a placewhere they did a lot of drinking
.
Looking at the after-dinner icecream example, if you have
(32:07):
particular bowls that are usedfor ice cream, it might be a
good idea to put them in storage.
And of course, there's a strongcue of the ice cream itself.
A strategy to eliminate a bigcue for ice cream consumption is
by just not having it in thehouse.
It might take a bit ofnegotiation with your ice cream
consuming family members, but itcan really help, especially to
make an initial change.
(32:27):
One serious note if youeliminate ice cream from your
house and you find yourselfgoing to extraordinary steps to
procure ice cream, you mightconsider that there is an
element of sugar addictioninvolved.
If you are driving all overtrying to find an open store at
midnight to get ice cream, youshould look into resources for
sugar addicts.
If there is an addictionelement to your ice cream
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consumption, don't be ashamed.
It's not a moral failure, it'snot stupidity.
As I have said, your brainthinks you need the sugar to
survive and there are a bunch ofchemicals that are pushing you
to pursue the ice cream.
Just bravely take on your brain.
There are others who have doneit and can help you in that
journey.
Another thing that has had ahuge impact on my ability to
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change my habits is that I havetaken on a new identity.
I want everyone around me tounderstand that I am a cyclist.
This happens pretty muchautomatically when I tell
somebody that I occasionally do100 mile rides.
Even a 30 mile ride seems likea long ride to people who don't
spend time on a bike.
Now, obviously, the fact that Ido a podcast around cycling
(33:32):
also helps brand me as a cyclist.
That does a lot to establish myidentity as someone who rides,
and people aren't surprised if Idon't show up to an event
because I'm out for a long ride,because that's what cyclists do
.
My identity helps how I seemyself and how others see me,
and that makes it easier for meto adopt certain health habits.
(33:54):
It is just a fact that oursociety is oriented away from
healthy choices.
There's very little thatpromotes taking the time to
prepare nutritious food or doingless work so that you have time
for physical activity.
However, if your identity isclear, it is easier to choose
better habits.
Telling people that I'm adiabetic immediately changes
(34:14):
their expectation of what I'lleat, and I also want to live up
to my identity, and that alsomotivates me to make good
choices.
I have come to see identity asone of the most important things
to sustain habit change.
The final component that Ibelieve is really valuable is to
(34:36):
take into account yourpersonality.
An aspect of successful habitchange that comes up again and
again is that it is anindividual process.
That comes up again and againis that it is an individual
process by tying your habitchange strategy to your
personality, you have a betterchance of sustaining change.
You might be someone that ismotivated by seeing lots of data
.
If that is the case, make sureyou are using Strava or
something similar to trackactivities, or find a good food
(34:57):
intake tracking program to getdata on your food choices.
You might find that you want avery social element to your
change program, or maybe youprefer to have a more solitary
experience.
It might be helpful todetermine if you are more
task-oriented or morepeople-oriented.
There are almost endless waysto customize a program to your
personality, so it can bebeneficial to take a personality
(35:19):
test and speak with aconsultant for ideas about
customizing your habit changeefforts.
So let's wrap up with a summary.
It's vital to see habits assomething that happens as part
of our brain strategy to limitthe energy it takes to do
repeated tasks.
We can harvest that function bydeveloping good habits.
By developing good habits, whenwe understand the relationship
(35:40):
between cue, routine and reward,we can leverage that connection
by maintaining the cue and thereward and modifying the routine
.
The easiest change is thechange that can be consistent.
Consistency is vital to createnew neural pathways that
translate into a new habit.
So small habit change thatgrows over time is shown to be
(36:01):
the best strategy.
Habit stacking, where we link anew habit to an old habit, is
also a powerful strategy.
And find ways to eliminate asmuch friction as possible.
Make the change easy.
Search the physical environmentand eliminate cues to old
behaviors.
And communicate with family andfriends so that they know how
(36:21):
to be supportive.
Keep a close eye on yourattitude.
Are you being kind to yourselfand working to have a growth
mindset?
Finally, start embracing a newidentity that aligns with your
new habits and proclaim thatidentity to those around you.
Habit change is seldom a perfectprocess, but with a plan and
(36:42):
perseverance you, like me, canreap the rewards of new choices.
That is a good look at what I'mlearning about habit change,
but I am continually looking fornew information on the topic.
If you know of something inthis area that's helpful, please
(37:05):
let me know.
For me, there is alwayssomething that I would like to
improve on, so understanding howto build better habits is a
real plus for me.
I hope to recruit more peopleto cycling over 60.
That desire comes from whatI've seen cycling do for me.
I want to see others have thesame benefits that I'm getting
from a cycling habit.
Of course, I also adopted somebetter dietary habits as well,
(37:28):
but the desire to make thosechanges really came from seeing
my fitness improve on the bike.
I hope you are seeing all thebenefits of riding as well and I
hope you are inspiring othersto jump on a bike.
Remember, age is just a gearchange.
This is the Cycling Over 60 podcast, season three,
episode 19,.
Embracing Habit Change, and I'myour host, Tom Butler, If
you're new.
This is where I share myjourney to get and stay fit
(00:27):
later in life by focusing oncycling.
Well, the cycling season hasofficially started for me with
the first group ride of the yearlast weekend.
It's called the Chili Hilly andit's put on by Cascade Bicycle
Club.
This is the second year thatI've done the Chili Hilly and
only the second year that I'veplanned to do multiple group
rides.
Two years ago at this time, Iwas celebrating that I was able
(00:50):
to ride 60 miles on my 60thbirthday.
I feel like I've come a longway since then.
Even though I didn't put in asmany road miles as I would have
liked to get ready for the ChiliHilly, I felt great after the
ride.
I think one thing that helpedwas that I doubled up on
electrolytes.
I think that really helped so Ididn't have leg cramps after
(01:10):
the ride.
We actually didn't do the fullride.
Somehow we ended up takingshortcut by mistake and
eliminated four of the original32 miles.
But the odd part about that isthat we climbed more feet than
the ride with GPS route showedand we missed the biggest hill
on the route.
So something seems to have beenoff about the ride with GPS
(01:33):
calculation.
My daughter McKenna rode with me.
She definitely didn't getenough preparation for the ride,
but I was really proud of herbecause even though she was
struggling on the hills she justkept going.
At one point she was feelingreally discouraged and she said
that she should have cut theride short.
But even with that she justkept going.
I was pretty happy with my ridebecause I didn't step off on
(01:55):
any of the hills.
My heart rate never really gotthat elevated either, and then
later I saw the Strava data andfound that I had done better
this year on 27 differentsegments.
Last year Chilly Hilly was thefirst organized ride I did on my
Specialized Roubaix.
I'm glad to see that this yearI got stronger, and it wasn't
just that I was riding a new,faster bike.
(02:17):
Some of the other rides I'vedone are the first time I've
done it on the Roubaix, so Ican't really compare it to my
old times.
I am very happy to see that itlooks like I'm still getting
stronger.
I'm now 125 weeks into thiscycling journey.
I started at age 59, and I seemore gains in endurance and
climbing strength still.
That is a real testament to theability of our bodies to stay
(02:40):
strong later in life.
The next big test I want totake on is to see if I can set a
new personal best for 50 miles.
My current best was set on oneof the first rides I did after I
got to Roubaix.
I set that best with an averageheart rate of 137 beats per
minute.
I averaged 13.8 miles per hour.
I would love to be able to do15 miles per hour over 50 miles
(03:03):
and to stay under 140 beats perminute intensity.
I feel like that would be areal step forward for me.
I really would like to do thesame 50 mile route that I did
before, so I have a really goodcomparison.
Unfortunately, there is abridge out that makes that route
impossible, so I'm hunting foran equivalent route.
A quick update on the ZwiftThursday group ride.
I love riding with people.
(03:25):
This week I rode with Sean.
He also joined me in the Zoomchat and it was really fun
getting to know him.
I hope others of you can do thesame thing, Even though I know
it's not possible.
I would love to meet each andevery one of you.
You do need to be a member ofthe Zwift Cycling Over 60 Club
to join the ride, but even ifyou are riding another app or
not riding at all, I would loveto have you drop by the Zoom
(03:52):
chat, Send me an email for aZoom link.
You can find my email in theshow notes.
I feel like I have only justfigured out how to do Zwift
group rides.
I really like the route I chose, even though I kind of chose it
randomly.
Now, originally Zwift set thisroute at 15 miles.
I'm thinking that was maybejust a nice number for a ride,
but it seems like you have toride over 16 miles to actually
compete the coast to coast badge.
(04:14):
I haven't been able to figureout exactly what is going on,
but I changed the group ride to17 miles and that seems to
include more than the 15 miledefault.
I don't know.
Maybe this has to do with thelead-in segment of the group
ride, but I couldn't confirmthat anywhere.
No matter what is going on withthe route, I do think that 17
miles works for the cycling over60 group ride.
(04:36):
As a reminder, the ride happenson Thursdays at 3 pm pacific
time.
I plan to ride the route at avery easy pace so that people
can join in without worryingabout being able to keep up.
But I would like it if someoneelse started coming in to do a
more brisk pace for those thatwant to push it.
So I hope to see you Thursday.
(05:04):
I normally have a guest on thepodcast at this point, but I had
a hard time finding someone totake this topic on, so I'm going
to do something different andjust share my perspective.
I want Cycling Over 60 to be aresource for people that want to
keep cycling after they hit 60.
Actually, I see it benefitingpeople in their 50s so that they
can be ready to go as soon asthey hit 60.
Actually, I see it benefitingpeople in their 50s so that they
(05:25):
can be ready to go as soon asthey hit 60.
A major component that I wantto offer is help adopting new
healthy habits.
I've been interested in healthhabit change for a long time.
In 1982, I began studyinghealth habit change as a part of
my undergraduate degree inhealth psychology.
I remained interested in howpeople change through both my
master degree programs.
(05:45):
On March 21st of last year, Idid an episode called Behavior
Change for Good.
I interviewed Sean Ellis fromthe Behavior Change for Good
Initiative at the University ofPennsylvania.
I believe the work at theinitiative is helping to shed
light on how we can adopt newhabits.
This episode is building onthat information.
I want to share what I thinkare important scientific
(06:05):
insights and practicalstrategies for adopting healthy
habits.
These are things that I'mlearning and applying in my own
life.
For those of you who regularlylisten to the podcast, you've
heard some of this informationalong the way.
The first point, and somethingthat I think is absolutely vital
to understand, is that when wetalk about habit change, we're
talking about something thathappens at the core of brain
(06:27):
function.
I have recommended the book thePower of Habit by Charles
Duhigg before, and I'm doing ithere again.
There's so much in that bookthat helps the reader understand
what is going on in our brainswhen we change a habit.
Here's a key concept Our brainswant to do as much as possible
on autopilot, so our brain isalways looking to take things
out of the thinking realm andmake them happen from less
(06:50):
energy expending parts of ourbrain.
Our bodies just simply haven'tgotten the message that energy
is abundant, so our bodies stillfunction as if we are on the
edge of starving all the time.
That causes many problems in anenvironment where calories are
abundant.
Despite being only 2% of ourbody weight, our brain uses 20%
of the energy we consume.
(07:11):
The brain uses glucoseprimarily.
However, there's someinteresting aspects of how the
brain uses ketones that I won'tgo into.
Having the default perspectivethat we need to buffer against
starvation, the brain works tokeep fuel consumption to a
minimum.
When we are doing a lot ofcognitive processing, that takes
a lot of energy.
An important part of energy usein cognition is the development
(07:33):
of new neural pathways.
It is amazing thatneuroplasticity is a feature of
our brains, but it is a highenergy activity and, again, our
body's default to wanting toconserve energy whenever
possible.
So we have another system ofour brain that happens without
having to cognitively processinformation.
To illustrate, I have gone tothe same grocery store for close
(07:54):
to 30 years.
There are many aspects ofdriving to the store that are on
autopilot for me.
In fact, sometimes I even losetrack of where I am because I've
made the trip so many times.
I don't need to cognitivelyanalyze everything that I'm
doing.
There is something called thequote default mode network in
quote that gets activated andeven allows me to daydream while
(08:16):
I am driving.
Now, unfortunately, I am alsoon autopilot when I park my car.
This usually isn't a problem atthe grocery store, because I
always park in the same area,but if if I go to a mall, I have
to be very deliberate to forcemyself to make a mental note
about where I've parked.
Several times I've finishedshopping at a mall and I don't
have a clue where I parked.
I don't even remember whichentrance I came in.
(08:38):
My wife, Kelly, on the otherhand, has an automatic parking
location retention feature andshe can't understand why I can
so easily forget where I parked.
The autopilot aspect of ourbrain can keep us locked into
bad habits, but, as Power ofHabit explains, we can also use
this function to make good habitchange stick, and by
(08:59):
implementing habit change incertain ways, we can leverage
that to our advantage.
Another foundational principleis the fact that habits have
three components.
There is the cue, the routineand the reward.
The cue is some form of sensorystimulation, the routine is
what happens in response to thatstimulation, and the reward is
(09:20):
something perceived asbeneficial that follows the
routine.
Let's look at this in real life.
For 55 years I had a certainhabit when I went on a road trip
.
I ate high-fat, high-sugar,low-fiber foods, and a lot of it
.
In other words, I was aprocessed food junkie.
On the road, Traveling to mewas a time to splurge on food.
We can imagine numerous cuesthat are present on a road trip.
(09:42):
Being in the car is a cue.
Being with Kelly is a cue.
Having a bag of chips lookingat me from the backseat is a cue
.
Driving into a new town is acue.
Lots and lots of cues.
So my routine would be to finda restaurant at the end of the
day and have a rich, verystimulating meal.
I don't want to put downenjoying new foods when
(10:05):
traveling.
However, for me now, my habitof having a lot of sugar on road
trips is damaging to my health.
But it has become a habit.
It has worked its way into thatunconscious part of my brain.
So I have to work hard to notgive into cravings for sugary
treats when I'm on the road.
The reward component is obviousin this case.
After driving all day on a roadtrip and then stopping for
(10:25):
something rich and flavorful andsatiating, my brain is happy.
Let's expand the aspect ofreward a bit.
When you look at food as areward, it is a complex picture.
Food is rewarding because itbrings in energy and remember,
our brain thinks that we need toprotect from starvation.
So energy is a really goodthing to our brain and again,
(10:47):
our brains haven't learned thattoo much energy is a big problem
for most people.
Another rewarding thing is allthe sensations created when
eating.
There are five basic tastessweet, salty, sour, bitter and
umami.
Unfortunately, Richard Johnsonpoints out in his book Nature
Wants Us to Be Fat.
Unfortunately, Richard Johnsonpoints out in his book Nature
Wants Us to Be Fat that thoseflavors are perceived as tasty
(11:07):
because they stimulate us to getfat and our brains want us to
be fat.
Another form of sensation isthe feel of food in our mouths.
I love crunchy things.
In fact, as my wife wouldtestify, I can be somewhat
socially inappropriate when I'meating something crunchy because
I'm trying to maximize thecrunch.
Finally, there are socialaspects of food that make it
(11:28):
rewarding.
My mother used to make Germanchocolate cake for both my dad
and me for our birthdays.
It is for me the only truebirthday cake choice, so eating
German chocolate cake to metriggers a rewarding feeling
that is more about love thanabout flavor.
It is true that my mom madeawesome tasting cakes, but the
social connection adds toexperience, as I'm sure you all
(11:49):
know.
So there's a lot of rewardingthings happening when you're
eating something.
And let's add another extremelyimportant component to reward.
Now we can't really understandhabit change without
understanding the role of aneurotransmitter called dopamine
.
If you want a very soberinglook at dopamine, read Dopamine
Nation by Ann Lemke.
Here is the important part.
Dopamine is the primaryneurotransmitter that leads us
(12:12):
to learn how to survive.
It motivates us to seek reward.
Dopamine serves an absolutelyessential function in helping to
strengthen neural pathways,shape our behavior to seek
rewards.
In this way, reward-seekingbehavior becomes more automatic.
It is important to realize thatthe dopamine system can be
(12:32):
hijacked by addictive substances, and sometimes it's beneficial
to see habits as addictive inorder to have a better strategy
to disrupt the dopamine systemthat pushes the habit.
For me, and maybe for you aswell, there is an addictive
element to sugar.
So if we revisit the aboveexample of reward eating on a
trip and include sugar addiction, it adds another layer to how
(12:56):
difficult it is for me to eatwell when traveling.
When dopamine is triggered.
It creates a feeling ofwell-being From driving all day
on a trip, especially if traffichas been stressful.
Eating something high in sugartriggers a dopamine release and
in turn that helps me feelbetter.
And, to stress this once again,my brain believes that a pretty
much unlimited amount of sugarintake is a good thing.
(13:18):
So the dopamine system ispushing me to keep consuming
sugar.
To me, there's a sinister aspectto dopamine it adjusts with
stimulation.
If I eat sugar all the time andI constantly stimulate dopamine
release, I become lesssensitive to its effects.
This can lead to a quotedopamine deficit state end quote
(13:39):
.
That means that unless I'mconstantly doing the behavior
that stimulates dopamine, I canhave a genuine feeling of unease
because my dopamine levels haveadjusted and then dropped below
normal.
The scary thing is thatDopamine Nation lays out a
pretty convincing argument thatour digital environment is
creating a constantoverstimulation of the dopamine
(14:00):
system.
If that is the case, then weare all chasing after ways to
keep dopamine levels fromdropping.
That can lead to conditionsthat make habit change really
difficult.
Before we switch gears, let'sreview what we've talked about
so far.
First, it's important torealize that our brains want to
shift behaviors into autopilotso that less energy is used for
cognitive processing.
(14:20):
Secondly, a helpful way ofconceptualizing a habit is to
break it down into three steps.
The first is a cue, followed bya routine and then a reward,
and a third important element isthe role of the
neurotransmitter dopamine thatfunctions as a motivation for us
to continue doing rewardingbehaviors.
Reward perception is based onour biology that didn't develop
(14:44):
in our current reality of energyabundance and that impacts
habits that have to do witheating and also habits that have
to do with activity.
The point of everything that weare learning about habit change
is that a big reason that it'sso hard to change is that our
habits function outside ofcognitive thought Areas of the
brain that don't require thought.
Keep habits going Takes morethan just knowing what is right.
(15:07):
To develop better habits Takesleveraging the natural system
for habit generation to ourbenefit.
Now I want you to think about ahabit that you would like to
change.
My experience is that mostpeople have something that they
want to do to improve theirhealth.
Put it in terms of somethingthat you would like to do more
of, For example, instead ofsaying I want like to do more of
, For example, instead of sayingI want to eat less ice cream
(15:27):
after every dinner.
Think of something to do toreplace the ice cream.
Now, eating ice cream everynight might seem like a lot to
some of you, but for others, itcould be a reality.
Maybe, instead of ice cream,you want to go for a walk after
dinner instead, or maybe youwant to replace the ice cream
with an apple.
It's important to look for ahabit to add that can be
(15:48):
enjoyable, because the enjoymentis the reward.
Now, if you think that yourhabit change goal is impossible,
it might be worthwhile toevaluate your mindset.
When you thought about the newhabit, did you question your
ability to make the change?
If you doubted it, where doesthat doubt come from?
(16:09):
One of the more powerfulconcepts that Kelly and I
adopted as parents was to tryand promote a growth mindset.
There's a lot of work that hasbeen done around growth mindset
and if you haven't heard of itbefore, take some time to find
information about it.
There are two aspects of agrowth mindset that I believe
are crucial to habit change.
One is that we should embracechallenges.
(16:30):
We should see difficultchallenges as opportunities to
learn and improve.
The second principle is that weneed to persevere in the face
of setbacks.
Think about how you've handleddifficult changes in the past.
Almost every meaningful changecomes with the risk of setbacks.
A growth mindset helps us tolearn from problems and not get
stopped on the way to change.
(16:51):
Look again at the change thatyou identified above In Atomic
Habits.
James Clear emphasizes thatsmall habits add up to
significant results over time.
See if the change that you wantto make can be broken down into
smaller chunks that aremanageable.
It is a myth that change has tobe big.
For example, instead ofchoosing to avoid ice cream
(17:13):
every night, maybe start outwith just a night or two a week
to find a healthy after-mealalternative.
Maybe choose specific nightsand have a plan in place for a
different routine on just thosenights.
Then, once you establish apattern with those nights, then
add in more nights.
Once you've identified a smallhabit change, do an analysis of
(17:35):
cues, routine and reward.
Charles Duhigg suggests that tochange a habit.
Charles Duhigg suggests that tochange a habit, keep the cue
and reward in place, but changethe routine.
With our ice cream habitexample, we could imagine that
clearing the table of dishes isa cue that is then followed by
getting the ice cream out anddishing it up, and here the
(17:56):
reward is the rush of sugar, fatand flavor that triggers a
pleasurable response.
Therefore, to make a change,the cue remains the same.
Clearing away disses needs tobe a cue for a different routine
, a routine other than dishingup ice cream, and that behavior
has to end up being stimulating.
It has to produce a pleasantphysical sensation in order for
(18:19):
the reward to be the same.
Now this illustrates anothervery important aspect of habit
change.
It is highly individual.
For some, a walk after dinnercan be as pleasurable as having
ice cream, but others would finda walk to be negative.
So you might need to do someexperiments to find out for you
specifically what is rewarding,and a growth mindset is valuable
(18:42):
here to get through the processof learning what is and what
isn't rewarding, Becausechanging a habit is actually a
difficult change of neuralprocessing.
We can expect in advance thatthere will be mistakes and
corresponding opportunities tolearn.
In some cases you can do whatJames Clear calls habit stacking
(19:04):
.
You can connect a new habitwith an old one.
Let's say that in addition toscooping up ice cream every
night after dinner, you watchtelevision.
It can be helpful to stack someform of exercise with the
television watching.
I specifically have mystationary trainer set up in
front of the television and thatmeans when I'm watching
(19:28):
football it is a trigger for meto also do time on the trainer.
The more times I use thetrainer while I'm watching
football then the more that willget linked in my brain.
Another part of creating newneural pathways is that
consistency is important.
We want to repeat habits overand over again to get them to
the point where we don't have tothink about it.
Doing habits over and overagain lays down new neural
(19:50):
pathways, and this is whatDuhigg means when he talks about
the power of habit.
If we make healthy behaviorshabits, then it takes less work
to maintain them because in ourbrains they go on autopilot.
I want to add to thisdiscussion five barriers that
Katie Melkman emphasizes in thebook how we Change.
They are procrastination,impulsivity, forgetfulness,
(20:15):
laziness and lack of confidence.
Now I can relate to every oneof these barriers, and it's a
worthwhile exercise to do somereading on what Melkman says
about these barriers.
So how about a real-lifeapplication of these concepts?
I failed to do upper bodyworkouts last season.
The more I learn, the more Isee upper body strength as vital
(20:36):
for longevity.
I wanted to turn that failurearound and make upper body
workouts a new habit, and I wantthat habit to be on autopilot
by the end of this season.
So first of all, I appliedanother Katie Milkman concept.
I used the power of quote freshstart.
Like many of us, I chose thebeginning of the year as a fresh
(20:58):
start to try to develop thehabit of upper body workouts.
I wanted to start with a smallstep.
I figured that upper bodyworkouts twice a week was
something that I could easily do.
Eventually I want to expand itto three times a week, but I'm
going to give it a long time andmake sure that I've got two
times a week really etched in mybrain, really made a new habit,
(21:21):
before I expand to three timesa week.
Another concept from AtomicHabits is that the process needs
to be simple.
There needs to be as littlefriction as possible to do the
new behavior.
Last season I was relying ongoing to the local gym.
I like the fact that the gymhas quality machines that I can
do in a circuit, meaning that Ican move from one machine to
(21:43):
another machine and eventuallyget a full workout, I would walk
into the gym and do the circuitthree times and walk out quick
and easy.
But, like I said, that didn'twork out for me last season, so
I decided to eliminate someobstacles.
I identified three of them.
First and this might seem minorto some, but changing to get to
(22:03):
the gym was an obstacle.
The second was having to pick atime when no one was at the gym
, because otherwise the machineswould be busy and it would take
forever.
And the third was the fact thatthe machines need to be wiped
down after every use.
Here's an important concept.
Wiping down machines is not ahuge problem, but it was a
negative for working out at thegym, so I wanted to eliminate it
(22:25):
in order to give me a betterchance to develop a new habit.
Every muscle group I wasworking with the machines at the
gym could be stressed with freeweights at home.
Working out at home with freeweights, eliminated all the
barriers associated with workingout at the gym, Sounds good,
right.
However, it was even easierthan that.
We working out at the gymSounds good, right.
However, it was even easierthan that.
We actually have a home gym.
There are two reasons why Ihaven't used the home gym in the
(22:47):
past.
I will get to one of thosereasons later.
But another reason is that themachines at the gym are easier
to use than the home setup, andthe gym equipment is better
because it is designed topromote proper body mechanics
and therefore reduces the riskof injury.
But, as I have said, I wasn'tgoing to the gym, so it doesn't
(23:08):
matter how much better theequipment is.
Ultimately, I decided toeliminate friction by using the
home gym, but I could have donethe same thing with free weights
at home.
It isn't that important for meright now that the workouts are
ideal.
The important thing is that Ican be consistent.
I want to have as muchrepetition as possible, because
that is what will move upperbody workouts from being
(23:31):
something I have to think aboutto something that is an
unconscious habit.
That's the goal Again.
The power of habit is that wemove things into a different
realm in our brains.
To create a plan, I applied cueroutine and reward analysis For
a few years now.
Finishing lunch has been a cue.
That cue leads to physicalactivity that usually comes in
(23:54):
the form of a bike ride.
In addition, starting toprepare lunch is a cue.
That cue leads to me gettingdressed for physical activity.
I have learned that the soonerI begin exercise after I eat,
the better.
So to remove friction, I changeto cycling gear before I eat.
To create the habit of upperbody workouts, my strategy is
(24:15):
that twice a week I respond tothe lunch cues by modifying my
routine Again.
That keeps the cue the same.
Instead of going for a ride as aroutine, my routine is using
the home gym.
As I've said, a key is to keepthe reward part of the equation
in place as well.
Let's talk about reward in thiscase.
I don't like lifting weights.
(24:35):
I find the physical strain oflifting to be very uncomfortable
.
So using a home gym is verydifferent than going for a bike
ride, which I inherently enjoy.
There are questions going on inmy head when I'm lifting.
They are things like do Ireally need this?
Or maybe two rounds is enoughinstead of three, or I'm just
(24:57):
too tired to do it today.
This might sound a littlestrange, but I think of this
self-talk as not really mythoughts.
I think of these as my survivalbrain talking to me, Keeping in
mind that our brains stilldon't understand that we have
access to excess amounts ofenergy.
Our brains function from asurvival perspective and that
means our brains think it'sbetter for us to conserve energy
(25:18):
.
The survival brain prefers asedentary lifestyle.
So I will actually talk to mybrain and say that I'm going to
be okay, even though I'm puttingout a lot of energy when I'm
lifting.
I have to do the same thingwhen I'm climbing hills on a
training day.
I literally talk to my survivalbrain and calm it down like I
would to a child.
After all, our survival brainis not really a grown-up.
(25:40):
Another really important aspectof our brain is that we are
wired to prioritize immediategratification.
Lifting weights, for me, ispretty much the opposite of
immediate gratification.
My survival brain is constantlytelling me to do something with
instant stimulation, likeentertainment or social media or
eating processed foods.
My survival brain thinks thosethings are amazing and lifting
(26:01):
weights is stupid.
In response, I tell my brainover and over that it is
important that I develop myupper body.
What I do find rewarding fromlifting is the feeling I get
when I am done.
The feeling of muscles thathave been stressed makes me very
happy, because I associate thisfeeling with better health down
the road.
That same feeling comes fromseeing the amount of weight that
(26:23):
I'm lifting increase.
Seeing the weight increaseisn't something that will last
forever.
As time goes on, I will seefewer and fewer gains in the
amount I can lift.
From a cue routine rewardperspective, the reward from
lifting weights is very similarto the reward I get from cycling
.
From the cue routine rewardperspective, in some ways the
(26:43):
reward I get from lifting issimilar to the reward I get from
cycling.
With cycling I get feedbackfrom Strava that lets me see
progress.
That progress is reallyimportant as a reward for
pushing myself to be active.
In this way I'm doing whatAtomic Habits recommends.
I'm keeping the cue and thereward in place and I just
(27:04):
change the routine.
And now we come to somethingthat for me is actually the most
important thing for new habitpromotion.
That is, the social aspect ofhabit change.
It's interesting that with thesocial aspect, I'm not fighting
against my brain, Unlike witheating and activity.
What my brain wants is in linewith what I need.
My survival brain wants me tocreate strong social bonds.
(27:27):
Therefore, I make sure to havesocial accountability baked into
my habit change efforts.
With cycling, I have the wholeCycling Over 60 community
cheering me on and that isextremely powerful With upper
body workouts.
I changed it up a bit.
I set a goal of doing two upperbody workouts a week.
Then I made everyone around meaware that this was my goal, and
(27:48):
the most powerful incentive isthat I promised to take some
friends to the remodeled SeattleAquarium if I exceed.
In doing 25 weeks in a row ofupper body workouts, the family
includes two young kids whoreally, really want to go to the
aquarium and I don't want tolet them down.
In effect, that gives me my owncheer squad.
As you know, the social aspectcan be a two-way street.
(28:10):
Sometimes our social circle canhinder our habit change.
I love donuts.
You wouldn't be surprised tohear that my love for donuts
isn't anchored in theirnutritional value.
I have no plans of eatinganother donut in the future.
I just can't handle it.
But if my main group of friendsmade meeting at a donut shop a
primary activity of the group,it would make it harder for me
(28:31):
to make good donut choices.
So I might need to take thelead in finding other ways, in
addition to donut meetings, togather as a group.
Habits that are ingrained insocial networks can be very hard
to change.
Sometimes alternative socialnetworks need to be formed.
For example, because of cycling, I am meeting an incredible
group of people who like to ride.
That social network is a realbenefit for keeping me going.
(28:54):
Even harder than habits that arepart of a social network are
habits that are part of familytraditions.
Take the presence of cakes,pies and candy at family
gatherings.
Until the last couple ofhundred years, sweets were rare,
and that meant that they wereonly for the most important
celebrations.
As sugar production began toget cheaper, this once rare
treat became commonplace.
(29:15):
Sweet pies and cakes havebecome synonymous with people
gathering together.
No one ever says that somethingis like baseball and a green
salad.
What's cool is that I recentlyhad a birthday and no one
thought about making me abirthday cake.
I do think that's still rare,but it shows that it's possible
to change family traditions.
(29:35):
Keep in mind that it will takea bit of creativity and a lot of
understanding to change familytraditions.
For my birthday, we did go outand have ice cream.
Mine was sweetened with datesand a shout out to Frankie and
Joe's, by the way, Expensive icecream, but amazing.
One of the reasons that I wantedto go to the gym instead of
(29:56):
working out at home last seasonwas that I planned on the gym
being a date night with Kelly.
I felt like that would be aperfect idea because we could
create a family tradition ofspending time together and, at
the same time, keeping strong.
In the end, it turned out to bea negative.
First, it was difficult tocarve out time in the evening to
(30:17):
go to the gym, but maybe abigger negative is that we
didn't actually work outtogether.
She has her way of lifting andI have mine, so it really didn't
feel like we were actually on adate.
We were just going to the sameplace and that didn't create the
motivation that I had hoped itwould.
And again, this is wheremindset comes in.
It's easy for me to getdiscouraged when things don't
(30:38):
work out.
I failed to meet my goal lastseason for upper body workouts
and part of that was that mystrategy for going to the gym
failed.
But a growth mindset looks atthat as a beneficial experience
because ultimately, I learnedmore about what will work.
If you are looking for a socialsituation to get more help
(30:59):
staying motivated, considerdropping in the Thursday Cycling
Over 60, Zoom, chat and groupride.
Even if you aren't riding, dropin and share how your journey
is going and talk about anystruggles you're having.
My goal is to make the Zoomcalls more of a resource for
people.
The call happens at 3 pmPacific time on Thursdays.
Send me an email for the Zoomlink.
(31:21):
It's just starting, so don'texpect a lot of people yet, but
I would love to have you helpmake it grow.
Considering the habits of yoursocial networks and family is
part of the social environmentthat influences habit change.
It is also important toconsider the physical
environment.
One of the functions ofdopamine is that it imprints on
our neural network theenvironmental cues around a
(31:43):
perceived positive event.
The association withenvironmental cues with reward
is amazing.
For example, alcoholics canexperience a form of
neurological relapse from simplydriving past a place where they
did a lot of drinking a placewhere they did a lot of drinking
.
Looking at the after-dinner icecream example, if you have
(32:07):
particular bowls that are usedfor ice cream, it might be a
good idea to put them in storage.
And of course, there's a strongcue of the ice cream itself.
A strategy to eliminate a bigcue for ice cream consumption is
by just not having it in thehouse.
It might take a bit ofnegotiation with your ice cream
consuming family members, but itcan really help, especially to
make an initial change.
(32:27):
One serious note if youeliminate ice cream from your
house and you find yourselfgoing to extraordinary steps to
procure ice cream, you mightconsider that there is an
element of sugar addictioninvolved.
If you are driving all overtrying to find an open store at
midnight to get ice cream, youshould look into resources for
sugar addicts.
If there is an addictionelement to your ice cream
(32:49):
consumption, don't be ashamed.
It's not a moral failure, it'snot stupidity.
As I have said, your brainthinks you need the sugar to
survive and there are a bunch ofchemicals that are pushing you
to pursue the ice cream.
Just bravely take on your brain.
There are others who have doneit and can help you in that
journey.
Another thing that has had ahuge impact on my ability to
(33:11):
change my habits is that I havetaken on a new identity.
I want everyone around me tounderstand that I am a cyclist.
This happens pretty muchautomatically when I tell
somebody that I occasionally do100 mile rides.
Even a 30 mile ride seems likea long ride to people who don't
spend time on a bike.
Now, obviously, the fact that Ido a podcast around cycling
(33:32):
also helps brand me as a cyclist.
That does a lot to establish myidentity as someone who rides,
and people aren't surprised if Idon't show up to an event
because I'm out for a long ride,because that's what cyclists do
.
My identity helps how I seemyself and how others see me,
and that makes it easier for meto adopt certain health habits.
(33:54):
It is just a fact that oursociety is oriented away from
healthy choices.
There's very little thatpromotes taking the time to
prepare nutritious food or doingless work so that you have time
for physical activity.
However, if your identity isclear, it is easier to choose
better habits.
Telling people that I'm adiabetic immediately changes
(34:14):
their expectation of what I'lleat, and I also want to live up
to my identity, and that alsomotivates me to make good
choices.
I have come to see identity asone of the most important things
to sustain habit change.
The final component that Ibelieve is really valuable is to
(34:36):
take into account yourpersonality.
An aspect of successful habitchange that comes up again and
again is that it is anindividual process.
That comes up again and againis that it is an individual
process by tying your habitchange strategy to your
personality, you have a betterchance of sustaining change.
You might be someone that ismotivated by seeing lots of data
.
If that is the case, make sureyou are using Strava or
something similar to trackactivities, or find a good food
(34:57):
intake tracking program to getdata on your food choices.
You might find that you want avery social element to your
change program, or maybe youprefer to have a more solitary
experience.
It might be helpful todetermine if you are more
task-oriented or morepeople-oriented.
There are almost endless waysto customize a program to your
personality, so it can bebeneficial to take a personality
(35:19):
test and speak with aconsultant for ideas about
customizing your habit changeefforts.
So let's wrap up with a summary.
It's vital to see habits assomething that happens as part
of our brain strategy to limitthe energy it takes to do
repeated tasks.
We can harvest that function bydeveloping good habits.
By developing good habits, whenwe understand the relationship
(35:40):
between cue, routine and reward,we can leverage that connection
by maintaining the cue and thereward and modifying the routine
.
The easiest change is thechange that can be consistent.
Consistency is vital to createnew neural pathways that
translate into a new habit.
So small habit change thatgrows over time is shown to be
(36:01):
the best strategy.
Habit stacking, where we link anew habit to an old habit, is
also a powerful strategy.
And find ways to eliminate asmuch friction as possible.
Make the change easy.
Search the physical environmentand eliminate cues to old
behaviors.
And communicate with family andfriends so that they know how
(36:21):
to be supportive.
Keep a close eye on yourattitude.
Are you being kind to yourselfand working to have a growth
mindset?
Finally, start embracing a newidentity that aligns with your
new habits and proclaim thatidentity to those around you.
Habit change is seldom a perfectprocess, but with a plan and
(36:42):
perseverance you, like me, canreap the rewards of new choices.
That is a good look at what I'mlearning about habit change,
but I am continually looking fornew information on the topic.
If you know of something inthis area that's helpful, please
(37:05):
let me know.
For me, there is alwayssomething that I would like to
improve on, so understanding howto build better habits is a
real plus for me.
I hope to recruit more peopleto cycling over 60.
That desire comes from whatI've seen cycling do for me.
I want to see others have thesame benefits that I'm getting
from a cycling habit.
Of course, I also adopted somebetter dietary habits as well,
(37:28):
but the desire to make thosechanges really came from seeing
my fitness improve on the bike.
I hope you are seeing all thebenefits of riding as well and I
hope you are inspiring othersto jump on a bike.
Remember, age is just a gearchange.
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