Habit Stacking

Almost every athlete utters the words "I don't have time for anything extra in my program" at some point. And they may well be right. So how do you become more efficient whilst adding the things we know are important and often skipped by age groupers like strength and mobility?

For me, the answer has been in habit stacking. This isn't to be mistaken for multi-tasking which is a whole other topic! Habit stacking is adding new habits on top of existing ones.

So how do you incorporate this into your life?

In order to include balance work in my regular routine as part of my rehab, I “stacked” single leg work with brushing my teeth every day. So every morning I do 15 single-leg stances three times on each leg while I’m brushing my teeth. Sometimes on a balance board, sometimes with my eyes closed, depending on where I am at in my rehab cycle.

By stacking a new habit on top of an existing one, you are just more likely to do it. Like any new habit, it takes around six weeks before this new “stacked” habit will become ingrained. The key is making habit stacking as simple as possible. How about:

• Doing 3 x 15 squats when you’re making the morning smoothie.

• Doing 3 x 10 countertop push-ups when the oatmeal is in the microwave.

• Doing a set of downward dogs in an ad break while watching TV.

While these micro workouts may seem trivial, they’re actually incredibly beneficial in the long run.

Why Habit Stacking Works

The reason habit stacking works so well is that your current habits are already built into your brain. You have patterns and behaviours that have been strengthened over the years through consistent repetition. So, by linking your new habits to a behavioural pathway that’s already built into your brain, you’re more likely to stick with the new behaviour.

What could you stack onto an existing habit?