Book Club
Welcome to your first reading assignment for The Zest Wellness Book Club!
For our first book, we are reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.
Read the Prologue through the end of Part one: The Habits of Individuals, then come back and answer the questions below in the comments section.
“More than 40% of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits ”
Part one of The Power of Habit examines the neurological and psychological foundations of habits. We often don’t give much thought to why we do what we do- we just get on with life day by day.
However, knowledge of what forms habits is used across several industries, including sales and advertising. Companies are thinking about our habits for us, and how their new product can be introduced into our routine, by presenting it as something we need.
We all have habits we would like to either change or adopt. Some wellness-related habits include making healthier food choices, getting regular exercise, mitigating stress, spending more time outdoors, quitting smoking.
These habits can be introduced into our lives when we understand the three basic components that form a habit: the cue, the routine, and the reward.
Some helpful vocabulary from Part One:
A keystone habit is a focus on just one pattern that leads to changes in other behaviors. For example, a jog before breakfast can lead to other healthy choices in the morning routine, like waking up earlier, and eating a healthy breakfast.
The basal ganglia is the region of the brain that is responsible for habit formation.
Habits can be changed if we understand The Habit Loop. There are three required parts: a cue, a routine and a reward.
Our brains form habits in an effort to make life easier for us. Through a process called chunking, we convert a sequence of habits into an automatic routine.
Once you complete the reading, answer these questions. Feel free to interact with fellow commenters, remembering that having a supportive group is one of the keys to implementing successful behavior change!
- Was there a specific story in this section that resonated with you the most?
- What is a habit you have that you have been trying to change? What are the cues that trigger you to perform the habit? What is the reward
- How will you work to replace the routine portion of habit with something more beneficial?
- Who will you turn to for support? – A local group, friends, family, or the Zest Wellness community?
Meet back here on February 15 to continue our discussion of Part Two!
