2 Methods to Make Habits Stick

Compounding interest - and health - what’s the connection?

Chewing big hairy things gives me indigestion, so I tend to skip that meal and just feel hungry and dissatisfied and frustrated.

In other words, when I try to tackle something that feels big like some years ago exercising regularly to look and feel great.  I realised this isn’t just about exercise. This mindset shows up everywhere including work.

When we try to tackle something in our lives that feels huge, like exercising for the first time, eating healthier, a career change, or weight loss, we can sometimes not even try. We freeze because it feels overwhelming or impossible.

Or we go the other way. We get motivated and try to fix everything at once. And for a few days, maybe a week, it feels great.

Then life happens. Energy drops. Stress hits. And hello old habits return, and suddenly it all feels like too much.  So you stop.  Not because you don’t care.  But because it wasn’t sustainable.

Your brain is not sabotaging you

Know this - your brain will perceive this sudden “fix everything” change as a threat and it will try to bring you back to safety.  It shows up as:

• all or nothing thinking

• nothing works for you

• this is too hard

• I don’t have time for this

  
  

It thinks it is doing you a solid.  So we can thank our brain for those thoughts.  But we don’t have to believe them.

Instead, you can shift using this method a “I am becoming statement”. For me “I am becoming a person who exercises regularly and loves it”.

And what that does is tell your brain: “Hey, it’s ok. We’re safe. We’re just gradually moving in this direction. Jump on board - it’s going to be great.”

The real method: compounding interest

The other method I started using is treating the change like interest in a bank account.  Small, consistent deposits building up over time.

But when you try to deposit everything at once, then stop completely, there’s no compounding - just burnout.  No growth. No momentum. Just starting over again and again.

So instead of asking:  “How do I become a person who exercises every day?”

Try asking:  “What is one small habit I could do today that supports me in becoming someone that exercises regularly?”

That might be:

• I lay out my exercise gear each night

• After a week, I put it on and walk outside for 10 minutes

• Then I slowly build from there

The key is: it’s so easy you don’t find excuses not to do it.

And as these habits build, when life gets busy, they remain - because they’re already embedded, like brushing your teeth in the morning.

Final thought

Compounding interest and health are the same thing.  It’s not about doing everything perfectly.  It’s about small, consistent actions that quietly build a new identity over time.

Not fixing everything. Just starting small enough that you actually start - and keep going.

That’s where the real change happens.

This is exactly the work I do with women helping build their mental strength muscle alongside sustainable health habits that actually fit real life. Email me micaela@bewelllivewell.co.nz

to book a free clarity chat, where we map out:

• what’s actually going on for you

• what’s keeping you stuck

• and your first simple action steps forward

Because real change doesn’t come from doing more.  It comes from finally doing what actually works - in a way you can sustain.