The Fundamentals of Habit Formation

The Fundamentals of Habit Formation— This first lesson provides a foundation for understanding the importance of habits in shaping our behavior and identity. Featured expert Michael Como, BSN, MSN, CRNP, FNP, provides a comprehensive presentation, exploring the science of habit formation and the importance of identifying our current habits and recognizing James Clear’s “Four Laws of Behavior Change.”

Make It Obvious

Make It Obvious— This lesson focuses on the importance of making habits obvious in order to establish and maintain them. People often struggle to establish new habits because they lack awareness or visibility of the behavior they want to change. We will learn steps to make our desired habits more visible and salient, such as by creating visual cues, setting reminders, or changing our environment to make the habit more prominent.

Make It Attractive

Make It Attractive— This week, we will explore the second law of behavior change, “Make It Attractive,” which focuses on the role of motivation and rewards in habit formation. We will discuss the power of immediate rewards and the importance of linking positive emotions with the desired behavior. We will also talk about the concept of temptation bundling, the role of social influence, and the impact that the people and culture around us can have on our habits.

Establishing Habits Through Changing Beliefs

Establishing Habits Through Changing Beliefs— This session contains the first of a two-part presentation by featured expert, Adriana Cortés, MD, MIPH (Hons), who will discuss the importance of our beliefs in our daily actions and how these determine the habits we adopt moving forward. You will understand the key factors to induce a change of beliefs and what are the main beliefs we need to change. Dra Cortés also connects the topic of habit-formation to the ability to become successful with adapting easily and fully to a whole food, plant-based way of eating. When beliefs are changed in people's minds, habits are transformed.

Make It Easy

Make It Easy— Dra Adriana Cortés will continue her presentation on beliefs and how they relate to habit-formation. This class will then emphasize the importance of making it easy to establish new habits. By focusing on making the initial establishment of the habit as easy as possible, individuals can increase their chances of success in the long term. Ultimately, we will learn that by making a habit easy, we can create a positive feedback loop that reinforces the behavior and makes it more likely to stick.

Make It Satisfying

Make It Satisfying— We will explore a comprehensive framework for habit formation, emphasizing the importance of celebrating small wins and creating immediate, meaningful rewards. By doing so, we can build momentum, create positive feedback loops, and stay motivated to continue working towards our larger goals.

Making Habits Stick

Making Habits Stick— This class is focused on how to create lasting change by sticking to habits that are formed. Featured expert Tara Cannon, DNP, MSN, RN, MCHC, will discuss how to curb those strong urges to avoid slipping back into old behaviors. During this session, you will learn to manage your environment, use rewards, continue to substitute, and get support!

How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great

How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great— In the final week of the course, we will learn how to achieve exceptional results by mastering the art of continuous improvement through small, incremental changes and by adopting a growth mindset that embraces challenges and failures as opportunities for growth.