In the last module, we discussed the ways in which unconscious habits can alter your behaviour either positively or negatively. This is a salient point as it indicates just how much of what we do, we do without being conscious of it, while also indicating the key role that mindfulness (especially with regard to food) plays in success. If we are not mindful of why, what, when and how much we choose to eat, then we are vulnerable to falling prey to both our evolved propensity for gluttony and our automatic, rehearsed, subconscious responses to environmental cues.

Briefly, you learned:

Habits make up a huge proportion of your daily behaviours
Habits are wired in to your brain due to neuroplasticity
Habits are routines, triggered by a cue and done in search of a remembered reward, even after that reward no longer lines up with your values
Habitual behaviours are especially powerful when you are stressed, tired or distracted
To alter a habit, first notice the reward and then alter the routine, or look to remove the cue
Your environment can play a key role in the process of altering habits

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