Forget 21 days. Most healthy new habits take at least two months to stick
For years, popular wisdom has held that it takes just 21 days to add a new habit to your daily routine. But according to recent research from the University of South Australia (UniSA), new habits typically take around two months to engrain, and can take up to almost a year.
The researchers reached this conclusion after conducting a meta-analysis of 20 earlier studies, published between 2008 and 2023, and involving more than 2,600 participants. These studies measured habitual behavior to find an overall trend in the length of time taken for healthy habits to form. Habits included exercise, drinking water, taking vitamins and flossing.
The researchers hope their findings will motivate people to stick with trying to form healthy habits even if it is taking longer than expected.
'I think the main thing is that it helps people set realistic expectations,' Ben Singh, research fellow at UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance and co-author of the study, told CNN. 'It's not often a quick fix.'
The study, published in the journal Healthcare, found that the median time taken to form new, healthy habits was 59-66 days, but it could take as long as 335 days.
Singh stressed that how long it takes to form healthy habits is different for each person and depends on what the habit is.
'Sometimes we found that the simple behaviors, (like) if someone wanted to start flossing each day, might take someone a week to get into their routine,' Singh explained, 'but more complex behaviors such as changing someone's diet and physical activity can take a lot longer.'
He explained that the 21-days myth stems from the 1960 book 'Psycho-Cybernetics' by plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz, in which the author observed that his patients typically took around 21 days to get used to their new appearance following surgery.
Singh said people held onto the idea of a 'quick fix' as motivation. So, is there a danger that the new research will make them more reluctant to try to establish new habits in the first place?
'There is the possibility that it will put people off and maybe discourage them and demotivate them,' said Singh. '(But) some people (who) may think that it's going to take them 21 days, but then after 21 days they're still struggling, then at least this research and this evidence provides people with some realistic benchmarks that they can follow.'
Singh said the study also offers specific tips for forming healthy habits.
'If (people) want to start eating healthier or exercising more, then integrating those new habits in the mornings tends to be more effective than trying to integrate them later on in the day,' he said, 'because people tend to lose motivation or get busier later in the days, (so) they're less likely to follow that behavior.'
For example, if you want to get into a habit of eating more fruit, Singh recommends having an apple with a morning coffee.
Benjamin Gardner, director of the Habit Application and Theory (HabitAT) Group at the University of Surrey, England, suggested the results of the study should be interpreted carefully.
'It is important to urge caution around the idea that people either 'have a habit' or 'don't have a habit', which is implicit in this study,' Gardner, who was not involved in the research, told CNN. 'In reality, habit varies on a continuum – in other words, habit becomes stronger over time, rather than reaching a magic point at which it is 'fully formed.''
Gardner said the best way to form a habit is through what is known as 'context-consistent repetition,' identifying a situation that you encounter regularly, and then doing your chosen behavior each time you encounter that situation.
More research is still needed to find out how successful people were in sustaining the new habits examined in the study, Singh noted.
'A lot of the research was quite short term,' he said. 'We really need a lot more longer-term research. So (if) someone has successfully changed their habits and improved their behavior after 12 weeks, are they still following that behavior 12 months down the track?'
The overall message of the research is clear, though: If you want to make 2025 your year of healthy habits, be patient – the new you may well make an appearance in a matter of months rather than weeks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
4 days ago
- UPI
New study vindicates eggs, says they don't hike bad-cholesterol levels
July 21 (UPI) -- A new egg study has produced sunny-side-up results for the oft-maligned breakfast staple. Eggs are commonly thought to increase the risk of heart disease by raising people's cholesterol levels. But people who ate two eggs a day experienced reductions in their "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, as long as the rest of their diet remained low in saturated fat, researchers reported in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Indeed, the amount of saturated fat in a person's diet tended to increase their LDL cholesterol levels, not the cholesterol found in eggs, results show. "You could say we've delivered hard-boiled evidence in defense of the humble egg," senior researcher Jon Buckley, a professor at the University of South Australia, said in a news release. "So, when it comes to a cooked breakfast, it's not the eggs you need to worry about -- it's the extra serving of bacon or the side of sausage that's more likely to impact your heart health," Buckley added. Eggs are a unique food, in that they are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, he said. "Yet, it's their cholesterol level that has often caused people to question their place in a healthy diet," Buckley said. For the new study, researchers recruited 61 adults 18 to 60 with an average LDL cholesterol level of 105. LDL cholesterol levels above 100 are considered "at risk" for heart disease, and 160 and higher are "dangerous," according to the Cleveland Clinic. This type of cholesterol contributes to plaques that can block arteries and cause heart attacks or strokes. Participants took turns cycling through three different types of diets for five weeks each: • A high-cholesterol, low-saturated fat diet with two eggs a day. • A low-cholesterol, high-saturated fat diet without eggs. • A high-cholesterol, high-saturated fat diet that included one egg a week. "To date, no studies have directly compared the effects of a high-cholesterol, high-saturated fat diet, as is common in Western diets, with a high-cholesterol, low-saturated fat diet or a low-cholesterol, high-saturated fat diet," researchers noted in their report. By the end of the study, 48 people had completed all three diets. Blood samples were taken after each cycle, to see how the different diets affected their LDL cholesterol. People's LDL cholesterol fell when on the two-egg diet, compared to the other two eating patterns, results show. They wound up with average LDL cholesterol levels of just under 104, compared with 108 and 109 for the other two diets. "In this study, we separated the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat, finding that high dietary cholesterol from eggs, when eaten as part of a low saturated fat diet, does not raise bad cholesterol levels," Buckley said. "Instead, it was the saturated fat that was the real driver of cholesterol elevation," he noted. Specifically, each 1-gram increase in saturated fat was associated with a 0.35-point increase in LDL cholesterol, the study says. But no significant relationship was found between cholesterol intake and a person's LDL cholesterol levels, results show. "Eggs have long been unfairly cracked by outdated dietary advice," Buckley concluded. More information The Cleveland Clinic has more on blood cholesterol levels. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business Insider
Hims Stock at $50: Here's What Truist Expects Next
Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS) stock has had a curious run in 2025. The first half of the year was marked by a massive 35% single-day plunge, sparked by Novo Nordisk's sudden decision to cut ties with the telehealth company. The Danish drugmaker accused Hims & Hers of engaging in misleading marketing and distributing unauthorized compounded versions of its blockbuster weight-loss drug, Wegovy. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Despite the controversy, the stock has staged an impressive rebound, with shares up 108% year-to-date and now hovering around $50. The rally has been driven by strong quarterly results and growing momentum in the company's weight-loss offerings. Looking ahead, all eyes now turn to the company's upcoming Q2 earnings report, slated for August 4. Truist analyst Jailendra Singh expects results to land mostly in line with expectations, noting that current forecasts already reflect the high end of HIMS' guidance. He projects revenue of $549.4 million and adjusted EBITDA of $74.4 million, closely aligned with Street consensus and the company's provided range. However, Singh also flags some cautionary signals. The analyst anticipates a slight dip in online revenue per subscriber compared to Q1, attributing it to seasonal trends and reduced reliance on commercially available Semaglutide. Q1's outperformance, after all, benefited from one-off drivers like the Super Bowl ad and the initial buzz around HIMS-branded weight-loss offerings. That brings up the bigger question: where does HIMS go from here in the second half of the year? While some investors worry about a potential guidance cut following the Novo fallout, others are optimistic about a lift tied to the recent acquisition of European telemedicine provider Zava. Singh, for his part, remains cautious. The analyst believes a 2H ramp may be difficult unless Zava or other acquisitions begin to meaningfully contribute. Still, he doesn't expect management to revise guidance just yet, preferring to wait and assess the impact of new initiatives in Q3. As for upcoming developments to watch, Singh cites updates on a possible lawsuit from Novo Nordisk (which would be negative), new product launches in testosterone and menopause treatments (positive), and further M&A activity (also positive). 'From additional M&A point of view, a transaction giving the company entry into the employer/payor market will be transformational and has potential to change the narrative,' Singh further said. What to Do with HIMS Stock Now? Singh is sticking with a Hold (i.e., Neutral) rating, nudging his price target up from $45 to $48, which still suggests ~5% downside from where the stock is currently trading. (To watch Singh's track record, click here) And he's not alone in that cautious stance. The broader analyst community is mostly on the sidelines too, with 7 Holds, 2 Sells, and just 1 Buy – all coalescing to a Hold consensus rating. Based on the average price target of $41.78, the Street sees the stock pulling back by 17% over the next year. (See HIMS stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
‘Unfairly' criticized brunch staple actually isn't bad for your heart health: study
Here's something to get egg-cited about. A new study scrambles the long-held belief that eggs are bad for your heart, finding that eating a certain number daily might actually improve your cholesterol levels. But it's not all sunny side up. While one breakfast staple has been eggsonerated, researchers warn that another could spell serious trouble for your ticker. 3 Eggs might not be the real villain lurking on your breakfast plate. Pixel Stories/Stocksy – Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and healthy fats. But they've long been in the hot seat because they're naturally high in dietary cholesterol. For years, health officials and medical groups have recommended limiting egg consumption, concerned it could raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death in the US. But growing evidence suggests that risk might not be as significant as once believed. 'Eggs have long been unfairly cracked by outdated dietary advice,' Dr. Jon Buckley, a professor at the University of South Australia and lead researcher on the study, said in a statement. 'They're unique — high in cholesterol, yes, but low in saturated fat. Yet it's their cholesterol level that has often caused people to question their place in a healthy diet,' he continued. 3 Roughly 805,000 people in the US experience a heart attack each year, or about 1 in every 400 adults. Kannapat – To put it to the test, Buckley and his colleagues examined the independent effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on LDL cholesterol — the so-called 'bad' cholesterol that can build up in the arteries and raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. They found that eating two eggs a day, as part of a high-cholesterol but low–saturated fat diet, can actually reduce LDL levels and lower heart disease risk. Instead, real culprit behind elevated blood cholesterol was saturated fat. This primarily comes from animal sources, such as meat and dairy products, along with tropical oils like coconut and palm. 'You could say we've delivered hard-boiled evidence in defense of the humble egg,' Buckley said. 'So, when it comes to a cooked breakfast, it's not the eggs you need to worry about — it's the extra serve of bacon or the side of sausage that's more likely to impact your heart health.' 3 Processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs and ham often contain significant amounts of saturated fats. Nelea Reazanteva – Across the country, nearly 94 million American adults over the age of 20 have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, because high cholesterol typically comes without noticeable symptoms, many people don't know they have it until serious complications arise — such as a heart attack or stroke. To keep cholesterol levels in check, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends making key lifestyle changes, including limiting saturated fat to less than 6% of your total daily calories. For someone who eats about 2,000 calories a day, that means no more than 120 calories — or roughly 13 grams — should come from saturated fat. That limit is easy to exceed. Just one tablespoon of butter has about 7 grams of saturated fat, while two slices of bacon pack in roughly 4 grams. The AHA also advises cutting back on trans fats and increasing your intake of soluble fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and pectin-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. Beyond diet, the organization encourages regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking to help manage cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease.
