Why Habits Matter: Sustainable Changes To Help You Reach 100

Anyone who’s ever struggled to stick to a diet or to go to the gym three times a week knows how difficult it can be to build a new habit. But both science and common sense tell us that lifestyle changes can be the difference between suffering from serious health problems and enjoying our later years. That’s probably why we keep trying, despite our often dismal results.

Healthy Habits to Reach 100

When you don’t understand how habits work, creating and sustaining new ones can seem nearly impossible. And when you fail, you probably criticize yourself for being lazy or not having enough discipline. But once you learn the tricks of the trade, you can stop blaming yourself and start taking action.

As Adrian Gore, founder and chief executive of the Discovery Group said;

“Healthy habits can profoundly extend the quality and length of life.”

He bases that statement on a 10-year analysis of health habits performed by Discovery’s Vitality Group International, in partnership with the London School of Economics. 

Discovery published the results of that analysis in 2024, which is based on data from over one million Vitality members in South Africa and the UK. Describing the project as “a comprehensive analysis of how people form and break habits for better health”, it shares the findings in a detailed white paper and a report covering the major points. While some statistics are shocking, the results are quite positive. 

The importance of exercise

One of the most important takeaways is that it’s never too late to improve your health and extend your life. Even simple changes, sustained over time, can have a significant effect on longevity. That’s especially true in our later years. According to the report, “People aged 65+ who formed and sustained a habit of doing physical activity three or more times a week, for three years saw a 52% reduction in their mortality risk.” 

The authors of the report identify four lifestyle behaviors accounting for an estimated 70% of deaths worldwide:

• Physical inactivity;
• Poor diet;
• Excess alcohol; and
• Smoking.

They also point out that 30% of the global population is inactive, and 1.5 billion people are predicted to be obese by 2035. The numbers are staggering, and our healthcare systems are struggling to cope. 

The obvious solution is to change our habits. But if you’ve ever tried to get up half an hour earlier to meditate, you know that making lasting lifestyle changes can be a challenge. 

Meaningful goals

Before you decide which habit to work on, you need to make sure you’re working towards the right goal. That means identifying the benefits that you care about. If your doctor tells you to lose weight, think about how that could improve your life. Sure, you may lower your risk of lifestyle diseases, but does that give you a sense of urgency or something to look forward to? You need something that matters to you now.

Build atomic habits

If heart disease runs in your family, you may want to lower that risk. If you don’t like the way you look in the mirror, seeing a thinner version of yourself might feel good. If you’re feeling tired, having more energy for your favorite activities could be the incentive you need. 

According to James Clear, author of the best-seller Atomic Habits, behavior change consists of three layers: outcome, process, and identity. The outcome is the result you want. The process is the habits you engage in to get it. Identity is about how you see yourself and the world, and what you believe. Clear believes that real change begins at this level.

Once you’ve set your goal, Clear suggests asking yourself,

“Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”

If you want to lose weight so you’ll have more energy, what type of person can achieve that? If your answer is “Someone active!”, you can start with physical activity. If you think eating right is more important, begin there.

This is how you prove to yourself that you are (or are becoming) this kind of person. Says Clear: “You can’t rely on being motivated. You have to become the type of person you want to be, and that starts with proving your new identity to yourself.”

How habits work

Before we look at the best way to make changes, we need to understand how habits are formed. We lay the foundation for a habit by acting. Often this is a conscious process, but it doesn’t have to be. When we repeat the action over time, possibly adding supporting actions, it becomes a behavior. With enough repetition, that behavior becomes automatic. Now it’s a habit.

This is the process for all habits, regardless of their nature. Habits range from strong to weak, and good to bad. For example, the Vitality team classified exercising three or more times a week with high consistency as a strong habit. The same exercise performed inconsistently was considered a weak good habit. Consistently failing to exercise at least twice a week was classified as a strong bad habit. 

As you can see, consistency is the key to habit strength. This is important because strong habits last much longer than weak ones. Despite the extreme disruption caused by COVID-19, many Vitality members maintained or even improved their habits, with only a 24% decline in good habits. The type of habit, however, made all the difference. 69% of strong good habits were maintained, while the same could be said of only 33% of the weak good habits. 

Creating sustainable habits

According to the data collected, most Vitality members took between seven and 15 weeks to form a strong habit from scratch, with the majority requiring nine to 10 weeks. That’s over two months, which is longer than many people will persevere. Fortunately, the Vitality report includes a simple process that makes it easier to sustain habits.

The foundation of this process is something the authors call “habits laddering”. It consists of three steps:

1. Set a target: Your goal should be achievable based on where you are now. For example, someone who’s not physically active might struggle with a goal of 10,000 steps five days a week. 2,500 steps three times a week would be a more realistic place to start. If you’re upgrading your diet, you might start by eating more vegetables or cutting back on sweets on certain days of the week.
2. Start small: Choose an activity that’s easy and practical, and do it consistently (maybe three times a week). When you’re ready, increase the frequency, but not the intensity. If you’ve been eating a healthy lunch and going for a walk three days a week, add another day. For the first six to eight weeks, focus on consistency, and slowly increase the frequency. 
3. Repeat, then intensify: When you’re ready, gradually increase the intensity of your activity. That could mean walking faster, further, or both. If you’re counting steps, don’t increase your daily average by more than 800 steps per week. If you’re eating a healthier lunch, this could be the time to eat that way more often or find even healthier options.

The key is to start small. Too much intensity too soon makes us more likely to give up. The data shows that Vitality members who formed the habit of walking 5,000 steps three times a week maintained that habit 50% longer than those who started exercising with high-intensity workouts. The results also demonstrate that maintaining a small amount of physical activity has lasting health impacts, regardless of age, risk factors, and health status.

The problem with 10,000 steps

While the Vitality study involved both nutrition and physical activity, some of the most interesting data relate to walking. 

Many people who want to get fit aim for 10,000 steps a day. It’s the magic number we’re all familiar with, presumably determined by experts after years of research. But that number didn’t come from science. Its origins lie in a Japanese device called a manpo-kei, which translates to “10 000-step meter”. So, 10,000 is just a number made up by someone to sell a pedometer!

In search of a more useful target, Vitality studied data from over 600,000 members who recorded their steps between 2017 and 2019.

As you’d expect, increasing the number of steps decreased mortalities. They found that the sweet spot was between 7,500 and 8,000 average daily steps. After that, increases yielded only marginal returns. When they looked at members aged 65 and older, that number decreased to 6,400. 

Of course, mortality rates are only part of the picture. Regardless of how long we live, we all want to be healthy enough to enjoy life. So, what does the data say? South African Vitality members aged 45 to 65 who went from being unengaged to achieving 10,000 steps three times a week over three years saw a 41% reduction in Type 2 diabetes risk and a 36% reduction in their risk of Stage 4 cancer. Those who took 10,000 steps five times a week for two years decreased their Type 2 diabetes risk by an impressive 57%. 

Where to start?

If counting steps doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry – there are plenty of healthy habits to choose from. You can increase your physical activity by taking the stairs, walking your dog, gardening, going for a swim or a bike ride, working out with a friend, or anything else that gets you moving. There are also plenty of ways to eat better, reduce your stress, and improve your sleep. The important thing is to start somewhere, with something that feels manageable and right for you.

Editor’s note

This article was first published exclusively in one of our annual Longevity print bookazine editions, available in digital format for download. This edition is packed with content themed on Living Beyond 100.

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