Want Healthier Habits? Science Can Help.

The Abbott Edge newsletter has the latest news on life-changing health technology and innovations, and tips for living a full life. This month, we offer a fresh way to look at one of the toughest things to do in everyday life: creating a new health routine — and one that lasts, at that.  

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LET'S DIVE IN

The new year often inspires new goals — many of them health-related: walk 10,000 steps per day, eat fruits or vegetables with every meal, get more quality sleep. You may be off to a strong start this January, but how do you ensure those new resolutions last for the long term? 

Discover: the science of healthy habits, a psychology-backed way to make healthy habits stick. Consider SMART goals and habit stacking. Plus, insights and data can help you better understand what’s going on inside your body and develop healthier habits. 

To help you stay connected to your health and your new year’s goals, explore our next-gen diagnostics tests, biowearables and more here. We kicked off the year sharing these health-tech innovations at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The main theme? Health tech can give you more — not just information, but the power to take action. 

When it comes to your health, change doesn’t have to be as complex as you might think. Kickstart your year with our guide to making it all happen. How are you going to get and stay healthy this year? 

HEALTH TECH PULSE

Numbers and data to know in the world of Abbott and health tech. 

• In a U.S. study of 12,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes, 52 percent said they perceived social stigma from others because of their diabetes. In turn, diabetes stigma can impair diabetes management, such that, for example, someone might avoid doctors' appointments. Nathan Zenero, who uses Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, is sharing his story on how our technology helped him get out from under the weight of diabetes stigma. 

• Water makes up nearly 60 percent of our bodies. It’s no wonder why adequate hydration is key to feeling and performing at your best. But if you’re tired of plain-old regular water, prefer bubbles or want to find a healthy alternative to soda, you’ll be relieved to know that sparkling water is just as hydrating as regular. 

• Nearly 20,000 people donated blood as part of “The We Give Blood Drive,” a Big Ten conference-wide competition to inspire a new generation of donors. This effort helped to save as many as 60,000 lives. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln inspired the most blood donations of any school in the Big Ten in the inaugural competition. The real winners, of course, are the people whose lives depended on it, like Genevieve Wright, who is here today because of the generosity of blood donors. Read Genevieve’s story. 

HACK YOUR HEALTH

Tips to help you live your life fully.

The key to forming new healthy habits that last is to be specific and clear about your goals. It’s been shown that people are more successful in sticking to their goals when there’s a specific plan in place. 

For example, if you want to get more steps in, tell yourself: “I will take a 15-minute walk every day during my lunch break.” You’ll find more success than just saying: “I will go on more walks.” 

Now let’s put those health goals into action. Enter: Habit stacking, a method that helps new habits stick because it takes advantage of the connectedness of human behavior. The concept was developed by BJ Fogg in his book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, and a term coined by S.J. Scott in his book Habit Stacking.  

Here’s how you do it: 

1. Take a habit you already have. 
2. Think of a new habit you want to start. 
3. Pair the habits together, repeatedly. 
4. Eventually the new habit will become a natural part of your routine. 

Try this formula, which is specific and time-bound, to start habit stacking: 

After I [habit you already have], I will [new habit]. 

There’s more to it, of course (self-discipline, accountability — all of that good stuff). But habit stacking helps you reach your goal by using the natural momentum of human behavior to your advantage. 

Want real-life examples of habit stacking? Find them here. 

YOUR HEALTH HACK 

What new healthy habit are you developing this year? Share it in the comments! 

DO YOU KNOW?

Test your knowledge with this question.

Which of the following foods may cause your glucose to spike? 

1. Bagels 
2. Bananas 
3. Rice 
4. All of the above 

Click here for the answer.