The Psychology of Building Habits with Dr. Heather McKee

Today on Better! we’re joined by Dr. Heather McKee, the UK’s leading lifestyle behaviour change specialist, keynote speaker and founder of drheathermckee.co.uk Heather’s mission is to offer a sustainable, evidence-based alternative to an industry saturated with quick fixes and health fads. We talk about changing your behaviours to achieve your goals, building habits using “Skillpower” instead of willpower, and the importance of flexible habits. Dr. McKee takes us on a deep dive through the ins & outs of behaviour change, and how to use science to tackle your goals. This conversation is a true masterclass on habits and goals, and you’ll leave feeling excited to take on your New Year’s Resolutions…whatever they may be!Episode Overview:0:00 - Intro8:45 - What is a behaviour change specialist?15:14 - The challenge with achieving “outcome” goals19:30 - Creating intrinsic goals23:04 - Why motivation doesn’t work & how to stop relying on it27:00 - Debunking the 21 day habit myth30:14 - How long it actually takes to build a habit & how to do it33:23 - A word from our sponsors38:17 - Setting flexible habits47:00 - Dealing with temptation and competing motivations56:55 - Using “skillpower” instead of willpower1:03:36 - The COM-B model of behaviour change1:07:18 - Using a temptation tracker to understand your bad habits1:10:30 - Building your environment to support your habits1:15:13 - Why change happens when we feel good1:24:30 - Outro Sign up for my FREE MASTERCLASS: HEALTHY OFFERS - for health practitioners looking for strategies to earn more moneyAre you A Healthcare Practitioner? Join The Estima Certification Program Here We’d like to thank our sponsors:Orion Red Light Therapy - Use the code STEPHANIE10 for 10% off  https://www.orionrlt.ca/?ref=StephanieAthletic Greens - redeem an exclusive offer here: athleticgreens.com/stephanieLMNT Electrolytes - A FREE 7-flavor sample pack! - https://www.drinklmnt.com/DrEstimaBIOOPTIMIZERS - receive 10% off your order with Promo Code "ESTIMA" - www.biooptimizers.com/drstephanie Follow Me On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.stephanie.estimaGet yourself a copy of my best-selling book, The Betty Body - https://bettybodybook.comJoin the Hello Betty Community here - https://hellobetty.club Links for This Episode:Heather’s Links:http://drheathermckee.co.uk/https://www.bitesizedhabits.co/Meme from Dr. Stephanie: https://img.ifunny.co/images/c0bf676695ff4b232bfe3dc26e9c5bc1ba6a75ffe4ff4d585d9cf2f6d2411042_1.jpg ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.