Why Is Sticking To A Healthy Lifestyle So Hard?

A long, vibrant life. It’s everyone’s dream.

We all want to live long enough to enjoy as much time doing the things we love, surrounded by the people who matter most.

A healthy lifestyle gives us the best shot at making that dream a reality.

And we know what it takes to be healthy (or at least the basics—eat well, sleep enough, move regularly, manage stress).

So why is it that despite knowing what we need to do, we often don’t do it? Why is living healthily so much easier said than done?

Well, the truth is, making healthy lifestyle choices is hard.

• Cooking your own meals takes more time and effort than ordering takeout.

• Going to bed early to get enough sleep requires more discipline than staying up late binge-watching.

• Starting an exercise routine and having to deal with soreness can be uncomfortable.

Choosing what’s beneficial for your health doesn’t occur naturally to most of us.

It’s something that happens by design, not by default.

Why making healthy choices can be difficult

First, unlearning an unhealthy habit requires way more effort than we often realize.

When you try to adopt a new habit, you’re essentially asking your brain to rewire itself—to learn a new way of doing things.

This process can be challenging and uncomfortable, and your brain will naturally resist, pulling you back to the familiar, easier patterns.

So, when you dive headfirst into a new habit with no plan but your sheer willpower, you’re often unprepared for the effort it takes.

And the moment the resistance kicks in, it becomes very easy to retreat to your old habits.

Secondly, healthy habits often lack the instant rewards that unhealthy ones deliver so effortlessly:

• Binge-watching late into the night feels more rewarding than the promise of waking up refreshed after a good night’s sleep.

• The instant satisfaction of eating a whole chocolate bar often feels more significant than the distant benefit of maintaining a healthy weight.

• Skipping a workout to lounge and scroll on your phone feels great in the moment than the possibility of having a fitter body some time in the future.

Our brains are naturally wired to favor rewards that are immediate over those that are delayed.

This phenomenon, known as temporal discounting, means we perceive the value of future benefits as lower than the value of present rewards.

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle, like reduced disease risk, better mental health, or an increased lifespan can take weeks, months, or even years to manifest.

The result? We’re less motivated to prioritize those distant rewards.

This creates a paradox: the short-term pleasures we choose often come with harmful long-term consequences.

Chronic sleep deprivation leaves you constantly tired, and a poor diet deprives your body of essential nutrients, increasing the risk of disease.

On the flip side, healthy choices may require effort in the short term, but they come with profound, lasting benefits.

And that’s what makes them worth the effort.

How to make it easier

Our brains are really good at two things: seeking out pleasure and avoiding discomfort.

Unfortunately, the effort it takes to build a healthy lifestyle coupled with the fact that its benefits often feel distant and abstract makes healthy living less motivating.

But here’s the good news: you can use your brain’s preference for short-term rewards to your advantage.

Instead of relying solely on your willpower to resist immediate gratification, you can make the long-term benefits of healthy living more appealing and accessible in the present.

Here’s how:

1. Add small, instant rewards

Pair a healthy habit (long-term benefit) with something that brings you immediate joy (instant reward). For instance:

• Listen to your favorite playlist, podcast, or audiobook while exercising.

• Watch your favorite show while cooking a nutritious meal.

The key is to ensure that the reward occurs during or immediately after the habit.

Over time, your brain starts to associate the habit with the reward, making the habit more enjoyable and easier to stick to.

2. Focus on immediate benefits

While the long-term rewards of healthy living are great, pay close attention to the immediate benefits too:

• Yes, exercise will help you attain your ideal weight, but it also gives you an instant boost in mood and energy.

• Sure, a good night’s sleep strengthens your immunity, but it also improves your focus and productivity the very next day.

Reframing healthy habits to highlight their short-term benefits can make them feel more rewarding in the moment.

3. Have smaller goals

Big, long-term goals can feel overwhelming and demotivating.

Breaking down long-term health goals into smaller milestones provides more frequent rewards:

• Instead of aiming to lose 20 Kg, start with a goal of losing 2 Kg this month.

• Instead of committing to an hour of exercise daily, start with 10 minutes.

Achieving these smaller goals provides regular wins that boost your confidence and keep you motivated.

By working with your brain’s natural tendencies to seek reward and avoid discomfort, you can make healthy choices feel more achievable, enjoyable, and sustainable.

Pick one of these strategies, apply it to a habit you’re working on, and see whether it’ll make a difference.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found something valuable :)

To get more actionable tips like these, consider joining other health-curious friends like you by signing up below.