habits

Latest posts from Shannon's blog

Why Healthy Habits Are Overrated

This year I set myself an ambitious goal to be eating a completely whole-food diet by the end of the year. At a time when experts are increasingly concerned about the impact of junk food on our health, I wanted to see if was even possible to learn to cook everything from scratch while leading … Read full article »

I Set Myself A Health Goal And Actually Stuck To It. What Changed?

371 days ago things weren’t pretty. I was an anxious insomniac and I never felt as though there was enough time in the day. There were also some troubling signs that my illness, which causes arthritic chronic pain and fatigue when I let my stress get out of control, was going to flare. It’s ironic … Read full article »

Do Wellness Programs Work?

In my 37 years of living as a human being I’ve noticed a very distinct pattern which goes something like this: I throw myself into life with gusto and enthusiasm, be it with work or home life commitments A trigger wakes me up to the fact that I’m neglecting my health. For example, I’ve had … Read full article »

When Old Habits Die Hard: The Science of Being Healthy

A leading health researcher recently told me a provocative definition of the word “addiction.” He defined it as “continued use, despite adverse consequences.” In other words, you’re addicted to something if you keep doing it, despite the fact that it’s bad for you. If he’s right, then I may be in trouble. It means that, … Read full article »

5 Ways To Break Up With Your Phone

In the last five years, in my work as a health journalist, I estimate that I’ve read at least 2000 scientific studies. In all that time, with all that reading, there is one study that has left me utterly gobsmacked. The study involved more than 3000 people and looked at how they used their smartphones. … Read full article »

I Had Major Health Setback, Here Is How I Coped

As a health journalist who shares my story of recovery from a chronic disease in hope of encouraging others, it can be tempting to only share the highlights of my whole-health life, and to engage in the hashtag-driven, insta-world where wellness icons and lifestyle gurus post moment-by-moment mythology about their unblemished lives. And although I’d … Read full article »

In Conversation with Stuart Biddle PhD

I record all the audio for The Whole Health Life podcast from a desk that allows me to work standing up as well as sitting down. I do this because when I was writing my book last year, I learned that even doing the recommended amount of exercise each day may not be enough to counter-act … Read full article »

If-Then planning template

Your unthinking routines form the bedrock of what you do in everyday life. The more you repeat a behaviour with a consistent environmental cue, the more automatic the behaviour becomes. With repetition, the mental effort to initiate a new behaviour gets easier, and over time the action becomes second nature. A simple “if-then” planning technique … Read full article »

Recommended Apps

Below is a list of apps I have used and recommend.  Meditation Headpsace Calm Smiling Mind Emotions Tracking coming soon Fitness coming soon Habit Forming coming soon Read full article »

Reading List – Chapter 10: Lasting Change

The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the landmark Eight-Decade Study, Friedman and Martin For years we have been told to obsessively monitor when we’re angry, what we eat, how much we worry, and how often we go to the gym. So why isn’t everyone healthy? Drawing from the most extensive … Read full article »

The Science Behind Breaking Bad Habits

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon as I write this sentence. I’m feeling a little weary after spending my day delving into scientific papers. As I contemplate taking a short break away from my desk, I immediately feel an inner momentum pulling me towards the kitchen. I’m sure if a scientist had electrodes on my … Read full article »

Read This Before You Make A New Years Resolution

Where I live in Sydney, Australia there is a sense of franticness in the air. Traffic has come to a standstill as people add various silly season shenanigans to their already overloaded schedules in the extreme heat of the Australian summer. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy this time of year and I’m especially … Read full article »
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