How to Create Habits

Welcome to Habits

On the latest update of the Vida app, you might notice some changes in your experiences with weekly health goals. When clicking on the Now Tab you will see a list of Habits. Look familiar?   

 

What are Habits?

What is a habit? Well, these are the routines we adopt in our everyday lives, which consist of our previous behaviors, responses, or motivations we can act upon unknowingly.  Habits are established through a history of repetition, moving towards a cued response in an individual's environment; thus, ultimately becoming autonomous for an individual  (Orbell & Verplanken, "The Strength of Habit", 2015). This behavior could be something as small as choosing a candy bar for your afternoon snack instead of an apple. So, how do we create healthy routines? How do we walk past the vending machine during our break, and find fresh produce when we have such limited time?  This is something you and your coach will try to work on together.

 

What are Habits in Vida?

These are the weekly goals that you and your coach set each time you have a consultation. Previously, these could be found in your wellness plan, but now we've made them front and center!

In addition to the increased visibility of your goals, each day that you've planned to engage in a habit, it will appear in the Now tab.

You can also set your own habits outside of your consultations with your coach. You and your coach can set reminders for your habits as well. These reminders can go out often as you'd like.

NOTE- Please remember to turn on your notifications in order to receive them.

Each habit will now be able to be tracked. Whenever you complete a habit for the day, check it off, and your coach can watch your progress.

 

How do I create Habits? 

Start by opening the Now Tab. There will be 2 sections. The 1st box labeled What's Next, will contain all of your actions ranging from messaging your coach to logging your food. The 2nd box labeled Today's Habits, will contain all of your personalized habits for that day. 

 

     

 

Start by tapping Add a Habit located towards the bottom of the screen.

 

      

 

You will be directed to a new screen. This is the Habits window. Here, you can create new habits, add recommended habits, or edit the ones you've already created.

 

 

Recommended Habits 

Recommended habits are automatically generated, and are really just examples for you to start with. They are populated based on the program you're currently in or suggested behaviors you might want to work on.

You can also toggle between the recommended habits by pressing the < & > icons.

 

     

 

 

If you want to add a recommended Habit, simply press the bar at the bottom of the screen which states, Add this Habit. You will see this appear on your Now Tab.

 

 

 

Editing Recommended Habits

If you want to add a recommended habit, but wish to edit the time, for example, start by selecting Edit in the bottom right-hand corner of the recommended habit card.

 

     

 

Here, you can edit the following fields: When I will do it, What will I do, Remind me at, and On these days.

 

If you'd like to edit when you do this action, simply tap When will I do it. A list of options ranging from Before bed, to When I'm stressed, to When I'm thirsty. Just swipe up to scroll through the list.

 

 

You can also search for actions by using the search bar located at the top of the screen.

 

 

 

Select Done when you have fully entered in when you will do this action, and you will be redirected back to the Habit card.

 

 

Now select What will I do. Here, you can define what action you want to work on. You can pick any answer from playing tennis, adding vegetables to your meal, go to the gym. You can also search for actions by using the search bar located at the top of the screen. When you've found your action, please press Done located at the bottom of the screen.

 

    

 

Next, you can select the Time and Days of the Week you wish to be reminded about this Habit under the section Remind Me At.

If you want to change the Time of day you wish to be reminded at tap next to the time slot. Then scroll to the specific time you want to be reminded, and press Done.

 

     

 

You can also Turn Off the reminder by swiping left on the Circle Icon located on the right-hand side of the Time.

 

    

 

You can also change what days of the week you wish to be reminded on by tapping on any of the days, or you can leave all 7 days of the week. The top of the habit will change based on the days of the week you select.

Please note: If you are attempting to set the same habit to repeat multiple times of day, at this time, this is not a feature we have implemented yet.

You will need to create 2 habits with different reminder times in order to have the same habit appear multiple times a day.

 

    

 

Once you have edited this habit, please press Save located at the bottom of the screen. You will see your new Habit card displayed on the Now Tab.

 

 

 

How to Create a New Habit

Don't like any of the recommended habits you see? Don't worry, you can create your own. Start by tapping the Add a Habit card located on your Now Tab. You will be directed to the habit card creation section, and then tap + Create Your Own Habit located at the bottom of the screen.

 

    

 

The next screen will ask you What Habit Do You Want to Create? Well, what habit do you want to create? This could be something you and your coach have discussed or could be something as simple as reminding yourself to lock the door before you leave your apartment. Whatever it might be, enter it here!

 

Start by typing in your habit in the Search bar located next to the spyglass. Recommended habits will appear, but you can type in your own if you don't see one you like. Once you've completed your entry, select Done located at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

 

    

 

You will then be asked When will you do your habit? When do you expect to complete your habit? After work, at the grocery store? This is something you and your coach should have discussed previously, or it can be something you wish to create on your own. Once you've completed this, press Done.

 

    

 

You will then be directed to the next screen asking you How Often will you Complete this Habit? Just tap any of the days of the week you wish to be reminded about this Habit. Once you're done, press Looks Good located at the bottom of the screen.

 

    

 

The next screen will ask if you Want to be Reminded about new your habit at a specific time? You can also change the Time of day you wish to be reminded at tap next to the time slot. Then scroll to the specific time you want to be reminded, and press Done.

 

 

    

 

You can also toggle off the reminder if you like by swiping left on the circle icon located next to the Time. Once you're done, please press Got It located at the bottom of the screen.

 

 

You should see your new Habit Card located on your Now Tab.

 

 

 

Marking Off Your Habits

Once you've added a few habits to your Now Tab, you will begin to mark them off as you complete them. This lets your coach know how you have been working on maintaining your healthy habits, and lets them see the progress you've made towards your wellness goals. 

 

 

Every incomplete habit will appear at the start of the wheel on your Now Tab. You can toggle back and forth to mark the habits as completed by pressing the + icon on each of the Habit cards. After marking them off the habit card will let you know what your streak is.

 

    

 

If you'd like to see what your Streak is for particular Habits tap into the completed habit, and you can see what your completion rate is. This will display how frequently you might have completed this habit throughout the week. The more you complete your habits, and mark them off, the higher the Streak Number will go!

 

 

Can I unmark my habits?

At this time, no this functionality does not exist. Please reach out to Support@vida.com to have this cleared from your account. 

 

Adding an Action to Help Motivate You!

If you might need a little Push to help motivate you on your wellness goals, you can add further actions to help develop healthier routines. Your coach will also attach personalized, supporting actions to each of individual habit. Actions are intended to help you succeed in developing this new habit by providing the necessary resources and tips.

Click into the completed habit you wish to work on, and tap + Add Action located at the bottom of the screen.

 

     

 

You will be asked to enter in a specific action to help you with your habit. You can type in anything you think might help push you along within your wellness journey. Once you're done press Add located at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

 

     

 

You will then see your newly created Action added to your Habit. 

 

     

 

To view your habits, go to the Now tab and click on the settings wheel located in the top right corner. Then click on My Habits to view your habits.

 

        

 

Congrats!

You should be an expert with creating habits! In case you do need further assistance, or have any issues please contact our support staff at Support@Vida.com 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Orbell, S., & Verplanken, B. (2015). The Strength of Babit. Health Psychology Review,9(3), 311-317. doi:10.1080/17437199.2014.992031