Get Back on Track: 3 Small Habits That Change Your Body, Energy, and Life

In this engaging conversation, Mel Robbins hosts Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, to explore the transformative science behind habits. They dive into how habits shape identity, influence success, and affect daily decisions—explaining that nearly half of daily actions are habitual. The discussion unfolds around three keystone habits proven to create ripple effects that improve body, energy, and life: exercise, morning routines, and habit tracking. Throughout, Duhigg explains the neurological and psychological foundations of habits, offering actionable insights on identifying cues, routines, and rewards to build powerful behavioral changes.

The Power of Habit and Identity

Charles Duhigg opens by emphasizing that habits define who we are. Aristotle's timeless insight, "We are what we repeatedly do," is brought into modern context: excellence is not an occasional act but the effect of ingrained habits. Equally, negative behaviors like procrastination or slacking are habits operating through the same brain mechanisms. The basal ganglia, a core brain structure shared by all animals, governs habit formation by encoding three parts: cue (the trigger), routine (the behavior), and reward (the benefit). This loop automates actions and conserves mental energy, showing why behavior often feels out of conscious control. When understood and manipulated, habits can be changed or created to shape the person one aspires to become.

Keystone Habit One: Exercise and Chain Reaction

Exercise is presented as the first pivotal habit that triggers widespread positive change. Duhigg highlights research by Oaten and Cheng showing that on days when individuals exercise, they also eat healthier, procrastinate less, spend less, and tackle chores earlier. Starting an exercise habit even modestly reshapes self-identity—someone who runs or moves regularly begins to see themselves as disciplined and capable. This identity shift leads to improved decisions across unrelated domains. Exercise releases neurotransmitters enhancing mood and motivation, reinforcing the habit loop neurologically.

Building this habit hinges on establishing clear cues, such as placing workout clothes by the bed, scheduling a time, and incorporating social accountability like meeting a friend. Most importantly, rewarding oneself immediately and genuinely—e.g., savoring a smoothie or enjoying a relaxing shower—increases habit persistence. Tugging away from vague intentions ("I'll exercise tomorrow") toward cold mind planning, where every detail is preset, removes friction and energy depletion that occur when making decisions under stress or fatigue. Duhigg underscores how habits are energy-saving patterns; automating exercise frees mental bandwidth for other productive activities.

Keystone Habit Two: Morning Routines for Intentionality

The second keystone habit shifts focus from physical activity to a mental and emotional framework: creating a morning routine. A morning ritual influences the tone of the entire day by fostering anticipation of positive events, promoting relaxation, and generating connection to others or oneself. Duhigg summarizes this with the acronym ARC—Anticipation, Relaxation, Connection—which guides the design of effective morning habits.

Examples include making the bed intentionally, which instills a sense of order and accomplishment; meditation, journaling, or prayer that invite calm and presence; and brief social interactions, whether with family, pets, or friends. These rituals are more than checkboxes—they serve as moments of mindfulness and deliberate intention, helping people approach their day proactively instead of reacting to chaos and distractions. Those who have stable morning routines demonstrate improved focus and resilience in the face of daily challenges.

Duhigg stresses the importance of savoring rewards here, too, even if subtle—appreciating a neatly made bed, a satisfying cup of tea, or a moment of calm. This emotional reinforcement solidifies the routine. Planning is again crucial; waking up early enough to perform the ritual prevents rushed, stress-fueled mornings. The morning ARC habit sets the stage not only for productivity but also emotional and social well-being.

Keystone Habit Three: Tracking for Awareness and Intentional Change

The third habit focuses on the power of tracking behaviors to maintain awareness and reinforce intentionality. Duhigg explains that much of daily life operates on autopilot, which frees mental energy but risks detachment from purpose and goals. By tracking a specific behavior—whether water intake, spending, eating, bedtimes, or exercise—individuals create regular, brief moments of self-reflection that counteract autopilot.

Tracking works by highlighting invisible patterns and reminding us why a habit matters. For instance, writing down food intake or water consumption exposes unhealthy tendencies or failures to meet goals, encouraging adjustments. Those trying to lose weight achieve better results when they record meals, as this reinforcement keeps their mission salient. Tracking does not need to be exhaustive; simple, manageable check-ins suffice to strengthen self-discipline.

Duhigg and Robbins also explore how tracking can aid in replacing unwanted habits. Identifying the cue behind a behavior, such as boredom leading to late-night snacking, allows substitution of a more positive routine (e.g., calling a friend) while preserving the same reward of distraction or relief. This "golden rule" to habit change—don't extinguish the habit but redirect it—empowers individuals to regain control with minimal resistance. The tracking habit, therefore, becomes a keystone habit in itself by creating ongoing mindfulness and enabling continuous improvement.

Mental Habits and Self-Compassion

Toward the end, Duhigg brings attention to mental habits—automatic thought patterns that govern emotional well-being. Negative spirals like self-criticism or rumination are just as habitual as physical behaviors and can be interrupted intentionally by introducing positive mental loops. For example, when overwhelmed with guilt, consciously recalling accomplishments and savoring those thoughts reprograms the brain's reward pathways toward self-kindness.

Recognizing mental habits as fluid and subject to the same cue-routine-reward mechanisms encourages compassion and personal growth. This insight elevates the conversation beyond physical habits to the daily mental practices that define happiness and resilience.

The Habit Loop: Cue, Routine, Reward

Throughout the discussion, the fundamental architecture of habits—the habit loop—is central. Identifying a stable cue (time, place, emotional state, or social trigger), defining the precise routine (actual behavior), and creating meaningful rewards form the science-backed process for crafting enduring habits. Duhigg illustrates this with accessible examples ranging from training a dog to get it to potty, to planning workouts or reorganizing a morning schedule. The loop's neurological basis is explained as increased connectivity in the basal ganglia, enabling muscle memory-like automaticity and freeing cognitive resources.

Taking the time to consciously design each element and deliberately enjoy the reward builds habits that last, while avoiding common pitfalls such as vague intentions, absence of reward, or ill-defined cues. The cold mind/hot mind concept highlights the importance of upfront planning when cognitive capacity is high to enable follow-through during moments of low motivation.

Empowerment through Habit Change

Duhigg's core message is one of empowerment: anyone can reshape who they are by changing their habits. Talent and willpower are secondary to habitual behavior, which is accessible and malleable. The three keystone habits—exercise, morning routines, and tracking—are entry points that unleash a cascade of improvements, spanning physical health, energy, productivity, emotional well-being, and financial discipline.

The conversation ends with encouragement to embrace habit change compassionately, using science as a toolkit rather than relying on motivation alone. By learning to identify cues, plan routines, and savor rewards, anyone can build a life aligned with their aspirations.