The habit loop is triggered by a Cue that starts you on a particular Routine which ends with a Reward that could be real or emotional. Such a loop, Cue – Routine – Reward, becomes more and more automatic. The Cue and Reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges. Eventually a habit is born.

Cues can be almost anything, from a visual trigger such as a candy bar, or a TV ad, to a certain place, or a time of day, an emotion, a sequence of thoughts or the company of particular people. Routines can be incredibly complex or fantastically simple (some habits, such as those related to emotions are measured in milliseconds). Rewards can range from food or drugs that cause physical sensations, to emotional payoffs, such as the feelings of pride that accompany praise or self congratulation. Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or can be deliberately shaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realize – they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them to the exclusion of all else, including common sense. Habits emerge without our permission. What happens is that a series of cues and rewards influence our behaviour, even without our realizing it and before we know it, we are in the habit loop.

However, as many habits are delicate, even small shifts can end the pattern. But for that we need to recognize these habits loops and learn to observe the cues and rewards, and replace them with new cues or rewards as may be necessary and change the routines.
Habits are also powerful because they are triggered by cues and are routinely executed to meet the neurological cravings for the reward.

People habitually exercise because of a specific reward they crave, because it makes them feel good, or give them a sense of accomplishment, and that self reward is enough to make the physical activity into a habit.

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