Healthy Habit Stacking for Diabetes Prevention | Ask the Expert Video Series

Habit stacking is a simple strategy that can make healthy lifestyle changes feel more manageable—and easier to maintain over time.

In this Ask the Experts session, health and wellness coach Jenny Peña, NBC-HWC, CIHC, explains how habit stacking can support diabetes prevention, blood glucose management, and sustainable behavior change. By connecting a new habit to something you already do consistently, you can reduce the mental effort it takes to build healthier routines.

What You’ll Learn

• How habits form: Learn about the cue-routine-reward loop and how the brain reinforces repeated behaviors.
• What habit stacking means: Discover how to “anchor” a new behavior to an existing routine so it becomes easier to remember and repeat.
• How to create SMART goals: Turn broad intentions like “exercise more” or “eat healthier” into goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
• Practical habit stacking examples: Explore small changes related to nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and diabetes prevention.
• How to handle setbacks: Learn why an off day is useful information—not failure—and how to adjust your approach when a habit isn’t working.
• Why starting small matters: Instead of changing everything at once, choose one realistic habit and pair it with a routine that is already part of your day.

The key is to start with one small action and repeat it consistently. Over time, those small habits can build into meaningful, sustainable lifestyle changes.

Ready to Put Habit Stacking Into Practice?

Download our free Habit Stacking Tip Sheet below for an easy-to-use framework, practical examples, and prompts to help you choose your anchor habit and build a routine that works for you.