“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
-John Dryden
“Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”
-Confucius
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
-Aristotle
The message is clear: the habits you adopt will shape who you are.
So, what are your habits…?
Do you eat the same thing for lunch?
Do the same cardio routine?
Go to sleep at the same time every night?
Or maybe you’ve made a habit out of eating something sweet before bed, avoiding the gym altogether, and staying up as late as possible.
When it comes to your fitness, the two habits that define you are:
your EATING and your EXERCISE habits.
In fact, everyone that you know who is in great shape has dialed in these two important habits.
Here’s how to adopt a habit:
1) Decide on the ONE habit that you would like to develop. (Start with ONE.)
Here are some examples:
- Do not eat after 7pm each night.
- Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
- Do 3 bootcamp classes per week and a SOLE SISTERS workout on Saturday mornings.
- Only eat fruits and veggies as your afternoon snack.
- Get up early and stretch for an hour each morning.
2) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you’ll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.
Here’s an example:
- My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my skinny jeans.
- The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse’s support.
- I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.
3) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on social media, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you’ll be embarrassed to give up on your new habit.
4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully exercise your new habit.
Once your new habit becomes second nature, usually in about 30 days, feel free to add a second habit by going through the same steps.
