I have managed to change a lot of things over the years, my body being one of them. It wasn’t easy, it took continuous hard work to change from being skin and bones to becoming more muscular. Sometimes I became frustrated and disheartened, but regardless I still pressed on. Now some people will say that it is down to motivation, drive and love for training. Yes this was a big part of changing my physique over the years but the biggest factor to help me get here was habit.
There has been numerous times where I couldn’t be bothered to go to the gym or eat healthily, in fact so many that I’ve lost count. Did this mean I didn’t go the times I couldn’t be bothered? No, I still went and trained or still went and cooked a healthy meal, of course not every time but a solid 9/10 times.
Too many people rely on motivation to get them to their goals, to go to the gym and to eat healthily but this just sets you up for failure. No one and I mean no one is always 100% motivated and raring to do things they have to do in order to achieve their goals. This is why social media can be as damaging as it is motivational. Only a handful of people will post their lows as well as their highs, the rest will only show you their highs. This leads you to question why you can’t or aren’t like them which leaves you feeling like a failure. You’re not, you’re just as normal as everyone else but you may not have the best habits set up in place……. YET!!!
Forming and relying on good habits is the only way to achieve your goals, without them you are only relying on motivation which as we know is not always there. Lets take your morning ritual for example I guarantee you do the same thing every morning without even realising. My routine is I wake up (after I snooze my alarm once, these cold mornings aren’t helpful), I finish off my glass of water I had through the night get dressed (into my dressing gown now it’s cold) and head down stairs for breakfast. I cook my breakfast and take my morning supplements, I sit down to eat whilst I post and browse on social media. Next I will write out my daily to do list, shower, brush my teeth and head to work. I do all of that without even thinking to do so and I’m sure you do yours the same.
Now what if I told you that you could eat healthy meals and go to the gym without trying to force yourself to do so? Im sure you would say that would be awesome but how? All you need to do is form the habit of doing so. Will it be easy? Hell no, will it be worth it? Most definitely. Its not easy to break old habits or form new ones you will have to put in the work to start, but a good habit is just as hard to break as a bad habit.
I’m sure you know someone who has tried to quit smoking (maybe you have) and you know how hard that person has tried but they still can’t. We all know that person doesn’t smoke because it taste’s or smells nice, its because its a habit that makes them feel good or destress. Sometimes they don't even know they're doing it as it's such a strong habit. They don’t have to rely on motivation to smoke it just happens and it’s hard to stop. Building a similar habit with eating healthily or going to the gym is the same once you make it a habit. You may say its down to how addictive nicotine is that they can’t stop, but so are the endorphins released when you finish a workout or reach a new goal.
So if you really want to make a continuous change to be healthier, fitter and stronger make it a habit. Start off by treating it like a habit and forcing yourself to do it then in time it will become slightly easier to stick to. Then before you know it it’s a habit you continuously do.
Remember only try to form one good habit or break one bad one at a time, trying to do more than one will be very difficult.
I challenge you to pick one habit from the list below and force yourself to stick with it for 40 days. Set a reminder on your phone for 40 days from now and don’t stop until you reach it.
Track and weigh everything you eat and drink. (use myfitnesspal)
Hit 2,000 more steps a day than you are now. If you cant track go for a extra 10 minute walk minimum (the equivalent to 3 songs, everyone has time for this)
Train with weights 3-4 times per week.
Drink 2 litres of water minimum per day.
Cut out unnecessary snacking, (think, are you just eating through habit and boredom or are you actually hungry)
Cut out full fat fizzy drinks.
Prep your lunches, don’t buy off the shelf.
Stretch for 10 minutes every morning.
Meditate for 10 minutes a day (use headspace app it has free tracks you can repeat)
Please message me when you pick one and tell me what it is, I'd love to hear about your progress and help you if you struggle.
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Thanks for reading :)