1. Don’t expect a new habit so quickly:
It seems that there’s always a random number of days thrown around when referencing how long it takes to form a new habit. According to a 2009 study, it very well can be a random number. It took participants anywhere from 18 to 254 days to make a new habit stick! Sheesh that’s a big range. The average amount of time it took to incorporate a new habit was 66 days. No matter where you fall in this range, give yourself patience and time to adapt. Expecting change in 1-2 weeks may not be feasible. Whether your goal is to incorporating exercise multiple days per week, or replace sodas with water, give yourself time to adapt and change
2. Prioritize your health in your schedule:
I know you are extremely busy with work and the many other aspects of your personal life. When trying to juggle work, family life and daily responsibilities, it can be hard to find time for yourself and your health. We know that things pop up throughout the day that are urgent and take priority. By framing our mindset and anticipating these hurdles, we can strategize to make sure that these situations don’t interfere with our quest for better health. One way to prioritize your workout is to mark it as the FIRST item on your calendar. By scheduling your workout routine FIRST thing in the morning, you beat the rest of the world to your schedule, which helps to avoid any of those hurdles that you anticipated. Don’t forget, scheduling your workout first means you may have to make adjustments elsewhere, set a specific time to go to bed and make sure that you are properly fueled prior to your morning workout.
3. Be resilient:
The beginning stages of extrinsic motivation can be very exciting, you’ve established a goal, you’ve created a game plan, you are moving forward into a new world and to a new you. You are unstoppable! Fast forward two weeks, and the zeal for this new behavior may have diminished, or worn off. This is where you have the opportunity to truly grow and to gear up for a lifestyle change! There are countless obstacles that can, and will, come between you and your goal. It’s reality, it’s life, things will happen. The true test is how you respond to these things, in other words, are you resilient? Don’t let missing a workout, finding yourself unprepared for a healthy lunch or any other misstep that happens cause you to give up. Choose to see this as an opportunity to improve and respond accordingly. Don’t forget, being healthy is a lifestyle, it’s not a 6-week challenge.