This weeks question was inspired by @LizziesHome who asked this after I posted about my morning run…
"Gosh I wish my resolve was that strong. What time do you do your run? I’m trying to make myself into a morning person, LOL"
I love when I get comments like Lizzies because at one time I thought "my resolve wasn’t that strong" either…
While in my yo-yo dieting cycle of hell era I would routinely make declarations about tomorrow being "the day". You know, THE DAY….
The day I would stop eating ALL junk.
The day I wouldn’t snack after dinner.
The day I wouldn’t eat any more carbs, ever.
The day I would start my 5AM workouts.
The day I would start eating perfectly and exercising perfectly for the REST OF MY LIFE.
After I enjoyed my last meal (5 slices of meat lovers extra cheese stuffed crust pizza) I would work myself up into such a level of excitement that I really thought "tomorrow" would solve all my problems. I’ll give you 3 guesses as to what happened the very next day.
No, no, I didn’t live perfectly and then start a career as a Victoria Secret model.
No, I didn’t drop 50lbs over night and feel confident in a bathing suit, not even CLOSE!
Ah, sorry, No I didn’t even wake up ready to start the rest of my perfect life.
Nope, ladies and gentleman, my alarm would go off at 5AM for my very first workout of my very first perfect day and I’d hit the snooze button a few times before laying in bed debating if today really was the first day of the rest of my life. Then I’d fall back asleep, end up late for work and since my perfect new life didn’t get such a good start I might as well order the bacon double cheese burger and extra fries for lunch again. Cause you never know it may just be the last time I can.
Why? Well didn’t you hear?
My NEW perfect life is now scheduled to start on Monday.
Seriously, I kept restarting that perfect day for 15 YEARS! With varying degrees of success, of course. Sometimes I’d actually make it a whole day, or even a week being "perfect" before something would disrupt the perfectness (i.e. a party, a cookie, the weekend, a beer, a bad scale reading, a fat joke, a dressing room, a tight pair of jeans, etc., etc., etc.)
So as I was running at 5AM this morning I starting thinking about how I adopted this healthy habit.
I’ve gone in depth about my workout and running progression in this post from last year but and you can see old posts showing my progression to this point. I got here slowly over the course of 2 and half years. 3 years ago I wouldn’t have been caught dead at a gym, 2 years ago I SWORE I couldn’t run, a year ago I only ran in the evenings. Now I’m waking up at 5AM to squish a 2-3 mile run in before my 8 hour workday like it’s a piece of cake.
I’m not telling you this to rub it in or gloat or make you feel bad about yourself if you don’t workout or have no desire to. That is not my intention. What I do want to show is that healthy habits (ones that you have the desire to adopt) will not happen over night. They take time. You NEED time to grow into them.
I found this to not only be true about my workout habits but my eating habits too. When I started Weight Watchers in June 2005 I was a processed food girl. I bought 100 cal packs, Smart Ones, Lean Cuisines, etc. I don’t think there is nothing wrong with those types of products per se but I wanted to adopt healthier habits. So I started to phase them out. I experimented in the kitchen more. Started trying new produce (inspired my whole produce picks section on GLB) and slowly found a balance of cooking dinners, saving leftovers and eating more fresh fruits and veggies. The change can be seen mostly in my work lunches. I used to go out almost every day for lunch, then I started bringing prepackaged TV dinners and processed snacks, now I pack leftovers, a few fresh fruits and some yogurt. Again, these changes didn’t happen over night, they happened slowly over the course of years.
Even my dependence on artificial sweeteners has weened over time. A few years ago I went through a big bag of Splenda a month. Now I rarely use the stuff and I think the same bag has been in my pantry for at least a year.
I could rattle of a few more things now that are second nature. Each one took time for me to adopt and stick with as habits. Things that I thought I didn’t have the "resolve" for but now do naturally.
What healthy habits have you have adopted and how long did it take for them to stick? Are there some you are still working on? Like me and my darn nighttime snacking problem (I joke as tonight I just went a wee bit overboard on some leftover Easter chocolate. ;)
42 Responses to What healthy habits have you adopted and how long did it take for them to stick?
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Great post! I applaud you on the early AM exercise routine! I think if you schedule a workout in you stick to it better too! :)
I slowly got rid of those 100 cal packs and a lot of processed foods too. When I first started WW I was all about those and also would stockpile the tv dinners with any and all WW points on the box. EASY, and SIMPLE- but never satisfied me. I love that I do not depend on those- and I CRAVE fresh healthy food. My body feels better too- go figure! LOL Oh and NO fast food either!
I think the thing that I am most proud that I have overcome is binge eating. I can not remember how or why I stopped, but I did. :)
I adopted the habit of NO FAST FOOD. We had been eating fast food a couple times a week for years. After I found a fly in my ice cream, I said NO MORE of this crap. I am worth more than this. So we stopped going to the drive thrus. We had to drive past them every day on the way home and the kids would have fits for McDonald’s, but it took about 2 weeks and it because an ingrained habit for us all. Now NO ONE asks for fast food, and it has been about 6 months now. I’d say that habit has stuck!
WOW! Could we be the same person? I think so!
I’m like you, only a few years younger. Our stories are so similar it’s SCARY!!!
I stumnbled across your website a few weeks ago and now check in daily. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you.
I am a morning person and get up early and do a workout video. We live in a rural area so the nearest gym is 30 miles away. I too do not think I can ever be a runner, however, you are inspiring me to give it a try.
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your websites, I really do enjoy them.
Great post! I can really relate since my journey to better health started a little over 3 years ago.
Some of the changes I made in that time:
1. Eating healthy – This one is something I still work on everyday. I started by working on portions first, eliminated fast food, then moved from processed to home cooked fresh, whole foods. Now I’m still working on eliminating artificial sweeteners.
2. Exercise: I started slow with just walking 20 mins 3 days a week. I now workout 6 mornings a week and vary it up with both cardio and strength training through the week for about an hour. Currently I’m working on adding evening walks after dinner with my partner, so she can share in the benefits of being active.
3. Consistent & adequate sleep: I had the worst sleep patterns when I started out. I started out with having a set bedtime for work nights, then I moved to eliminating sleeping in on weekends, then I worked up to getting up at the same time everyday and going to bed at the same time everyday. This process has taken the whole three years but now I’m getting 8 hours every night and I have trained my body so well that I don’t even need an alarm to get up in the morning at 5am.
I have a bunch more but this thing is getting long LOL! Each of the changes I have made took time, practice and patience but has been well worth it. I went from being morbidly obese to being fit and healthy and I feel amazing!
These are all excellent suggestions! I applaud you, Roni, and your commenters as well….and myself! Once I threw out the idea that I had to do it all….right NOW, amazing things began to happen. Two things I incorporated into my life: 1) changes should be made one step at a time, and even if I failed, I just quietly tried again and 2) not to be mad at myself all the time. I expect other people to treat me like a nice person….there’s no reason why I shouldn’t expect the same thing of MYSELF!
Great post Roni! I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to realize just how many habits I’ve adopted over the years had you not posed this question. So first let me thank you for that! Ihave given up the prepackaged meals, 100 calorie packs, and have started experimenting more in the kitchen….I love trying your recipes! The biggest thing is something my husband and toddler ( she’s actually not a toddler anymore…..we’re also starting K this year) have also adopted….eating more produce! We buy about 95% of it Costco. I love that because all most all of it is organic and we get a lot for our money. The bonus is a house full of toms of fresh produce. Even just a fee years ago I’d say oh we would never eat that much in a month and I would walk away. Now we eat it in a week sometimes less! Now about the running….I’ve never had a desire to do so until I was pregnant with our son (now almost 5 months old.) I had bad pelvic pain with both pregnancies and had trouble walking. I am also tall with long legs and a naturally fast walker…..so having trouble doing it so freely really made me think. When I was about 7-8 months along and miserable I said to my husband…..I want to be a runner. Puzzled he informed me that it wasn’t all that easy…..being in the Army for 6 years and no stranger to running I thought he must know what he was talking about. He’s always been very supportive of me so I was a little shocked
with his reply. What was my comback? Well, of Roni can do it so can I! That’s what sparked it all! I’m still working off the baby weight and jve very little me time (this is me time right now….yay!) I do know my future holds running though. About a year ago I got on my Mom’s treadmill and ran. It was only about a minute but it felt great! I thought wow! So I know it will happen! I have you to thank for inspiration! You pour your heart into your sites and I can’t tel you how many times they’ve helped me!! Thanks for doing what you do Roni!!!
It took me years to develop a consistent exercise habit. (Part of why I so hate being sidelined do to my broken bone.) My eating habits are much harder! Yo-yo here too. And just when I think I have it all down, I slip and have to recommit. More veggies, more water, etc. It is a slow process but I am getting there.
I have a bad night time snacking problem that I just can’t seem to break. I am working on it though.
Making the healthier choice. It took me a LONG time to learn that one, but now, after about a year and half, it just feels like the right thing to do.
Running: I started last October and although there have been a few week long breaks here and there I’ve stuck with it. I really get antsy if more than two days goes by and I have set foot to pavement.
Whole/Unprocessed Eating: I discovered a whole new world of foods about 3 months ago and never looked back. It’s been eye opening and a wonderful change. As a migraine sufferer of almost 6 years as well as IBS, I have now experience neither since changing my diet!
I’m still working on the not snacking thing.
I’m still working on the no carbs, thing.
I did get into the healthy habit of working out in the mornings. Strangely enough, by winning a 6 month free trial of Boot Camp. At first, I hated it. I was scared of it and I didn’t want to do. But I agreed to go, and if I didn’t, I had to pay $200. That was a huge motivator. Now, I’m almost done with my free 6 months, and I’m in love with it. I get pushed so much harder than if I were working out by myself, but I have such an encouraging environment it almost doesn’t feel like work.
Most of my healthy habits are only a few months old, so I can’t say with 100% certainty that they have stuck, but so far I feel great about my healthy choices.
-I do 1/2 hour of Pilates every weekday morning before work
-I am on week 5 of the Couch to 5k program (should be further along, but at least I’m out there working on it; I ran for 10 minutes straight yesterday)
-I drink at least 72 oz of water a day (in addition to other beverages)
-I am incorporating more whole foods into my family’s diet
-and starting today I am trying to wean myself off of artificial sweeteners (if anyone has a healthy alternative to Crystal Light, let me know).
And I really need to say thank you Roni, your site (and the sites I have found stemming from here) have really helped me make huge changes for myself and my family.
i still need to cut down on the articifical sweetners, that’s a real toughy for me.
@Lori, I am so with you on the Crystal Lite. I have tried a few options; none are great, but my current solution is to use regular unsweetened Kool Aid with a few drops of Stevia. There’s still a kind of sticky feeling to the KoolAid that I didn’t even realize was there….and the artificial colors – yuck! But it’s a start. Next step is maybe very lightly flavored lemon-water with a few drops of stevia, and then – plain water. It really IS do-able, but it takes a step at a time.
One thing I have found is that if you are totally committed to getting away from CL, then even an interim step like the KoolAid is a step in the right direction. If you don’t like the KoolAid solution (I don’t care for it much), so much the better! That makes for even more of an incentive to get back to plain water. You don’t want your interim steps to be too desirable :-)
It took me a long time until the healthy choice was my first choice. I used to be fine at home when it was all I had but when I was go out all hell broke loose. Now I really plan and think for all my meals.
And exercise used to just be a casual thing. I used to try and force myself to do it before work but I realized I’m not a morning person and I get a much better workout in during the evening. So I went with what works.
Great post Roni!
I’ve opted for an earlier dinner (sometimes even 4:30pm!). I found that if I put the bulk of my calories into the beginning of my day- I do better. I like to take advantage of eating when my body is still moving and metabolism is zooming.
I also wake up at 5:30am to workout. Been doing it for about 3 years now. Off and on. It was hard for about the first 2 months. And sometimes still is when I’ve not given myself enough sleep. But I never regret it. It’s just the best time to get it in and helps ME all day. It really is me time.
Going to bed early is another habit I formed. It’s invaluable. Most nights I’m jammied up and in my bed by 9:30pm. :)
I started running 8 years ago, and quickly lost the 10-12 pounds that I had wanted to lose all throughout my 20′s. It was great to lose the weight, but I didn’t really change my eating style. About 3 years into running, I realized that if I didn’t eat right, I would not keep the weight off. I no longer just wanted the weight to be off, I wanted to be ripped!
One night my husband and I went to the movies. At the snack bar, I thought about ordering my usual popcorn with extra butter; but then I had a realization: If I could turn down popcorn at the movies, then I could turn down anything! Instead of the popcorn, I had a diet coke and a granola bar. I then came to understand that I had always viewed food as a reward for getting through a hard day, or as a great way to celebrate. From that day forward, I had a sense of willpower that I never thought I would possess. Anytime I feel like I want to get off track, I just think of that first night at the movies when I turned down the popcorn. I also think to myself …Do I “want” that particular food, or do I “need’ that particular food. For instance, I might want a big ol’ chocolate cookie, but what I need is fruit and yogurt. 99.99% of the time, I am able to convince myself to eat what my body needs instead of what my brain “thinks” it is craving!
i workout in the wee hour– that seems like it has been forever. i started running a couple of years ago. my newest goal is the “clean eating” diet. i am reading everything i can on it now. have you ever read Clean Eating magazine?? it is AWESOME!
Eating all whole grains…took about a year. But now they taste so good, I can’t understand why everyone doesn’t prefer the taste of 100% whole grain.
Exercise – took a couple years. But now “not exercising much” is still exercising 2 or 3 times a week.
Recovering Mt. Dew addict – struggled with this for years. My longest span of no Dew was 3 months. As I ate my whole foods and drowned them with Mt. Dew, I couldn’t stand the nonsense of it anymore. No Mt. Dew since Jan 1 now. It’s my longest span and I feel like I’m finally over it.
No artificial sweeteners – thought about trying this sometimes, but not too motivated. Finally I realized I had been so absentminded that it was rediculous to continue the sweet’n low. I need all the brain power I can muster! If inally gave all artificial sweeteners up about a month ago. This was later in my healthy changes journey, so it was pretty easy. These changes add up! By the way, I am a little more clearheaded these days.
Great post. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
I started running about 2 years ago. I joined the group TNT (Team in Training) & had a great experience with them. They taught me to “run”. I had avoided it my entire life. Even in school I always got out of it. The first time I ran ever I was 35 years old. So if anyone out there is thinking it’s too late, its not!!
You inspire me, Roni. Keep up the great work, the inspirational posts & e-mails & keep being “imperfect” you. We NEED you!!
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great inspiration Roni and so true indeed. We need to realize that it takes baby steps to get to where we are going. It is not going to take overnight and we are indeed HUMAN not PERFECT. Strive to just make one small change a day…heck one a week. We need to stop setting ourselves up for failure; start with the right foundation and the house will not be far off.
all of this is so true. forming a habit doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and effort and eventually, it sticks.
I get up and exercise in the morning… early morning. I get up about 5am usually. Took a full month to get used to doing this, but once I did… no big deal.
Yesterday morning, I didn’t get up… I got a text message from one of my workout buddies that he could not make it and I just rolled over…. never could go back to sleep but did not work out. This put me in a funk for the rest of the day.
I guess even new habits die hard.
Thanks!
WeighDownSouth.com
It was inspiring to read your post! I have no aspiration to get up at 5 am to run (I truly believe each person has to find her/his own best rhythms) but I have adobted several new healthy habits since the beginning of the year.
The two biggest ones were
— portion control (no more getting up from the dinner table feeling so stuffed I’m uncomfortable the rest of the night) and
— decreased “nibbling” in the evening. I still munch, but it’s on fruit or low-calorie, low-fat, high fiber dry cereal (tastes better than it sounds).
It took me quite a while to get into these habits but the horrid part is that it took less than a week of “diet vacation” to get right back to them!
Roni- I’ve emailed you before. I’ve maintained about a 50-lb weightloss for about 7 years. You inspired me to start running and I was never a runner in my life.. even as a thin, active child. My first 5K was in October 09. My time was terrible, but happy to complete it – I definitely started to become addicted to 5Ks. :) Just a week and a half ago, I competed in my 13th 5K since October and won 1st place in my age group. :) My next 5K is Saturday and then my first ever 10K (race) is on May 1st.
So.. what do I do now that is a healthy habit?
- No longer drink caloried sodas. Sure, I still drink diet, but I haven’t had a regular soda in ages and keep diet sodas to a minimum.
- Run in the am before work.. and yes, sometimes that means getting up at 4:30 to run.. or running in the rain with my husband. Also, I have found that running is a habit for me now, just like brushing my teeth. Since I’ve been running, my husband has picked it up as well and he just completed his first ever duathlon last Saturday.
- Split meals with my husband. Sure, sometimes it depends on the meals, but it’s nothing for us to cut a steak and baked potato in half while in a restaurant to share And for fast foods.. not the greatest choice, we oftentimes order kids meals which are usually less than 50% of the calories of a regular sized meal.
- I now check the calories on every item I purchase and have many restaurants’ nutrition data saved for easy access.
I’d like be able to cook more and choose even healthier less processed choices.. but as someone else mentioned above.. Rome wasn’t built in a day. :)
This is going to sound utterly silly, but one of the most easiest healthy habits in the world is actually my most difficult. Water drinking! I’m good at it for awhile, and then I slack off. I don’t drink soda and barely any juice. I just don’t drink enough water. Sometimes I’m too lazy to go and get it and I choose to thirst instead. Stupid major flaw of mine. geesh. ((gulp))
So inspirational!
My newest healthy habit that I’m implementing… running.
Like you, up until about 2 months ago – I swore I wasn’t a runner. Fitness lover, yes… runner – heck no.
But then, a very good friend formed a team to do a 5K for prostate cancer research… her dad is a survivor. I knew when I saw that she had formed a team that I HAD to join and I HAD to run it.
I started preparing by upping my cardio, and adding a trail run to my weekly routine.
This past Sunday, I ran 26 minutes straight for the first time ever in my life!!!
So now, I can call myself a runner!
Really funny that you posted this today. I had a sort of ‘moment of clarity’ about my own achievements today. Rather than rewrite it all- I’m just linking to it here: http://livingalolalife.blogspot.com/2010/04/recognizing-habit.html
(don’t mean to pimp my own blog- just sharing)
My main point is that we often focus on the bad habits we have but don’t spend enough time focusing on the good ones we have created. Sometimes, once we do incorporate them into our life, we don’t even realize it is habit. I’ve got many other good habits to work into my life still, but running- that one has taken several past attempts plus the last 12-ish weeks.
pimp away! pimp away! It’s all about sharing and I love to read others thoughts.
Soda – diet or otherwise. I finally realized that (a) soda does not quench my thirst. If anything, it makes me even thirstier. And (b) I *like* water. Now if I could just get that exercise thing down….
Whoa, loaded question there!
The first thing that I started to do in order to lose weight and change my lifestyle was eating smaller portions. I learned about smaller/normal-sized portions by starting out just eating a serving (according to the package, which means MEASURING) of whatever I was eating. That taught me what a serving should look like. I did that for a long time, and I still, for the most part, do that.
Secondly, I started eating 5-6 times a day, with ALL snacks being fruits and vegetables. That’s how I learned to incorporate more of those into my diet.
What really worked for me is that I DID NOT make ANYTHING off limits. I could eat WHATEVER I wanted, but I had to stick to my serving size, no matter how small. And eventually, I learned that a serving size of my favorite foods were tiny compared to a HUGE serving size of a healthy, but still tasty food. And that’s where it started. I could go on forever, but I won’t. :)
How true is it about THE day!!! I still find myself referring back to THE day over and over again. Not because of consistent failure – although it does happen, but because by nature, we want to better ourselves. Every time I want to something new – there’s THE day, or whenever I mess up – I go back to THE day. That is one habit I’m trying to fix.
Instead of focusing on this almighty one time fix, I’m trying to focus on THIS day. Can I finish my run? Keep going until the next marker. Can I watch my eating all week? Just focus on your next meal. It the “What About Bob-like Baby steps” that help me to make my consistent changes.
If I try to tackle too much at once, I’m sure to fail. Everyday isn’t the same, so why would I think I could make it as if it were?
This approach helped me to start running. My husband challenged me to try one lap at our gym. I looked at him as though he had 3000 eyes…. but I did it and slowly kept adding – seeing how far my body could take me.
Roni – what do you use as sweetener now that you don’t use Splenda? I’ve tried stevia, but don’t like the taste at all.
Thanks!
To Lori and GHarkness who want to replace Crystal Light, Aldi has something you might like. Benner Green Tea with flavors like Lemon Ginseng and even better, Orange, Passionfruit and Jasmine. They have a gentle, full flavor that doesn’t need any sweetener. They are all natural and a box of 25 tea bags is only about $1.19. Especially good with a lemon slice!
Roni,
I just have to say thanks. Your post hit so close to home. You have inspired me to start blogging.
Thanks Again
I stumbled upon a good habit that makes water-drinking much easier. When I had strep throat in January, my nurse suggested I drink cups of warm water-no tea, juice, or lemon. I thought it sounded terrible, but I tried it. I was surprised to find out I really enjoy a cup of warm water! It’s far easier for me to drink water now. And it’s so easy to stick a cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute. Even if the idea sounds terrible, give it a try–it may do the trick for you! BTW, I only like bottled water. I tried this with tap, and it was yucky.
Every time I try to create a new habit I have to designate time for it in my life. I have been off and on about lifting weights at least three times a week and finally I just said this is the time I workout and these are the days. And know I don’t even think about not going after three months.
I exercise early in the morning (5am) and just get up, get dressed and get out the door. If I stopped to think about it I probably wouldn’t go very often. I think of it as being like brushing my teeth and making my bed – I don’t have long mental debates about the benefit of either of those, I just do ‘em! I walk, very fast. I worry a little with the sense I get from some posters that people who walk are not doing as much as those who run. Many of us who have been very overweight ( I was once 273lb) for long periods of time need to be cautious about how we treat our hips, knees and backs. My physio has advised me not to run, I have hip problems that were observed when I was a toddler but I believe have been exacerbated by carrying around such a heavy load for more than 10 years. I walk for 55 minutes (six days a week) and am surprised at how many other walkers I overtake. You need to walk for more time to cover the same distance as you can run (cos it’s faster!) but you can still get a really good work out if you pick the pace – I would struggle to talk when I am walking – and really go for it.
I also plan what I eat each day, which is pretty much the same thing each day with small variations (this just happens to suit me) and always take my lunch to work. This way I do not have to make choices when I am hungry, just go to the fridge and get out my food. To combat my worst snacking time (after arriving home from work and before dinner) I am eating a good lunch and then nothing until dinner. I know that won’t suit everyone but I tried limiting what I eat, changing the type of food I ate but nothing worked. So I just stopped eating anything at that time. It seemed to be the act of eating opened up that whole minefield for me. Same deal after dinner, once the meal is eaten I brush my teeth, floss, mouthwash the whole deal and then nothing to eat until breakfast time. Sorry for taking up so much space but I really find these things help and love to help those willing to make changes :)
I start every morning with steel cut oatmeal. It takes 20 minutes in the microwave…it leaves me full for most of the morning. I post my points of the fridge. I work out 4-5 days a week.
IF ANYONE READS THIS AND WANTS TO START TO RUN….PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE….RONI…IF YOU CAN POST THE COUCH TO 5K PLAN…OMG! IT WORKS. YOU WILL HAVE MANY FOLLOWERS START TO RUN THAT COULD NEVER SEE THEMSELVES RUNNING. I NEVER DREAMT I WOULD BE RUNNING.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Natalia – I totally forgot to answer.. I’m sorry! I don’t really use anything now.. sometimes a little stevia and I stick with mostly honey when baking or I use a little sugar in the raw. I just don’t sweeten things the way I used to.
Healthy Habits…
1. Running. Even if it’s only 2 minutes. Running is my Holy Grail! Nothing makes me feel as good or as motivated. It can be hard, but it’s totally worth it.
2. Always always always take my own lunch to work.
3. Low fat, low-sugar Granola has been a revelation to me. It satisfies both my need for crunch and for sweet. I eat it with non-fat plain yogurt and I am SET. I consider this an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
4. I reward myself: I like to give myself a great facial or scrub or some other nice skin care process.