I LOVE Pinterest. Every night I peak in for a few minutes and marvel at all the amazing stuff: the photos, the food, the tips, the inspiration. I rarely pin anymore as I’m too busy checking out everyone else’s!
Tonight I peaked in after finishing my latest GreenLiteBites post, The Triscuit Coated Cod Meal Idea, and saw this…
…from http://getfitordie.tumblr.com. The corresponding post offer some pretty good tips on creating habits.
It was a timely find for me. This morning I posted this on Facebook…
I’m hooked on my morning workouts again. Takes me about 2 weeks of dreading them first though. :)
Every Tuesday and Thursday I wake up at 5:30 AM, run to the gym, take a class and then run home. To some it sounds crazy, to others, excessive, but to me it’s 2 guaranteed workouts with no interruptions from kids, work, or husband, doing something I love.
Is getting up hard? At first, but after a few consistent weeks of going, I now look forward to it and wake up before my alarm even has a chance to go off.
A few things I learned about forming good habits, specifically workout related ones..
- Be Realistic. Start slow. You aren’t going to become a fitness fanatic overnight. Start by committing to 1-2 workouts a week or even just a walk after dinner depending on where you are starting.
- Just do it. It’s easy to talk yourself out of going to the gym or heading out the door for a walk or run, but I assure you taking the first step is the hardest. Shut off your brain and put yourself on autopilot. If you need a push reach out on twitter or Facebook for a nudge.
- Know Yourself. If you loathe running don’t set a running goal as your first habit. Remember to "Find Your Basket Ball" Creating a habit around an activity you like is way easier then trying to be something your not.
Commit to forming 1 new active habit this month with me. Can you add a walk now that the weather is changing? Can you get up early one day a week for a run? How about a lunch time gym class? Yoga on the weekend?
Let’s do it!
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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.Like the new look of Roni’s Weigh?
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Forming positive habits that build you up and make you better really is one of the secrets to life.
For building a new exercise habit, I’ve found that it isn’t enough for someone to commit to 2 workouts per week.
It needs to be more specific. Exactly what time and exactly what are you going to do?
It’s so true that once you are in the groove you start to love it and crave it. The hardest part is STARTING. That’s why I still love and admire the girl that I see in my fat photos. She is the one who had the strength to START. When I am “off the wagon” for some reason, like traveling or vacation or just a bout of laziness, it’s so hard to start once again. But after a week or two back in the routine, it feels so good. I try to remember that good feeling to help me whenever I need to restart once again. Throughout life you will constantly be “restarting”, because life is long and things happen. Thanks for always being an inspiration.
The hardest part is definitely getting started. I know for us, our achilles’ heel was always getting back into workout after vacation. The past 3 years, it’s been mandatory that we workout the day after we return. We don’t always want to do it but we do and know that we’re well on our way to workin’ off those extra pounds that found us while we were away.
Interesting that you should post this today. I just listened to an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with Charles Duhigg, author of the new book The Power of Habit. Duhigg states that habits are composed of a three-part loop: a cue, a behavior, and a reward. For example, he talks about how he managed to break a daily cookie habit by realizing that the reward he really craved was a break from work and an opportunity to socialize, not the cookie itself. So taking a hard look at the rewards you’re getting out of your current behavior can be an important step toward rewiring the habit loop.
Fascinating interview, enough so that I’m contemplating going ahead and ordering the book (rather than waiting to get it from the library, which is my usual frugal approach to reading).
The “JUST DO IT – AUTOPILOT” mode is spot on! I can think of a million reasons why I shouldn’t do something (and on the flip side a million reasons why I should…. see? Just this huge internal battle), but one time I told myself to go into “robot” mode where there were no excuses, I just did. That silly little thought really helped me with my consistency.
Changing bad habits for good habits is a challenge for those just starting out. The most important thing is to start making small changes.
For some reason, when I reach a weight goal or just have a good week or two, I easily can roll right out of it back to bad habits! I’ve been trying to figure this out for a while now…. Roni- can you also play shrink? :)
i’m in for the one positive habit! i’m currently an evening exerciser (after being a morning one for the past month) but i would like to keep at it!
Moon – well I do it for myself all the time. lol
@Girlie I used to have this conversation on my mind all the time, while driving to the gym:
ME: “But I don’t wanna go!”
DARK SITH OF AWESOME: That’s all right, you won’t be working out today.
ME: Uh? But I am driving to the gym…
DARK SITH OF AWESOME: And after you get in, you can go and rest. I’ll take over the brain.
ME: OK, that’s stupid.
DARK SITH OF AWESOME: How come?
ME: You are still me, I’m just pretending someone else is doing the workout.
DARK SITH OF AWESOME:Oh hell no. You’re a pussy. I’LL BE DOING THE LIFTING. You go and wait in the waiting room. TAKE A SEAT. I’LL DO ALL THE WORK.
ME: Just like last week, uhu? OK; do your thing….
Roni,
I’m glad you are able to run in the morning but Please be careful! I read too much news and it can be dangerous alone.
Take Care!
I totally get it about the uninterrupted morning workout thing. Early morning is the only time I can find that guarantees I work out. I have been getting up at 4:50am for the past 13 months to workout with a friend at the gym 5 days a week. I don’t like going to bed early or getting up early but with an overwhelming job, a husband and two young kids like you, it’s all I can do. I’ve lost about 25 pounds in the past year and am 15 away from my goal and healthier than I’ve been in years. And THAT is worth any tiredness I feel by Friday night. I love your blog, Roni!!!