When it comes to achieving a fitness goal, whether it’s to lose weight, run a marathon or get the body you want, the saying ‘your habits determine your success’ rings very true.
It’s our habits, or what we do consistently, that either moves us toward or away from what we want. The foods we eat, the sweat sessions we endure, the tracking of our fitness and nutrition, all play a role in helping us accomplish our goal of dropping 10 pounds or setting a new personal best on a 5K. But forming the habits we need to support our fitness goals is not so easy, it seems.
The Challenge With Forming New Habits
According to an article about habit forming in The Ladders blog, habits are formed by repeatedly performing an action or behaving a certain way. The more an action is practiced, the more it gets ‘wired’ into our brain via the creation of new neural pathways, thus, become a habit. Think of brushing your teeth. This is an action that’s been repeated so many times, it’s locked into our brain as a habit and we almost never skip it (at least I hope you don’t, for the sake of your chompers!).
This habit forming process can be both helpful and hurtful when it comes to accomplishing a fitness goal. On the positive side, once a helpful habit is embedded into our brain, there is a very good chance it becomes something you do regularly, without having to think much about it. It becomes just ‘something you do.’ Whether it’s brushing your teeth or getting your weekly weightlifting session done, it becomes automatic and you just get it done.
On the negative side, this process can make it very difficult to change unwanted habits. Examples include fingernail biting, smoking, forgetting to signal when changing lanes or snacking at late hours. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to undo bad habits and create positive habits that will support your fitness goals:
1. Ride The ‘Motivation Wave’
While motivation (and it’s close cousin, willpower) is a powerful catalyst for driving us to take positive actions towards our goals, motivation is not ever-present. It ebbs and flows. This can result in a temporary ‘high’ which then fades, causing our productivity and good habits to fade with it (think: New Year’s weight loss resolutions). Thus, we can’t always rely on motivation alone to get us all the way to our goal.
However, when motivation IS there, use this optimal time – referred to as the ‘motivation wave’ – to maximize your productivity and take massive actions towards your goal. Take advantage of this time to do things like sign up for that gym membership, get the clothes and gear you need, research fitness routines, create your healthy eating shopping list, etc. Just remember, it won’t last forever, but while it is there, be sure to capitalize on it. When motivation does run out, you can rely on this next habit strategy…
2. Go Slow and Steady To Win The Race
So, we know that motivation helps but does not last, so how do we get to our goal when motivation dips? According to renown personal development author and speaker Jim Rohn, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Remember, it’s ongoing repetition of an action that’s required to create the new pathways that forge a new habit in your brain. This will take time to build. Thus, it’s better to take some action consistently vs. big actions occasionally. Said another way, it’s better to start off slowly, gradually, and consistently than starting full-out but getting burnt out or overwhelmed, and quitting. For example, if you’re sedentary and are doing no exercise, it’s more productive from a habit-forming perspective to, say, taking a 5-minute walk every day vs. trying to run 3 miles from the get-go, failing to hit this mark and not trying again for a week or more.
So when you start out toward a goal, take small actions every day to make the activity more manageable and enjoyable in order to make forming the new habit easier. This will help keep you consistent with a new routine long after the ‘motivation wave’ has run out.
3. Be Accountable To Someone
When I put people through my 90-Day Body Transformation Program, one of the biggest benefits my clients rave about is my structured accountability. Why? Simply put, being accountable to someone dramatically increases your chances of accomplishing a big goal. According to a study conducted by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), you have a 65% chance of completing your goal if you commit to someone. Moreover, if you have a specific accountability appointment with the person to whom you’ve committed, your chance of success skyrockets to 95%!
Left to our own devices, our mind lets us off the proverbial ‘hook’. But with someone holding us to account to take ongoing action towards our goals, our conscience, and even guilt, kick in and make us think twice about having that cookie for a snack or skipping leg day (yet again).
Personally, I pride myself in providing kick-ass, no excuses accountability to help my clients reach their fitness goals. If you’d like someone by your side holding you to account, I’m happy to help. You can learn more about my 90-Day Body Transformation Program, which includes 1-on-1 coaching and weekly accountability video check-ins with me, via this <link>.
By using the three strategies above, forming the new habits you need to lose weight, get fit or accomplish any goal in your life, will be practically automatic.