As an instructor who tries to practice what she preaches, a mom of young adults who has tried to model what I teach and a person who loves to play outside and wants to do so into my 90’s, I am no stranger to the winding road and cycle of changing, breaking, creating and nurturing habits.
I recently listened to a podcast by Dr. Peter Attia who interviewed Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the book “The Power of Habits”. The episode, How to Change Your Habits: Why They Form and How to Build or Break Them resonated with me and I’m excited to share this story with you.
I recently completed a triathlon. In order to fit my new training routine in between work, social and my regular workouts, I had to shift my habits a bit. It was more time-consuming than was used to, but I was excited to reach that finish line. The first few weeks were the hardest as I tried to establish a new schedule, so I started slow and simple, dedicating a specific time to what I needed to do.
Now that the race is over, I have felt lost. Over the last few months I had created a habit and routine around finishing a race. It was hard to change my habits to train for a race and now it’s hard to change it back to something that was so familiar to me before I changed it. I have not been able to get into my regular “new-old” habit. Like, what the heck is wrong with me?
Nothing is wrong with me, I just need a new habit.
Raise your hand ♀️ if you struggle with consistency and overthinking. Yeah, we all do and we are all probably overthinking it. If you struggle with building a new habit (like getting up early to get a workout in), try Mel Robbin’s 5 Second Rule.
Being negative does not help.
Have you ever called yourself “bad” for skipping a workout? It doesn’t feel good and won’t make you want to put yourself back out there. According to Duhigg and the science of habits, positive reinforcement works better than negative.
Building new habits takes awareness, repetition and positive reinforcement.
New habits need nurturing through consistency, time to evolve and new strategies that reward you to keep at it day to day. Rewards are personal to each of us, so be aware and find what motivates you in a positive way. For me, I have decided to treat myself to a cup of coffee only AFTER I have a full glass of water and either a workout or stretch. So far so good!
Nobody is perfectly motivated all the time.
Peter Attia discusses his struggle with motivation at around 37 minutes in the podcast. If the pros struggle and aren’t always excited about their routines, it’s okay that normal people like us struggle. But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater! If you miss a few days of your newly formed habit, don’t just give up! Lean into the winding road and pick up where you left off. If one night you’re too exhausted to wash your face before bed you don’t stop washing your face for the rest of your life do you?
About 40-45% of what we do every day are habits we’ve built and they become easier to do over time.
⏰ Start a habit.
Keep it simple.
Don’t overthink it.
Celebrate your wins.
xo,
Marlene
