One of the key ingredients of getting results from your health and fitness journey, is forming new healthy habits.
In this article, I’m going to explore how long it actually takes to form a new habit, (it’s NOT 21 days), how to make it easier to form new healthy habits, and what to do to maintain those new healthy habits.
So where did the “It takes 21 days to form a new habit” myth come from?
In the 1950’s, there was a plastic surgeon, Dr Maxwell Maltz, and he noticed a pattern with his patients.
He noticed that patients who had major changes (nose jobs, limbs removed) would take A MINIMUM 21 days to get used to the changes in their body.
He published this in his very popular self help book “Psycho-cybernetics”.
That’s where it went a little pear shaped. In true chinese whispers fashion, self help gurus over the years latched onto the 21 days thing, and left out the “minimum of 21 days” bit.
Taking a MINIMUM of 21 days, became, “it takes 21 days”.
Subsequent studies have found that it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit.
So, if you have ever tried to form a new habit, given it a month and decided that you are a failure because you hadn’t nailed the new habit, take heart! You are not a failure, you just gave up a little too soon.
So what happens along the way to a new habit that trips us up?
First, we have the honeymoon period. Right at the start, motivation and inspiration is high and doing the new thing is relatively easy.
Anyone married couple will tell you that the honeymoon never last forever, so at some stage you are going to face a challenge in keeping up the new habit. Failure and your old habits will loom large, and look the easier, more attractive option.
At this point, you must push through the obstacle / challenge to form the new habit, which can be easier said than done. I’ll give you ways to do that later.
If you can push through, you will get to the stage where it gets easier again, where the new habit just becomes part of what you do, who you are, second nature.
Beware though, because even the second nature stage has pitfalls.
You could have a plateau in your progress, or even regress.
You could have disruptions in your life, job changes, annual leave, family issues or other changes in circumstance.
You could get complacent.
When this happens you have to go back to your push through tactics to get you back to an even keel.
Watch the video below for three ways to do that.
1/ Acknowledge.
Understanding and honestly acknowledging that you have hit an obstacle, or that you are about to deviate off your path to a new habit is important.
If you can see that you are about to go off your eating plan, or talk yourself out of the gym, or find something else to do besides your walk, then you need to be honest about it with yourself, and recognize the warning signs that you are about to spoil your progress.
When you can honestly acknowledge that you are about to do the wrong thing, you can stop, take a breath, and remember why you had to change this habit in the first place, ie Your BIG WHY!
2/ Your BIG WHY!
Your big WHY is the thing that made you want to change in the first place.
Let’s say that your goal is to lose weight.
Why?
To live longer and healthier?
To fit into that little black dress?
To play more with the kids?
To make the team?
To climb the mountain?
What’s the reason you did this in the first place?
Clue: It has to sting if you don’t get it, it has to have some sort of emotional tie.
If it is not that important to you, it’s not a big enough why, look deeper.
3/ Project the pain.
So, what happens if you don’t get your big why?
Leap forward 12 months, 3 years, 5 years….. if you don’t get your big why, what will your life be like?
If your motivation to change is to be happier, healthier, more active, what happens if you don’t change?
What will it feel like to be the same as you are now, when clearly your motivation to change was because you are somehow dis-satisfied with where you are currently at?
Will that be painful?
When you can do those three things, saying no to the extra Tim Tam gets a whole lot easier.
Don’t forget, it will more than likely take longer than 21 days, that’s the MINIMUM, not a set in stone number.
Persist with it, and don’t get too hard on yourself if you slip up, just go back to your big why, and get back on the horse.
If you are ready to make some changes and form some new healthy habits, opt in for a free success session chat (to the right top of this page), and we’ll have a talk about what your big goals are, and how you can get there!
Bren “Tim Tams are not a habit, they are a lifestyle” Ryan
Personal Trainer
Weight Loss Coach
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