Fit for Life: Good Habits / Bad Habits. We All Got ‘Em
Matt Espeut, GoLocalProv Health +Lifestyle Contributor
Fit for Life: Good Habits / Bad Habits. We All Got ‘Em
Similarly, the same goes for your health when you avoid doing the things that harm your body.
I was working out with the High School Football Team I coach the other day, and a kid that was working out with me asked “Coach, are you really 50?” and “How do you keep up with us?” he asked.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSo, I told him that there wasn’t anything special about ME, it’s because of the habits and routines I have developed over the years, and the consistency and hard work I have put in. I told him that I have been eating well and working out consistently for over 30 years and that’s the only reason why I can keep up with you guys. I never stop trying to get better, I never miss workouts, and I always pay attention to what I eat. I have created these habits, and always live by them.
Anyone else that develops the same routines, will reap the same benefits. Nobody is special, and the common denominator with all people that are successful on any level is discipline and consistency.
This all segues into a new book I am reading called The Power of Habit.
In an early chapter in the book, I read: “Habits never really disappear. They’re encoded into the structure of our brain, and that’s a huge advantage for us, because it would be awful if we had to relearn how to drive after every vacation.
The problem is that your brain can’t tell the difference between bad and good habits, so if you have a bad one, it’s always lurking there, waiting for the right cues and rewards.”
This is why it’s so hard to create exercise habits or change what we eat. Once we develop a routine of sitting on the couch, rather than working out, or snacking whenever we pass a doughnut box, those patterns always remain inside our heads.
By the same rule, though if we learn to create new neurological routines that overpower those behaviors, if we take control of the habit loop, we can force those bad tendencies into the background.
And once someone creates a new pattern, studies have demonstrated, working out, or ignoring the doughnuts can become as automatic as any other habit.
So, the big takeaway from that last paragraph, is that once we get into the routine of eating healthy, and exercising, it becomes routine and a non-negotiable component in our lives.
But as we all know, it won’t happen overnight.
So how do we develop these great new habits and stick with them?
Obviously, there needs to be a few things in place first.
The biggest component is the desire to change.
If you are content with your health, fitness, and lifestyle, you won’t change.
However, when the pain of being out of shape, on medication, and getting disgusted with yourself when you see yourself in pictures or in the mirror, gets high enough, then you will seek help and make the necessary adjustments in your life in order to make change happen.
Exercising will power and delaying gratification is the next task in the chain of events that need to occur.
After you have established the desire and drive to change, you need to implement the power to say no, and stick to your routine long enough to have it become a habit.
In the book, they talked about The Marshmallow Experiment. What scientists did was put a marshmallow on a plate in front of a 4-year-old, then tell the kid if he waited 10 minutes, and didn’t eat the marshmallow, he would get 2 as a reward.
You have to conduct the same type of discipline in your routine, and realize that if you resist that glass of soda, or cupcake, that you will not only feel a sense of accomplishment immediately, but you will be lighter on the scale the next time you weigh in.
After you learn to delay gratification a few times, it gets easier and easier, because you realize the reward is greater later on.
A simple trick to help delay gratification is to look at what you are about to do wrong and ask yourself, “Is this gonna help me or hurt me later?”
If you ask yourself this question, answer it honestly and care enough about the end result, you will usually make the right decision.
Another way to stay focused is to count all the small victories.
You can’t hit a home run every time you are at bat, however, when you stack up base hits, you will eventually score the points that matter.
The book states: Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are in reach.
That’s what we have to tell people at the gym that are hung up on the scale and are not seeing it go down fast enough.
We tell them that they showed up at least 3 times last week and have changed their nutrition for the better, and that’s a small victory they need to count. Saying no to birthday cake is another one.
So just because the scale didn’t move as much as you hoped for, you are still racking up the victories.
One pound a week will add up to 12 pounds in 90 days, so you need to celebrate every time you accomplish a small victory.
It’s all about being consistent and practicing discipline every day. The temptation is always going to be around every corner, so you need to expect it and be prepared to overcome it at all costs.
Remember the pain of discipline hurts far less than the pain of regret.
If you want your knife to stay sharp, take care of it. Don’t cut through bone, or let the blade hit a hard surface that will cause it to dull.
If you want to stay fit and healthy for the long haul, don’t do the things that will dull your results. Stay Sharp.
Resist eating the foods that will harm your body and create habits that will keep you fit and strong for the long haul.
It’s simple, but not easy. It is something we have to do forever, and there is no temporary fix for bad health.
Develop the desire and implement the habits that will keep you on point for a lifetime.
Committed to your success,
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