It's hard to break those pesky old habits! Especially those habits that are negatively impacting our lives. Every New Year's we set out to 'break' them with a new resolution, life goal or crash diet. We try to look, act, and be different. We are going to talk more about how to break the habits that are not benefiting your mind or body.
This transition will not be easy. It will take work, dedication and sacrifice. But it will only benefit you and your health at the end of the day.
1. IDENTIFY the habit that you want to break, alter or start.
a. Be specific. If you are not specific then you have wiggle room to get sidetracked. For example: rather than setting a goal of eating healthy, establish exactly what specific changes you are going to make to your diet. (No bread or only 1 serving of grain a day.)
b. Do your research . If you don’t have the information to work with you are not going to be able to set yourself up on a plan that is going to make you successful.
2. Have the DESIRE to take action. If you are not fully in it, you are going to fail before you begin.
3. Think POSITIVE! Overcome all negatives (thoughts, people, beliefs, etc.) that you have in your life that might stop you.
a. If you start to go negative add a ‘but’ to the end of that sentence. For example: “I am just feeling too tired to work out today BUT I am going to go because I will not regret it."
b. Have helpful inspirations available. Quotes, Bible verses, an image, etc. that will keep you thinking positive and moving forward. It will help pick you up when you are down and keep you going strong. It should be part of your plan to succeed.
4. REINFORCE all your behaviors, good or bad. If you succeed, what is your reward? If you have a faltered moment, are there consequences? Make an outline or even call it a contract, but make it with yourself and stick to it and no reason not to.
5. Take RESPONSIBITY for your actions. If you fall off the horse be honest about it but figure out why it happened and get right back on and start again. A slight set back is not a reason to fore go your decision to make a positive change.
6. Find ACCOUNTABILITYand REINFORCEMENT. Whether it is your friends, family, co-workers; a group or individual we all need someone to be accountable to.
7. ALLOW that there may be grief moments for you for what you had to give up. This is part of the process when you acknowledge that you are in fact giving something up.
8. Try to create CHECK POINTS (30 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year.)
9. The biggest thing to helping you get to the other side of kicking out a bad habit or starting a new one is to DO IT ONE AT A TIME. Don’t try to change more than one thing at a time because even one change one is going to take a lot of time, energy, focus, and determination.
You can do anything you set your mind to and if you have enough desire and drive you CAN get there. Once you start taking steps in the right direction you might even realize it's not as bad or hard as you thought it was going to be. In order to live life to its fullest we need to be healthy in the body, mind, and spirit.
In closing, remember this:
“Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.”
Committed to your health and fitness goals,
Justin and Angie LaPointe
