Make It A Habbit!

Do you ever have the very best intentions of doing something, but then...you don't end up doing it? Keep reading, because I have some tips to help make it happen! Strategy is critical. They say that it takes three weeks for something to become a habit. But first you have to get through those three weeks, right??

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Tip #1: Plan ahead and do as much prep work as possible.

For starters, let's talk about working out. Think about the time(s) when you really truly intended to work out, yet somehow never laced up those running shoes. What were the reasons that prevented you from doing so??
If you're trying to get into a fitness routine, one huge tip is to plan ahead! If you're a morning exerciser, sleep in your workout clothes and set your shoes by your bed/door, so you're ready to go. I've found this really helps because then you don't have to mess with picking out what gym clothes to wear, and it's easier to just get up and go. The more ready you are, the better, especially in the morning!!

Some reasons why it's a good idea to work out in the A.M.:

*you have less of a chance for "life" to get in the way
*it'll set the tone for a fantastic rest of the day
*if you typically have trouble falling asleep and work out within 4 hours of bedtime, then your body is all hyped up and has a harder time shutting off and falling asleep

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Not a morning person? Me either. I prefer to do my workouts in the afternoon/evening. I do recommend that if you're just starting to establish that fitness habit, you try the A.M. workouts. Less of a chance for you to talk yourself out of it later in the day.

Another way you can plan ahead with your workouts is have a workout schedule at the ready. Gym classes or at-home fitness programs are great options. I know some people (especially those who feel less than fit) feel uncomfortable in a group setting and would rather sweat it out in the privacy and comfort of home. Go for it. What I love about Beachbody's at-home fitness programs (like Insanity, P90X, TurboFire) is that they have the workouts already scheduled for you. All you have to do is push play!! Depending on the program, you have up to 90 days of pre-scheduled workouts. That way, you don't have to figure out a plan of attack for your workout each day. It's already done for you. The less effort you have to exert, the easier it is to establish a habit. You just have to show up and leave the hard stuff to the experts. Plus, there's a method to the madness: The creators of these fitness programs carefully designed the schedules. They took a scientific approach when they decided what order the workouts would be in (for muscle confusion, adequate rest, etc.) for maximum performance and benefits.

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Planning ahead and prepping also applies to your nutrition. Do you have long days where you get to the end of them and are too tired to cook and so ravenous that you just want to wolf down whatever's at your fingertips? Or are you go-go-going all day long and are rarely home for a meal? Whatever the scenario, you need to ensure that you have healthy options available. Otherwise, it's muuuch too tempting to just toss that pre-packaged frozen junk into the microwave or munch on a bag of chips. Have some fruit on hand, or veggies, or pre-cooked meat, or individually packaged and frozen bags of fish/veggies. Yogurt is another option. I LOVE almond butter for a gazillion reasons, one of them being that it's so accessible and easy. One of my all-time favorite snacks is celery and almond butter, or almond butter and an apple.
I also love my Shakeology because I make it the night before, throw it in the freezer, and then grab it in the morning and go. This is especially helpful for me because I have to wait an hour after taking my meds before I can eat. This way, I can take my meds when I wake up and by the time I get to work, I can have my breakfast. Or sometimes I have Shakeology for lunch. It takes (not kidding) five seconds to prepare and it's loaded with absolute goodness. It's literally equivalent to going through the salad bar 5 times!!!!!! If you're awful with letting produce go bad like I am, then it's really nice because you don't have to fuss with storing/preparing all that produce. It's convenient, it's cheap, and it's so so good for you. If you wanna know more about it, check out my link below and/or ask me.

The bottom line is that the least amount of effort that you have to exert, the more likely you are to cultivate a habit. So plan ahead. I know some people like to do much of their cooking for the week on the weekends. Life is usually crazier on the weekdays, so it's easier to already have pre-cooked meals/food ready to go. Devise a fitness outline for the week as well.

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Tip #2: Stick with it.

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Keep going for AT LEAST three weeks. Remember, if you can last for at least that long, then you've established a habit!! Three weeks is your initial goal, which sounds a lot more doable than committing for life (though ideally that should be your ultimate goal!).

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One great book to check out is The Happiness Advantage. Shawn Achor (who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard) draws on research to help you achieve your goals. The research that he discusses in his book supports the tips I just discussed. It's also an awesome book that highlights the incredible power of the mind. My doctor recommended it to me!

Click HERE for Shakeology

Still need an extra boost with the motivation? I'm doing a Beachbody Challenge group. These groups are great because they give you something to work towards, help keep the motivation high, help keep you accountable, and provide structure. Comment on here or e-mail me at whit76@gmail.com if you're interested!

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