By now you have easily caught on that the 2017 January
Tabata Challenge is going to be posted and talked about daily. In these daily
posts, which are journal entries more than articles, I am hoping to accomplish three
primary goals.
First, to pass on important information. For me, if I
understand the why of something, then it is easier for me to get behind it. If
that “why” can help motivate some of you, then fantastic, it is vital.
Second, learning is awesome! It is. Learning is a lifelong
process and is a sign of growth. Both of which go hand in hand with exercising
and the fitness lifestyle.
Third, and most importantly, is the creation of a habit and
lifestyle. This is where the 21/90 Rule comes into play. A long, long time ago,
in a training center far, far away a coach with a mounting tension headache
that was nearing migraine proportions was trying to impress upon a group of
young would-be athletes that to change a habit take 21 days.
No matter what that habit is, it takes 21 days to change it.
Your running form. Your lifting technique. Not smoking. Changing your eating
habits. Everything, habits take 21 days to form. Some smart guy, or gal,
expanded on that with the very real fact that it takes 90 days to make that
habit a lifestyle.
With that in mind, I am reposting a piece I wrote last February
on making habits stick.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, a manager, worker, student or other making
new habits is a difficult and trying task. It is something that successful
people seem to have made look easy. It isn’t, though, is it? How do
professional athletes and elite forces make new habits? They build muscle
memory. Your brain is your best muscle. Or, at least, it should be.
By actively using the steps outlined below you can be pretty certain that
you will have new habits in place and benefiting from them. It won’t be overnight,
not in the least. New habits are instilled, on average, over about 21
days. This time frame is based on the observations of a plastic surgeon from
the 1950s.
“What can a plastic surgeon from almost 70 years ago know about making
habits?” Good question. He noted that his patients took an average of 21 days
to get accustomed to the change. Be it their nose, cheekbones, an amputation
the time to get used to the change was around 21 days. I am inclined to agree
with that timeline.
Making Habits Stick
During the initial habit making you will go through the following phases.
There are the Glory Days. There is the Rough Run. Finally, it begins to settle
in to a comfortable habit. The Glory Days are the first several days of the new
habit. Everything feels new and exciting. The Rough Run comes after the new car
smell has faded. Then there is the Comfortable Habit. This is when you are
doing just what you set out to do in the first place. It feels good. Good
results are coming in.
Visualize what this new habit will look like. See it so vividly in your mind
that you can feel and taste it. Bring in all of your senses when visualizing
the success of the new habit. Elite forces like Navy SEALS and Army Special
Forces do this with their training and making new habits. Top rated athletes
practice this. They play each step of the game in their mind before getting
onto the field. Martial artists do this to help solidify their techniques.
Research shows that by visualizing your actions and the success of them
actually makes the neural connections necessary for the new act. It also does
trigger some physical adaptation for it, as well.
How does one get through the Rough Run? Linking personal positive rewards as
a way to mark hitting the milestone.
Link Positives to making new healthy habits. Treat yourself to something
that involves as many senses as you can to reward yourself. Something I like,
and miss from my days in Europe, is sitting back with a cappuccino. I use them
now as a reward for achieving a set goal and for making new habits. Cappuccino
smells wonderful. It tastes grand. It even has its own feel in your mouth. The
sound of the milk being frothed is the audible cue that things are great.
Even seeing the foam reminds me of those late afternoon coffees sitting near
the curb or a heater in a café. This is the sort of thing that brings all of
you together to celebrate your achievement.
Sometimes life will knock you out of the new track before it becomes a
healthy rut. At these times you have to head back into your healthy habit as
fast as you can. As fast as you can without stressing out, that is. Close your
eyes and breathe deeply for about 12 breaths. That will take approximately 2 to
3 minutes if you are breathing fully and deeply. These breaths will not only
help slow you down, but they will flood your system with more oxygen. The
higher O2 content will feed your brain. There you have it, you are reset and
ready to reengage.
Visualize the new habit as a regular attribute or action.
Breathe deeply. Refocus on the goal. Then, with your mind calmed, cleared, and
full of O2 step back into your habit. After the 21 days are done you will find
that coming back into the track is easier and that getting knocked out of it is
less perturbing.
