New Habits for the New Year… Who will you be when you grow up?

New Habits for the New Year… Who will you be when you grow up?

Are you planning for a healthier you in 2020? If you’re in the majority… you are. Here are some simple planning ideas to help you succeed starting January 1st.

• Think long term
• Make good habits easy
• Make bad habits hard

Make bad habits hard!

If bad habits were hard instead of convenient you’d be far less likely to do them. For example, don’t stock ice cream in your freezer. It’s one spoon and door opening away. Leave it at the grocery store. It’s now, grab the keys, open the car door, start the car, drive down the street, park the car, go in the store, pick what kind you want, take it to the register, dig in your wallet for the money, pay for it…. You get the idea. SOOO MANY more steps to get that ice cream. I’ll bet you’re not going to go through those steps every day and you’ll be healthier for it. You can use this to make any bad habit more difficult to partake in. Booze, ice cream, cookies, candy… get them out of the house before January 1 and consciously decide… I will have to go through that long list of steps EVERY time I have that poor option. I can tell you first hand the length of time to go through that list to get your bad habit is full of guilt (another bad habit deterrent). If you want to learn how to pick up good eating habits and drop bad eating habits to improve your health and fitness you should sign up for our New Year’s Nutrition Challenge.

Make good habits easy!

It is vital that you make and new good habit that you want to make EASY. A habit I decided on in May of last year was to read for 10 mins a day. Simple and not a huge chunk of time. But what happened when I picked up the book? I would usually read for an hour. I actually had to set a timer to keep from reading too long! OK so you want to get healthier… I’m going to workout every day. Let’s start with 5 mins EVERYONE can find 5 mins in their day. In those 5 mins you’re going to do: 1 min Plank, 1 min of Sit Ups, 1 min of Squats, 1 min of Jumping Jacks, 1 min of Toe Touches. Look at your daily schedule and figure out when it fits best. Right before you shower could be the perfect time! If you want step by step guidance in building a new exercise habit you should meet with a coach and discuss our First 60 Days program.

Think long term…

One large lump sum? OR continous small deposits? We want to make continuous small deposits, daily, toward our goals. The effect of these small habits is like compounding interest on a bank account, the growth is exponential, not linear. A small change applied daily for a couple of months, a year, a decade has the ability to change your life dramatically. I like to think of it as “who do I want to be when I grow up?”. Example, I want to be fit. Fit people workout regularly. I should too. I can dedicate 5 mins everyday. What happens when you’re warm and sweaty from you 5 mins? You’ll probably decide (some days) that “hey I can do a little more” and a habit will be born and ready to grow. More importantly though it is not about how much on a given day but that you do it everyday. My morning schedule is a habit born out of what I want to become and is who I am becoming. If you want to become more fit and need help implementing some good habits, come meet with a coach. We’ll help you be who you want to be when you grow up!

Brian Zimmerman

Owner

CrossFit Jungle Gym