The New Year is here and chances are high that we are all adamantly in pursuit of some new and beautiful personal reconstruction. All of us here at Wanderfit Ventures certainly are, and we couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead. We’ve set new fitness goals, new diet goals, and new personal goals, as we are all actively becoming better versions of ourselves.It’s time to leave some of our old habits behind, and to establish new and healthy habits.A process that we've come to realize through the years can actually be quite complex. That is, retraining your brain to ‘be better’ and ‘do better’ doesn’t necessarily just happen overnight.Having had been through these ups and downs ourselves, and knowing the stress that can go with it all, we’ve decided to do what we can to help! That’s why we’ve created this list — to assist you in this process of creating new and healthy habits.So, what have we learned?
First things first, an absolutely crucial component of any transformation, is that you should not, and in fact can not, focus on the currently unhealthy habit.For what you focus on, is what you will become.Even if the unhealthy habit is simply that you are not performing the healthy habit itself, we can not allow ourselves to dwell on any negativity.For example, if you wish to get yourself back in shape, do not get stuck in a self defeating thought pattern of “Ahh man, I never go to the gym…”. Instead, actively assert to yourself that today is the day. The day where you initiate this becoming of all that you have always dreamed of becoming. Acknowledge the current reality for what it is, certainly, but then let go of it. Release it and any energy you have attached to it. Something that might be easier to do once we have an understanding of our basic habit patterns themselves.
That being said, why don't we take a second here and break down these habit patterns themselves. As we do, please bear in mind that the simplest and easiest way to solidify any new and healthy habits, is to simply adjust the underlying essence of each of these three steps.
All habit unfolding starts with a trigger. Something that touches one of our five senses, or something that we do or think that initiates a desire to fall back into the routine.
Where routine is when we perform the act itself, often subconsciously so.And when it comes to building new healthy habits, it’s important for us to remember that establishing a new routine is going to take some time. Something we’ll touch on a bit more later.
It is also always important to remember that we do all of this because of the reward. That is, both the trigger and the following routine exist as byproducts of some kind of reward system we have established for ourselves.There is a payoff that we all convince ourselves we are to receive at the end of every action we take.
Knowing all of this, we can begin to objectively dissect our current habits, and then initiate an active reconstruction of them.
Step number one, envision a future where your desired habit is already a reality.So, you want to get back in shape? You want to achieve a new PR in the next 3 months? Maybe you want to lose 20 lbs before your birthday?All of these things are possible, and trust us, you will begin to believe much more strongly in both the results and in your ability to produce them, once you start imagining them as something which already exists.
As your vision builds, it’s time to make a plan!Within this plan, remember that you can and should manipulate the habit patterns themselves.If for example, one of the new healthy habits you wish to create for yourself is to start going to the gym everyday after work.
Well, you need to create a trigger first, right?. Something like placing your fully packed and ready to go fitness bag next to your briefcase the night before, so every morning you are reminded to bring it with you.Then establish your own reward system as well. Perhaps your favorite protein shake at the end of every workout, or you favorite cheat meal every 5 times you go to the gym.Between these two, the routine will develop and slowly become second nature. You should also have a plan within this routine, as well. It will make staying on track much easier. Document the journey in a fitness journal and set realistic goals and benchmarks to keep yourself entertained, encouraged, and attentive.Maybe you need help coming up with your own personalized fitness plan? Coach Will specializes in doing exactly this, with years of experience under his belt, he’d love to lend a hand. Just shoot him an email at will@wanderfitretreats.com.
And guys, be patient with yourself. Remember when we were talking about developing a new routine taking some time?Well, statistics show that it can take at least 2-3 months for any new habit to actually become solidified. What this means is that we must be diligent in our pursuits. Focusing on the big picture and taking the necessary steps each day to get ourselves closer.Try not to let yourself get defeated if the results don’t show right away. Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? One missed day is not going to ruin everything here either guys. If you’re too tired for the gym, or some other event comes up that you have to go to, that’s okay.Let it be, and instead choose to use this as fuel for your own fire, going twice as hard on your session tomorrow.So, to recap. Envision the new and healthy habits, as opposed to focusing on the ones you wish to delete. Create a healthy trigger, establish a positive reward system for yourself, and be patient as the subconscious assumption of the routine itself develops. Make a plan, and stick to it!You got this my friends. We’ll see ya in the gym soon.
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
