How to Make Habits Stick
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“I’ll start on Monday.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this phrase from someone wanting to lose weight. They will eat whatever they want on the weekends, and justify their unhealthy binges by saying they will start eating healthy on Monday.
Unfortunately, Monday never comes. It is an endless cycle of procrastination. Next weekend rolls around and guess what. That same eating pattern happens with the justification that Monday is coming.
Over time, this wears you down emotionally and physically. You look in the mirror only to be dissatisfied with the person staring back at you and you’re in a constant battle with the bathroom scale. It not only impacts you physically, but even worse your health is impacted too.
Building Your House
Think about your fitness goals as a blueprint for your dream house.
You have the goal in mind, you’ve written it down, but now you need to get it from paper to reality. What will you need to make this happen?
First, you will need materials and workers to help you build the house. Most exercise programs will give you just enough resources to start the construction of your dream home.
However, when it comes time to building on top of your foundation, the house becomes crooked, cracked and eventually starts to cave in. The lack of application and direction is why so many people fail at losing weight or building muscle.
Habits Inhabit
The word inhabit means to occupy or live in your life. Whether you choose good habits or bad habits, it will affect many areas of your life. We have to be diligent in only keeping the good habits in our life. It’s time to evict any bad habits that are dwelling in your life.
By nature, people need habits. The saying ‘we are creatures of habit’ has been around for a long time because there is so much truth behind it. So make your habits work to your advantage so that you can start building the life you want- a life filled with health and happiness.
Remember, a good body is a byproduct, not the purpose. When you implement these healthy habits in your life, you’ll build a better body and a better life.
So, what are the 4 habits to everlasting success?
Habit 1: Map It Out
Habit 2: Reframe Your Mind
Habit 3: Organize
Habit 4: Take Action / Reinforce Behavior
We’ll go into each one in greater detail. As you read through, be sure to partake in the exercises so you can get the most out of this document.
Habit 1: Map It Out
What’s Your Goal?
The definition of a goal is “a result or achievement toward which effort is directed.” Without having a specific goal, you’ll often wander off course and not get the results you hoped for. It is so important to come up with a goal before you start anything.
“A goal without a plan is a wish.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“By failing to prepare,
you are preparing to fail.”
-Benjamin Franklin
A well thought out and constructed goal gives us a sense of direction, self-worth, and purpose.
If goals are so important, why do so many people spend the majority of their life without them? Or even worse, they commit to the wrong type of goals.
It seems that we spend more time planning our vacations than we do the goals in our lives. We have to make goals a priority, starting right now. By making goals, you will create a vision for your future success every day and start to build a life toward making your vision a reality.
Pull, Don’t Push
I once had to haul multiple heavy products on a flatbed cart. I was trying to maneuver it from the back of a big warehouse style store to the front where the checkout lines were.
I found that pushing the flatbed was virtually impossible to get around the aisle displays and the people going in my path. I reversed the direction of the cart and started pulling the flatbed instead. I was walking side by side with the cart now, but I found that it required a lot less effort than my previous attempt at pushing it.
That’s how it is with our goals. If we do not properly set our goals, it’s as if we are metaphorically pushing our cart. Sure it’ll start to move BUT it will be harder, longer and less enjoyable.
How do we pull instead of push? You have to be absolutely clear about what you want and create compelling reasons of why you want to achieve it. The following exercise will help with this. First, make sure you avoid the following mistakes of goal setting.
Common Pitfalls
Mistake #1: Not Concrete Enough
Have you ever had a goal that you thought you really wanted, but when you thought about it more, or as time went on, your interest in it faded?
That may be because you did not have a strong enough reason to achieve that goal. We’ll help you create a strong ‘why’ behind your goal.
Mistake #2: Too Complex
Don’t confuse yourself by creating too many goals. Otherwise, it’ll just seem like you’re going on a duck hunt with a sling shot.
Mistake #3: Making a Public Announcement to the World
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a support group to help you achieve your goals. And it is even great to share your goals with some of your close friends and family. However, be careful who you share your goals with.
Some people will try to cut you down and keep you at the same level as they are. This can negatively impact your morale and performance, especially at the onset of your journey when you need it most.
Instead, let your results do the announcing for you.
Goal Setting Exercise
I like to break it down into the following who, what, when, where, why and how questions. You can write your answer down as you go through each item below.
Write down your goal. What is it that you want to achieve? You can be general here. (Example: “I want to wear a size 6 jeans”)
Write down why you want to achieve it. (Example: “I want to make sure that I can enjoy the rest of my life without worrying about health problems,” or “I want to make sure that I can enjoy my time with my children, and their children.”)
Write down how you’ll specifically obtain that goal. How are you going to achieve your goal and what will you do differently to get it?
(Example: “I will do these Tension Toner every day. I will take the stairs whenever I can.”)
Who is involved in achieving the goal? (i.e. I will be involved in achieving this goal).
Whose help should you enlist to support you on your journey to your goal and how will you ask for this support? (i.e. I will enlist the support of my close friends and family, letting them know what my goal is and that I want them to help by not tempting me with unhealthy food. Support can also be enlisting a friend or loved one by working out with you).
What are you going to accomplish? Quantify your goal? (i.e. I want to lose 25 pounds).
When will you start taking actions toward your goal? (i.e. I will start today, MM/DD/YY).
When will you accomplish the goal by? (i.e. I will accomplish this goal by MM/DD/YY).
How are you going to accomplish it? (i.e. I will accomplish my goal by doing a Tension Toner workout every day for 20 minutes and adjusting my diet so that I have more fruits, vegetables and protein).
Why is it important to you? (i.e. This is important to me because I want to lead a healthy life free from disease, have more energy throughout the day and look my best).
When you have answered these questions, go back over each answer and ask yourself, “Is this realistic?” You want to make sure you are going outside your comfort zone, but you do not want it to be too lofty. For instance, if losing weight is your goal, it would be unrealistic and unsafe to lose 10 pounds a week. Instead, you should strive to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.
Habit #2: Reframe Your Mind
Our Thoughts Are Like Seeds
Each thought that we give credence to is planted in the fertile land of our mind. The land will return anything that is planted in it. So if you plant fear, doubt, negativity, you will have that produce in your life.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit” –Matthew 12:33
You can choose which seeds you plant and which you dispose of by deciding what you will focus on each day.
Do What You Can, Where You Are, With What You Have
Sometimes it's easy to be discouraged and hope for more than you have. But if you do the best right where you are today, you will undoubtedly make progress toward the life that you want.
You may not have that “perfect” body yet or the money to buy equipment or a trainer to help you lose weight. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, find ways that you can remain accountable for your own weight loss progress.
Be thankful for what you have today and do the best you can where you are. In the end, the person who is persistent is the one who succeeds.
It IS Possible, It IS Possible, It IS Possible
You must believe it is possible to achieve your goals. You can do this by seeking out others who have achieved a similar result. The internet and the library are filled with a bunch of stories from regular people who have achieved extraordinary results. So go explore!
Expectations/ Declarations
The phenomenon known as the placebo effect is a shining example of the power of expectation. It has been shown that the mere expectation to benefit from a treatment will help improve the condition being treated.
Too often we look for reasons why it will not happen. Since your mind does not believe it can lose weight, it will not make the effort necessary to get fit. Even more, it will subconsciously look for ways to sabotage your goals to remain congruent with your thoughts and beliefs.
Start expecting to lose weight and be the best version of yourself today. Your mind will give you that boost along the way to make sure you stay on track.
Stop the Comparison Game
As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Simply put, when we compare ourselves to others, we’ll find something that we like better about the other person.
As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s time to forget about the other side of the fence, and start making some trips to the garden store. You can and you will have an amazing, lush land of grass.
Breaking Limiting Thoughts
What stops many people from pursuing their goals is because they are filled with limiting beliefs (fearful that they won’t succeed, don’t think they have what it takes, etc..). The following is an exercise that Tony Robbins recommends in Awaken the Giant Within, a book about releasing your true potential.
Make a list of at least 5 beliefs that empowers you. This can be anything from your religion to what you think about your capabilities. (i.e. I believe I will lead a healthy life free from disease, I believe that whatever I set out to do, I will do it).
Next, make a list of at least 5 beliefs that limit you from your goals. This can relate to what is limiting you from losing weight. (i.e. I don’t have time to workout, I do not have the right genetics to lose weight, etc).
Circle 3 empowering beliefs and write an example of something in your life that makes you believe this.
Circle 3 limiting beliefs and write why you should not believe it.
Review Your Goal
This means reviewing your goals every day on a consistent basis. Hand write your goal every day.
This In addition to writing your goal, you can type your goal in a calendar event on your phone and have it recur daily.
Find out the best time to schedule it (possibly lunch time and early evening?).
Habit #3: Organize
Set Yourself Up For Success
A while back, I was laid off from a big corporation. At the time, there were a couple divisions with different specialties, and I was one of the lucky ones whose entire division was terminated (sense my sarcasm?). They told us we would have the opportunity to interview for the new position that would become available in several weeks. The bad part was that they reduced 40% of the positions.
I vividly remember a couple days after I was fired, I got my first mortgage payment of my new house in the mail. Talk about great timing! I sat there thinking about the situation, and while I was nervous on the inside, I knew that things would work out. I spent the next week really organizing myself. I felt like if I was going to do bigger and better things, then I would have to buckle down and get organized.
I organized my finances by setting up automatic payments for all my utilities. I came up with systems to help me remember deadlines. I created several dozen files to organize my expenses, receipts, coupons and personal documents. I worked on organizing everything literally from the moment I woke up, until the moment I went to sleep.
At the end of the week, I felt great, even though just 5 days earlier I was laid off.
Being organized gave me a clear head to focus on the more important things like nailing my interview. I re-interviewed, got my job back and finished as the #3 sales rep. I was also promoted not too long after. I attribute that mostly to getting myself organized and set up for success.
In the same way, if you want to see your life take a turn for the better, then make sure you organize yourself. Take an hour a day to devote to decluttering your life. I’m telling you that no matter how long it takes (a day, a week, a month) it will be well worth the investment in time at the end.
Information Overload
We are in a day and age where information overload has reached an all-time high. The rate that at which we consume and are exposed to information makes it difficult, if not impossible to take action on.
I equate information overload to a clogged drain. With each new piece of information we are exposed to, the gunk in our drain system starts to accumulate in the pipes. Eventually, as more gunk enters the pipes, the water backs up.
Our minds are the same way. With the addition of new things, our brain tries to do the best it can to retain what it thinks is important. However, over time our brains get stressed with every new bit of information it has to learn that it essentially starts shutting out even important information.
Not only are we flooded with information, but we’re also tasked with the responsibility to decipher good information from bad information.
Although the internet is an amazing platform to find information on just about anything, there is a great deal of misinformation.
According to Spring.org, “A survey of the first 50 Web sites matching the search term ‘weight loss diets’ revealed that only 3 delivered sound dietary advice.”
That’s why we recommend that you follow advice you read or hear about wisely. It’s also why there are nearly 80 references in our Burn Your Belly Fat post. We want to give you the most accurate information and empower you to make your own decision.
Most of the information in the eBook is summarized nicely in “Eat Smarter” located on the member site.
Brain Drain
Every night, drain your brain. Until this became a habit, I used to put a reoccurring alarm to notify me when I had to do my “brain drain exercise.”
Essentially all I was doing, and the habit that you should think about adopting as well, was listing all the things that I have to do for the next day. I would just spit fire them out of my head and onto a sheet of paper in no particular order. Whatever popped into my head is the order it appeared on paper.
I would then circle the 3 things that absolutely must get done tomorrow, and then prioritize the rest of the list.
Habit 4: Take Action/Reinforce Behavior
We’ve mapped out our goals, reframed our mind, and organized ourselves. However, it’s all useless without taking action.
Action is the most important part. Without taking action, your goals are just words on a paper. Be true to your word and commit to yourself right now that you will do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal.
"Your words, combined with faith, have the power to supernaturally open doors; but only action enables you to walk through them." - Joe Sans
“Plan your work, work your plan”
In habit 1 we planned our work, now in step 4 we are working our plan.
Rehearse
Reinforce your new behaviors and goals by rehearsing them in your mind.
Visualizing how you’ll look and feel at your new weight, for instance can help facilitate the changes necessary to bring about those actions. Research shows that when you imagine yourself achieving an exercise goal, your performance level increases.
Evaluate Your Performance
Evaluate your results relative to your goal.
When you reach the date you wanted to accomplish the goal by, look at how you did. Did you reach the goal?
Did you have any setbacks along the way?
How did you overcome those setbacks?
What could you have done differently or improved on to help you get even better results?
By asking yourself these questions and evaluating your results, you will see how far you have come and see how you can do even better the next goal you set for yourself.
Press Forward
Know that you will encounter slow periods and challenges.
HOWEVER, always press forward despite how hopeless or unconfident you may feel!
Create Triggers
Triggers are simply an action that signals your brain to start a habit. For instance, a trigger to workout could be to drink a glass of water, or to listen to a pre-workout playlist you made.
Do your trigger repeatedly, ideally the same time every day to kick start your new habits.
Keep It Fun
Have fun creating and implementing your habits. Do you get bored working out? Get some music to liven the mood and get your feet moving!
Don’t Stop
Persistence Overcomes Resistance.
You will have to fake it until you make it. It will not come easy to start your habit, but it is essential that you do not skip what you are supposed to do. Our minds will try to keep us in our comfort zone, but you must push pass the initial resistance. Remember, your comfort zone will never help you grow and yield the great results that you are capable of.
Give It Your Best Shot
Yes, showing up is half the battle. But the other battle is to actually give it all we got while we are there.
Remember: when you work out with intensity, you’ll burn up the density!
Strive for Progress, Not Perfection
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Sometimes it's easy to be discouraged and hope for more than you have. But if you do the best right where you are today, you will undoubtedly make progress toward the life that you want.
For instance, you may not have that "perfect" body yet or the money to buy equipment or a trainer to help you lose weight. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, find ways that you can remain accountable for your own weight loss progress.
Be thankful for what you have today and do the best you can where you are. In the end, the person who is persistent is the one who succeeds.
Conclusion
The sooner you start exercising and eating healthy, the sooner you will start to look and feel amazing.
Take back control of your health and get the body you’ve been waiting for. What are you waiting for? If you are leading an unhealthy lifestyle, then you must change. There are thousands of diseases in the world that can claim your life or your loved ones life at any moment. By not taking control of your health, you’re increasing your risk of many of these diseases. Make the commitment to yourself and your family TODAY that you will not sit back and be a victim to illness.
Reclaim your body, reclaim your life. Think of the many years you still have to enjoy and the many things you want to do. Don’t lose out on them because you left your ‘dream house’ on a piece of paper.
Start building your house today by implementing the 4 habits outlined for you.
And finally, I’ll leave you with one last thing to reflect on:
Don’t come to the end of your life asking,
“What if I had given everything I got?”
