Movement for Life: Developing Good Habits Part II

by Lauren Walker

It's never too late to learn a good habit. Remember that frequency is key to your success. This means that, to create a new habit, you don't have to spend an hour a day doing it. Let's look into a few keys to success when adopting a new good habit.

Frequency

If your goal is to get to the gym three days a week, make sure your gym gear is ready to go! The book I spoke of in last week's column is "Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones." By James Clear. It focuses on breaking down a new habit into achievable steps. If you spend 15 minutes at the gym three days a week and keep it up for three months, you're on your way! Frequency matters more than how long a task takes. All you really need to do is show up. Gradually, you can increase your time at the gym because you're now in the habit of going three days a week.

Be Consistent

Odds are you'll complete a task when you have the physical and mental energy to do so. If your day is chaotic, fitting in a new task at the end of the day is probably not a good idea. For example: If you'd like to practice mindfulness, take 5 minutes when you wake up to do meditative breathing. That's doable for the average person and a reasonable amount of time to spend completing the task. You can check that off your list easily. Make a new habit fit into your life without adding a burden.

Make a List or Journal

Self-awareness is key to change. Writing down your daily routine may help you be aware of where changes can be made. Think of every good habit as filling your karmic piggy bank. Every time you add a coin, you are making a vote for the person you want to be. Small change adds up!

You Become Your Habits

My new favourite saying! "You become your habits." Let's face it, if you go home, sit on the couch and watch TV all night, you'll become the product of that choice. If you go out for a walk instead, you become a product of that choice. So what kind of person would you like to be? A healthy person makes decisions based on what will improve their wellness.

Good habits begin and end with you. Keep it simple, break your goals into achievable steps, and follow through with consistent effort. All you need to do is keep showing up.

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