Habit Helping Characteristics
Someone once declared, “I would never do something for the sake of a ‘diet’ that I was not willing to keep up for a lifetime!” Agreed. Reaching and maintaining a fit body at its normal and natural best-weight is not a matter of white-knuckled will power. It’s a matter of identifying and practicing good behaviors often enough that those good behaviors become habitual and second nature to you. It’s a matter of developing habits that you don’t have to think about, habits that will naturally result in the accomplishment of your goals
Establish a personal treasure chest of characteristics to help you establish healthy weight loss habits. Decide to:
Be Committed: Promise yourself that you will practice your new and better behavior for at least 30 days, every day, no excuses.
Be Smart: Make your goal easy. In fact, make it so easy that there is absolutely no possible way that you could not be successful. For example, set yourself a goal to walk to the end of the block and back each day for a month. After a month, set your goal to walk around the block, then around two blocks, etc. The most important thing is to build the habit of walking every day, then you can change the particulars of the habit as you desire.
Be Specific: Say exactly what you mean. In your plan, replace “Exercise” with “Walk to the end of my block at 6:30 a.m.” Or replace “do some sit-ups” with “do twenty crunches immediately after returning from my walk.” This is no more than good goal setting technique. Documenting your specific plan on paper can also improve your odds of success. If you don’t write it down, you might fool yourself into believing it’s not important.
Be Consistent: Do It every single day. Consistency eliminates the possibility that you will talk yourself out of doing It. Make It non-negotiable. Don’t ask yourself “do I want to walk today or tomorrow?” You know how you are! You also know how easy it is to turn one non-performing day into a whole week or month of non-performance, and then have to start all over again. Argh.
Be Strategic: Do some research and some soul-searching. Seriously. List all the benefits you will enjoy as a result of developing your new weight loss habit. Incorporate your emotions into the list too. Imagine how excited and happy you will feel the first time you notice that you did not notice your belly hanging over the top of your jeans.
Be Reactive: Launch a trigger. Associate the new desired behavior with something that is already a consistent part of your life. For example, if you always have a cup of coffee first thing when you get to work each morning, link the coffee to an apple. Use that cup of coffee to trigger the eating of an apple right afterwards. You’ll have to think less about better nutrition, and you’ll be using your auto-pilot to work for rather than against you.
Be Proactive: Stop potential killers of your tender new habit in their tracks. Think ahead and look for potential roadblocks, changes in routine, or special occasions. Plan how you will deal with the challenges while remaining faithful to your commitment to yourself. Try setting your exercise clothes out the night before, packing a healthy lunch the night before, or tame your appetite by having a handful of almonds and a glass of iced tea before you face the buffet at your sister’s wedding reception.
Be Generous: Just as you smile and toss your dog a treat after he sits on command, be sure to give yourself a reward after you’ve done something good. Reinforce each step you take toward growing your habit. Take a bubble bath after your daily walk. Enjoying yourself along the habit-building way will make your habit stronger and more beneficial.
Be Single-minded: Focus all your attention and power on your one-and-only goal for this month. Don’t worry about all the other steps you want to take. Don’t worry about whether or not you are seeing progress on the scale at this early stage. Remember, for right now, you are simply building a habit. Be happy with that.
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