The year is 2015. I’m laying on my apartment bed, Miss Kitty is snuggled beside me. I’m scrolling Instagram and stumble across an acquaintance that just started her fitness journey. She looked amazing.
I wanted that. I wanted to be her.
But instead of asking questions, self-reflecting, or reaching out for help, I convinced myself that I just couldn’t be the “type of person” who exercises and eats healthy regularly.
I checked myself out before I even started.
Fast forward 7 years…
Now I embody the identity I so wished to be in 2015.
I tell you this not to brag, but rather to encourage you with this: The only thing preventing you from becoming the “type of person” you want to be is the absence of systems and habits to get you there.
But what are habits?
Habits are the auto-pilots guiding our lives. More formally, habits are the small actions executed and the decisions made on any given day. Good or bad, habits make up 40% of our daily decision making whether we realize it or not.
This is why if you have health and fitness goals especially, it is important to embrace the identity you wish to become and then establish the habits that support it.
Because if you can replace habits that do not support your desired identity with habits that do, it will make you not only successful in achieving your goals, but also so much easier.
“Okay Abbey you’ve convinced me, but how do I change my habits and adopt better ones?”
Here’s where you can start:
Identity - determine what your goal is and ask yourself what type of person embodies your goal.
Establishing awareness - it’s hard to change a habit if you’re not aware that you do it. Our favorite way is filling out a habit journal.
Start small - make the first habit change so small and easy that you can’t say no. Employ the KISS principle: keep it simple silly!
Increase over time - as you become consistent, make a small increase and continue to improve.
Never miss twice - if you slip up, that’s okay! But don’t slip up twice in a row - get back on track.
Be patient - with that last point, expect to make mistakes and be patient with your progress because we all move at different speeds. It's okay to fail as long as you learn from it!
Check out BUILD.POWER.GRIND for more information on personal training, group fitness classes, and nutrition to help you maintain any movement and health goals you have!