Forming New Habits

Our corporate training team starts nearly all their training sessions telling their trainees that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Once you’ve done something for 21 consecutive days, it is officially a new habit and becomes part of your routine. So that is my drive – for the next 19 days (‘cause I started yesterday) I am going to eat right. "Right" being sensibly – low fat, healthy, natural foods, (avoiding high-fat, high-calorie and highly-processed foods). So far so good, but it’s always good on day 2!

ALSO – I am headed back to the gym! I had worked out a routine I was pretty good about back when I worked from home – it was easy to get up in the morning, go to the gym and get to my desk at home, still sweaty, smelly and in my gym clothes by 8:00 (or so) and at some point durring the morning take a shower-break. But now that I am back in an office position – YIKES! This sucks! I figured I should be able to make it on Saturdays and Sundays most all weekends, and then I’d only have to find TWO other days to get there (or more if I feel like it). So I tried. But it’s nearly impossible for me to get out to the gym in the evenings. I either have another obligation, or if not, what I really want to do when I get home is relax with a drink and visit with my sweetie. SO – this morning (the coldest day of the winter so far!) I set my alarm really early (5:20 AM!!) and got my fat ass out of bed by 5:40 and headed for the gym. Just enough time to get in a cardio and weight routine before hitting the shower and heading off for the office. DAMN! I was proud of myself. And as Blondie would say “then I got to feel good about myself all day!”

So my question is this – how do I form a habit of going to the gym 4 days a week when I have to do it for 21 consecutive days before it becomes a habit?? – maybe I have to do it for 5 or 6 weeks (21 visits to the gym) and that will be the equivalent? Well, that will take me to the end of our Valentine's Day challenge, so maybe that’s a good plan!