We humans are creatures of habit. But which habits are
beneficial and which are harmful to us? That is what we have to find out. But
let's first look at the positive habits.
Habits take a while to establish. A study by a team of
health psychologists at University College London found that it takes more than
two months (66 days in total) to develop a new habit.
So once we break out of our training rhythm, it can take a
long time to get it back on track. Fortunately, we know habit-building
strategies to get back into the workout routine. Try out these strategies and
surprise the people around you with an ongoing body change.
Focus on
one goal
Putting together a training plan shouldn't be overly
complicated. Forming habits is not an “all or nothing” process. You don't
necessarily have to take part in five group courses per week, go for a run with
a friend at 6 a.m. or cook all the dishes yourself. It is impossible to
establish too many habits at the same time. Your brain will be completely
scattered and your willpower will be exhausted. Set your expectations a little
lower and only introduce a small change such as: train for 30 minutes every day
- and implement this innovation consistently. The change soon becomes routine.
Create a
habit loop
In order to break a bad habit and get back into a healthy
routine, one must first understand what triggers that bad habit. There are
three basic habit components from Charles Duhigg , author of "The Power of
Habit" He calls them "Habit Loops ":
1.Routine : This is the behavior that we repeat every day -
it can be psychological, physical or emotional. Duhigg's example: Eat a cookie
from the cafeteria every day at 3 p.m.
2.Reward : This is the satisfying result we get from our
routine. Duhigg wondered what his reward was from eating the cookie. The sugar
in the blood? The social aspect? The change of scenery?
3.Triggers : What Made Us Eat The Cookie? Hunger? Boredom?
Low blood sugar?
Duhigg's reason for going to the cafeteria was the need for
a change from everyday work, not the cookie itself. Instead of going to the
cafeteria, he now meets to chat with colleagues as soon as his trigger
(boredom) occurs. He lost weight as a result.
Find out which negative routines have become habits for you
and replace them with positive ones. Or in Duhigg's words, once you know and
define the trigger, the routine, and the reward, you have power over it ”.
Find the
right motivation
What is right for one person doesn't have to apply to you
too. If the surge of sparkling happiness hormones isn't enough for you to get
back into your healthy routine, then try technology.
Fitness apps let you track your triumphs and they give you
an instant reward that you may not be able to see in the mirror right away. The
motivational features of apps like Runkeeper were invented to help you keep
your routine going. She will regularly send you reminders to go for a run so
you can't break this routine.
The data-driven properties of workout apps are great, and
some of these technical marvels have another behavior-shaping trick: social
competitiveness. If you share a workout, your friends can see it and rate it as
"I like", which is very important as a support. So there are more
rewards out there than just the ones Duhigg talked about.
