Not only are tiny habits more sustainable, they feel great from the get go and they are more likely to lead to bigger life changes along the way.
There’s no doubt about it, good habits are important. But keeping good habits going long term can be really tough and sometimes, instead of sticking it out we give up because we’ve either set the bar too high or we succumb to the next shiny thing and follow that instead.
Creating a habit takes way more than we realise and most of the time we give up long before we see long term changes.
I remember hearing once that a habit takes 21 days to make. But I looked into it and that adage came from a single study of people in the 1960’s who had undergone plastic surgery and their surgeon, Maxwell Maltz realised that it took approximately 21 days for his patients to accept their new look. So how that ever got turned into ’21 days to make a habit’, I have no idea but it’s not true anyways.
I’ve also read that it takes approx 90 days to create a habit but even then I would say this is subjective. How many times in your life have you stuck to something for 3 months, only to drop it for something new? I bet between us we have given up alcohol, avoided sugar, started and stopped jogging, journaled, gone vegetarian and many more things for 90 days in the name of health. But here we are, back to feeling shit about ourselves because we just couldn’t make the long haul. Another study I read proclaimed it can take up to 400 days to create a habit and that even then, the subject must be motivated and compelled to succeed.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It happens to all of us, which is why I am exploring different options, to help us move forwards and to encourage you to give it another go.
Instead of making HUGE plans that aren’t sustainable, how about creating tiny habits that really don’t take so much motivation to stick to.
I think of tiny habits a bit like brushing my teeth. It’s easy, takes only a couple of minutes and it slips into my daily schedule without getting in the way. Plus I know for sure that the long term gain far outweighs the pain.. so I just do it, without fuss and without neglect every single day.
Maybe your big goal for the year was to get to an extra Pilates classes a week – we all know the benefits of one more class are huge and the long term rewards are many.. but come the end of January and you’re already seeing road blocks, finding excuses not to make class and it’s stressing you out.
So, instead of getting down on yourself, how about practicing Pilates while you are brushing your teeth?
For real – you could brush your teeth while you balance on one leg – or practice your heel raises – even add in a few squats. When you’re done with your teeth why not take an extra 30 seconds to practice a side bend – big breath in as you reach over, expand that rib cage and enjoy the feeling of minty fresh breath filling your lungs.
The thing with tiny habits is they don’t get in the way of our every day life. I know for sure that if I told myself I was going to do 100 push ups a day I already feel overwhelmed before I even start and so instead of failing the mammoth task I’ve set myself, I opt out altogether and tell myself ‘if I can’t do them all, there’s no point even starting’. A month later I haven’t done any of the pushups and I feel even worse about myself than when I initially set my goal because I’ve completely failed to show up. The feeling of failure is so crushing that I sink into a depression and turn to ice cream to make myself feel better.
Do you see the cycle?
Imagine, if instead of setting the unattainable goal of 100 daily push ups, which I never end up starting (because it looks like Mt Everest in my mind) I commit myself to just 5 push ups every single day (a walk around the block).
In the first week alone I’ve already completed 35 more push ups than I’ve ever done before AND I’m feeling great. The dopamine rush of completing the task each day sets me up with more motivation to continue and because I’m feeling so proud of my efforts I might even pump out a few more rounds of push ups when I’m watching TV, waiting for my coffee to brew or out walking the dog.
Not only are tiny habits more sustainable, they feel great from the get go and they are more likely to lead to bigger life changes along the way.
So, what tiny habit are you going to create today?
Did you know that the tiny habit process is just one topic we dive deep into with my 90 days to better health program. Tiny habits may seem like nothing but the long term benefits can be profound and life changing. If you want to learn more simply email me here and I will send you some info.
Don’t fall into the trap of getting in your own way. Join me for my 90 day program and make tiny habits for life. You are worth it.