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Have you ever said “No, I’m not going to have a cookie” or “I’m definitely going to the gym tonight” only to find yourself binge-watching “You” with a box of Double-Stuffed Oreos in your lap? Why is it that we can say one thing but end up doing the exact opposite? Why can’t we just decide to do something and do it?
To answer those questions, let’s think about the human brain. One of the most important capabilities of the brain is the ability to act on impulse. Our brains can make decisions without us actually having to think through the situation.
Thinking requires a ton of energy. Think about the last time you had to concentrate for an extended period of time. Do you remember that feeling of complete exhaustion afterwards? That’s why our brains want to make everything it possibly can into habits. It wants to conserve energy by minimizing the number of things you have to think about in a day.
The brain is constantly looking for things to turn into habits. This is an extremely good thing. Do you realize how many thousands of decisions we would have to make each day if our brain didn’t turn them into habits?
Do I put on my pants or shirt first?
Which leg do I put in first?
Do I button my shirt from the top-down or bottom-up?
Which shoe do I tie first?
Do I brush my teeth before or after I get dressed?
Without habits, we would face dozens of decisions before we even made it out of the bedroom in the morning. The ability to form these semi-complex tasks into automatic behaviors saves an extraordinary amount of energy; however, this process isn’t instantaneous.
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You don’t do one set of barbell squats and automatically have a new habit of working out on your way home from work. This is because your brain’s physical structure is actually changing. New pathways are being created in the brain in order to create these new habits, which takes time.
It’s commonly stated that it takes 21 days to make a habit. While this makes for a catchy thing to say, it’s not quite true. This idea actually came from a misquoting of Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his 1960 book, Psycho-Cybernetics, where he said forming a new habit takes a minimum of 21 days.
To support this, a 2009 study, observing 96 volunteers found that it took anywhere from 18 - 254 days to form a new habit, depending on the complexity of the habit. The average time to form a new habit was 66 days - over three times longer than most people expect new habits to take. [1]
In order to set ourselves up for success, we need to make it as easy as possible to stick to the behavior that we’re trying to habitualize until the habit is formed. If possible, make it hard not to do that behavior.
If you’re trying to make going to the gym a habit, put your gym bag in your car the night before. Choose a gym that’s on the way home from work. Keep your workouts short at first so that you don’t burn yourself out. Include plenty of exercises you enjoy.
If you want more tips for working out with a busy schedule, check out this video!
This will also ensure we aren’t working against ourselves. Remember, we’re creating new pathways in the brain. When we say we’re going to do or not do something then go back on it, it still changes the physical structure of our brain, but not in the way we want.
Each time we make a decision, it creates those new pathways and they are reinforced every time we make that same decision. If we continually say we’re going to the gym and don’t go, it gets that much easier to not go the next time.
Takeaway
Habits take a long time to form. Consistency and repetition helps that new habit solidify. Make your program enjoyable and convenient so that you’ll stick to the program until it becomes a habit.
Thank you so much for reading! If you found this information helpful and want to help the Treadaway Training blogcast grow, simply share this post with a friend. If you like what I have to say, sign up below to become a Treadaway Training Insider or check out my YouTube channel. I will be back here Saturday with another body transformation topic. As always, God bless you AND your family and I'll see you Saturday.
