By Lam
CrossFit is one of the best things for me to stay fit, but without consistency I would have a very hard time improving my lifts or my fitness. Whether it be nutrition, fitness or wellness activities, making it a habit is probably one of the toughest obstacles I have to conquer. Here are three strategies I use when I try to form a new habit:
- START SMALL
When it comes to starting new habits I tend to start small to have a better chance at gaining momentum to be successful. For example, when I first started CrossFitting and making better food choices, I made it a goal to start eating clean three times a week while setting my goal to work out three times a week. I knew that if I set the bar at 7 days a week, it would be much more likely that I wouldn’t hit my goals and ultimately get discouraged! Setting small goals helps me maintain the consistency which in turn makes forming habits easier. - ELIMINATE BARRIERS
Another idea is to eliminate barriers to success. When forming more positive habits, I’ll identify challenges or barriers to my success ahead of time. This is why I strategize around the things that can make me fail at forming a new positive habit. For example, when embarking on a nutrition challenge, I eliminate things that can be a barrier to eating better by clearing my fridge from any food items that aren’t conducive to reaching my goals. I also devise a strategy to shop on the outside of the grocery store, as some of the more processed foods are towards the center of the store. - RELY ON COMMUNITY
Lastly, I use my community for support and accountability. You’ll be surprised how even posting a daily journal to your community will help you be accountable and help you form the consistent habit. Sometimes I even ask the people at home or my friends to help keep me positively accountable in forming new habits!
Habits form through consistency. Everyone struggles with starting better ones and straying away from the bad ones. I find these three things are a good foundation to help keep me consistent until it becomes second nature. Good luck with your forming your new positive habits!
What are your tips to forming new habits?