Where Are Your Habits Leading You?

Like it or not, we are an accumulation of our habits. From how you get out of bed, how you shower, how you dress, how you walk, sit, and talk, how you respond to the world, how you act in front of others, and how you think; you’re living out the habits you’ve consciously or unconsciously formed over months, years, and even decades.

But the good news is that habits are necessary.

Good habits free up your mind so you can concentrate on how to survive day to day. You don’t have to think about how to drive your car so you can be on the lookout for danger while you are driving. You don’t have to think about how to walk so you can concentrate on where you’re going.

Unfortunately, habits can also keep you locked in self-destructive patterns, which will limit your success, particularly when it comes to losing weight.

Have you been unsuccessful at losing weight because you know it’s going to require you to change some things? While you probably know “what” your going to have to change to accomplish this, part of your game plan is that you’ll need to drop those bad habits that are keeping you in your comfort zone and develop new ones that are in alignment with the weight you want to lose.  Let’s face it, people don’t suddenly lose weight simply because one morning they decide they “want to”… their habits (good and bad) play a large part in determining their outcome.

What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your weight loss goals?

Really be honest with yourself here…

• Are you a perpetual “Monday morning starter” just to find that by Wednesday or Thursday you find yourself eating things you swore you wouldn’t on Monday?
• Do you schedule your times to exercise and then let other “things” take priority and end up skipping exercise on a day or so that week?
• Do you decide that you’ve had enough trying to fit into your bigger pants or shorts, but then figure “Oh, what the hell… one more time won’t matter” when your friends come calling to eat and drink out at one of your favorite eateries?
• Do you try to follow through on promises you make to yourself about losing those extra pounds and then find it difficult to stay motivated?

What prevents you from starting toward and sticking with a well-designed weight loss plan ISN’T good intentions… it’s the not-so-good habits and patterns that seem to almost force you to stay as overweight as you are like some of the software programs that run in the background of your computer without you even knowing it.

Now imagine what your body (and your life) would be like if all your habits were their productive counterparts!

• What would your body look and feel like if you ate healthier, more balanced meals that didn’t pack on the pounds at least 80% of the time?
• What would your body look and feel like if you made the commitment and stuck with it to schedule your exercise sessions AND make them a priority so as to NEVER skip or reschedule them, no matter what?
• What would your body look and feel like if you did something else to be social with your friends than just eating and drinking high-fat, sugar-laden foods at a restaurant?
• What would your body look and feel like if you stopped procrastinating about losing weight, overcame your immediate obstacles, and began losing the extra pounds with a coach who held you accountable?

Would your body… and your life… be different? I bet it would!

So, my suggested 2-Step Action Plan for you is…

• STEP 1:  Write down 5 productive habits you could adopt right now that you already know would make a change in how you look and start you on the road to being lighter.  This might include things like deciding to stop eating junk and sugary drinks both at home and when you eat out, substitute the “white stuff” (potatoes, rice, bread, and pasta) for more vegetables or fruit during the week, making sure your drink enough mainly good, refreshing water (at least 96 oz.) each day, increasing your daily calorie burn by getting up a half hour earlier and taking a face-paced walk before breakfast at least 4 days a week in addition to what you do at Genesis, and perhaps get a buddy to do it with you. 
• STEP 2: Once you pick the 5 new habits you’re ready to adopt, then start with just one and create a “personal sequence” that will support your new habit.  By this, I mean create the necessary “little” behaviors and the surroundings that will allow you to make your new habits EASY to get use to doing.  The fact is we are “visual animals” in that we tend to follow along with things that are visually introduced and pleasing to us in our surroundings.  Here are some ideas… Buy some new exercise clothing so you look and feel different and not like you’re use to looking and feeling; write your “first” weight loss goal (about 10 lbs.) down on a postcard that you keep with you and read 5 times a day; enlist the help of an “accountability partner” who has habits to change as well and work with each other; work with a personal weight loss coach who can keep you on track and insure you’re best chance for success.

It’s important to make a 100% commitment to each of your new habits, so be specific about the steps that you’re willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don’t be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.

Just developing five new productive habits will dramatically shift your body to be more in line with your vision for it. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren’t serving you and your body anymore.

Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then watch your new leaner, toned, and healthier body unfold!

Are you “stuck” in your weight loss?  Do you feel like you keep trying, but are getting nowhere fast?

If you’re serious about making a change in your weight once and for all, there’s still time to join me in our upcoming Weight Loss Jump Start Program with a 2-week Registration beginning Monday August 16th.  Over 8 weeks, you’ll lose weight, rebuild your fat-burning metabolism, and learn how to carry on your weight loss momentum until you reach your goals.  Based on some of the most effective strategies we’ve used in both our Weight Loss Boot Camps and our EatingSmart Weight Loss Coaching Program, you’ll be changed from the inside out — emerging with a new weight loss mindset, new diet and exercise skills, a better fat-burning metabolism and a clear path of where you’re going…and how to get there.

For more information about our upcoming Weight Loss Jump Start Program and Registration that begins on Monday, August 16th, contact me at 215-504-0100.

Until next time…

Rita Bryan
President & Co-Founder
Genesis Personal Fitness of Newtown, PA
Tel: 215-504-0100