We discuss the power of Habit (including some information from the new book by Charles Duhigg available this week) and how it fits into the fitness journey. Chuck shares some of his similar experiences, and we apply the concepts of new habit development to everything from visiting the gym regularly to choosing the right foods. We combine habits with a small grey area of forgiveness for best results and talk about how that works.
I really enjoyed this episode. In fact, I hope that it is not your last discussion of rewiring your brain to form new habits. I was intrigued by the discussion of the Charles Duhigg book and the idea that focusing on one change could be the beginning of multiple new habits. I didn’t fully understand how the rewiring happens, so I guess I’ll have to get the book.
But I thought about one time when I was 20 years old and decided to train for a 20k race. I made a rule that there could never be an excuse or an unscheduled day off. Of course, being in great health at the time and with only about 6 months of training that I knew would end after the race, that kind of inflexibility was possible. (In some ways, this reminded me of Mitch’s client that only ate chicken breasts and green beans as a young football player.)
Anyways, after the race, I quit training and gradually became unhealthier over the next ten years or so. Now, with a demanding work schedule, a body that doesn’t always want to cooperate, and far more responsibilities at home, I often wonder if I’m set up for “partial failure,” and whether I can maintain healthy habits over the long run. I seem to be able to put about 5 good months together, and then my gym and nutrition habits get derailed by intense periods of work or illness, etc. And it takes me many months to get back to the gym, and each time it gets harder.
Just glancing at the preview of Duhigg’s book, I think that one of the things that makes Chuck’s experience so different is the reward. I’ve been carrying the same 30-40 extra pounds around for years, and the reward of losing 7 or 8 of it over months, just hasn’t had much of a positive impact. I often think of the “battle of the bulge” and curse how memorable that phrase is. And I see myself forever stuck in a bunker in Bastogne, retreating, advancing, retreating, advancing.