Saturday 14 April 2012

Just 21 days!

I'm sitting here sweating with runners still on but I had to get this down while the intensity was still in my head!  Bear with me, there will be a point to my story!!
I have a number of routes that I take for my run/walks, depending on the time I have basically.  This morning I got to go on my longest one thus far.  I (being quite habitual in a lot of ways) have set parts of the route that I walk and run, and they havent really changed for awhile now.  But a couple of months ago I was walking along thinking I could probably jog this part, so I did.  It was only a couple of hundred metres but I did it and was rapt that more of my route was being taken up running.  The next few times I would either forget or not be bothered, but then sometimes I did run it.  Now admittedly I havent been on that route for awhile (I'm blaming it on daylight savings) so when I took off today I was really excited.  Consumed with other thoughts for much of the run it wasnt until I got part way through running that section that I realised I had done it without even thinking about it!  It had suddenly become just one of my running sections that I dont even think about - I just do it!!!  Like the lava flowing out of Mt Etna at the moment, covering all of the mountain and its surrounds, this realisation suddenly flowed through many aspects on my life.  This small change is now a habit. I am now running for a greater section of my route. Now imagine what other habits I can form just as easily.  It was such an 'Oprah Ah Hah' moment cause I suddenly felt the power to change!  Obviously I related this straight away to many dietary changes or health related changes in general.  And I also reflected on the little changes I have made in the past to get me to where I am today.
So I am sharing this with you to say there are so many little changes that you can make on your way to be a healthier you!  Sure the change will have to be a conscious action for the first week or two but before you know it that change will be just the way you do it.  I am taken back to our 'sleep school' experience with Liam when the nurse said to me, it takes 21 days to form a habit.  And since then I have found that to be true many times.  Think about your last 21 days.  Has anything really changed?  Has it flown by before you knew it?  I know our days do!
But the real power in making a small change become a habit is not in the habit itself, but in the strength and self motivation it gives you to then enable another change, and then another.
So I made this small change, what can you do??!  Pick something right now - is it reducing the sugar in your coffee/tea from two spoons to one?  Is it walking up the stairs to work instead of taking the lift?  Is it choosing water over softdrink or juice for 4 out of 5 drinks in a day?  Is it actually drinking water each day?  Is it changing the rice you use to be lower GI (Basmati) or higher in fibre (brown)?
I dare say this post will be referred to many times throughout my blog as I share small changes I am making and those that you could do too.         
What change have you decided to make today?

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