Does focusing on how long a new nutrition and exercise habit takes, makes the habit fail?

I’m sure you’ve heard the common advice that building a new habit takes a certain amount of days, right?

But what if focusing on how long a habit takes to stick, is actually focusing on the wrong thing…

And costs you a lot of extra time and effort which only makes sticking to a nutrition and exercise habit harder, not easier...

Lately I’ve gotten a few questions about how long forming a new habit should take us when it comes to nutrition and exercise…

And I wanted to explain an unconventional, but highly effective way to build habits that goes against the grain, and has worked well for my clients.

We’ve all heard people say exactly how long a new habit should take before it sticks...

21 days…

30 days…

But let’s be honest, that rarely works for anyone.

Mindless snacking still happens…

Eating fruits and veggies still is a struggle…

Drinking enough water is still something that feels forced...

But what if…

We’ve been looking at how we form new habits the wrong way?

Now I’m no Neuroscientist and I’ve never played one on T.V.

But I follow people in the field and have read what researchers have to say about forming habits…

I’ve even read books on it...nerdy, I know : )

And they say that repeating a habit leads to clear physical changes in the brain, and each time you repeat a habit you’re carving out that habit pathway in the brain…

Like the more you hike a trail the more carved out the trail becomes, your brain and habits are the same way.

Now most people have been told that forming a new eating and exercise habit takes a set amount of time.

But in reality, building a habit is based on how frequently we do that habit successfully, not a set amount of time

Think of it this way…

Let’s say you wanted to develop the habit of eating more fruits & vegetables.

In thirty days you could eat vegetables once per day, and practice the habit thirty times in thirty days.

On the other hand you could eat vegetables at every meal and practice the habit ninety times in thirty days.

In both scenarios we’ve practiced the habit for thirty days, but we all know eating the vegetables ninety times in thirty days will make that habit stick much better.

If we want to make a habit stick then focusing on how frequently we’re doing it successfully is the key.

Not just a set amount of time...

Just curious, if you’ve been working on eating and exercising habits too...

What’s an eating and exercising habit you’ve been working on that you haven’t been able to get to stick or has felt like an uphill battle ?

Comment below with what habit you’re working on…

And I’ll be in touch to see how I can potentially help to decode that habit and get it to stick for you.

Speak soon,

⁣Time to “BE MORE”⁣

L⁣