Harnessing the Power of Habits for Motivation
Habits are powerful things. They are what have allowed mankind to make the unimaginable into reality and overcome countless obstacles in our lives. The habits we develop dictate how productive and motivated we feel on a daily basis, yet what happens if they become unproductive or even harmful? For example, if a habit of overeating hinders your weight loss goals, is it time to ditch that habit? Or does that mean you’ll never lose the weight? Luckily for many people today, there is a solution to this dilemma: harnessing the power of habits for motivation.
What is a habit?
A habit is an action that we repeat over time that eventually becomes automatic and does not require much conscious thought. In fact, according to Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit , “habits are powerful mental shortcuts that allow us to make decisions and complete tasks without wasting time weighing the relative merits of different options.” Habits can be beneficial, as evidenced by the fact that we all have many habits in our daily lives that have made our lives easier, such as brushing our teeth or studying for a test. On the other hand, however, habits can be harmful, like overeating or smoking cigarettes. That is why it is important to understand if you need to break a habit for your own well-being.
The Three Levels of Habits
Habits can be broken into three distinct levels that define when you should break a habit for your well-being:
Level 1: The Habit That Hurts Your Health. This level is when a habit causes harm to your health and fitness goals. For example, when a person engages in binge eating and then continues to eat poorly over days after an initial binge, he/she is exhibiting symptoms of disordered eating and could potentially become obese as time progresses if no changes are made.
Level 2: The Habit That Hurts Your Performance. This level is when a habit causes you to perform poorly on a regular basis. When the habit of procrastinating on certain tasks or assignments causes you to fail to meet your deadlines and goals, that habit has potentially become a hindrance to your performance.
Level 3: The Habit That Hurts Your Self-Esteem. This level is when a habit negatively affects your self-esteem or confidence in any area, such as social, academic, or other areas of life. When you continuously check your phone, text excessively, or create an unhealthy relationship, for example, you are exhibiting a habit that is negatively impacting your self-esteem or confidence.
Breaking Bad Habits
When a habit is at the Level 1 level and hinders our health or fitness goals – such as when we eat binges that are either not healthy (dieting) or just feel unhealthy (overeating) – it is often best to break that habit. If you have been trying to lose weight but have failed in the past because of overeating after a meal, try adopting healthier habits such as eating all of your meals at the same time every day and making sure to include protein in each meal. If you find that you are overeating in the evening, try setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to eat those calories before bed.
When a habit is at the Level 2 level and hinders your performance (such as procrastinating on assignments or tasks), it may be beneficial to break that habit. If you find that your habit of procrastinating has caused you to frequently miss deadlines and goals, it may be time for you to get started in the morning. Using tools like Pomodoro Technique can help you focus for short periods of time by breaking down a large task into small tasks that can be completed in 25 minutes followed by taking a 5 minute break before beginning another segment of work. Because these small tasks can be completed in 25 minutes, you are able to make much more progress than is typical with long tasks.
Finally, when a habit is at the Level 3 level and negatively impacts your self-esteem or confidence, it may be helpful to break that habit. If you find that you are constantly checking your phone or text messaging for no reason every day and have a difficult time staying focused or making any progress on important work, it may be time for you to break this habit. Using tools like the Freedom App can help you minimize your cell phone use and make it easier for you to focus on important tasks.
Sometimes, changing your habit is not enough to break through a plateau or reach a goal. For more information about how to pick up your training again when you’ve hit a plateau, check out my eBook: How to be Your Own Fitness Coach . This book will teach you how to master self-evaluation so that you can find weak points in your programming, nutrition, motivation, etc. that may be holding you back from reaching your goals.
Want to have a better day? Then download my free e-book now.
The Game Changer
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If you would like more tips and information about how to reach your goals faster, be sure to download my free e-book: How to Be Your Own Fitness Coach . This book will teach you how to master self-evaluation so that you can find weak points in your programming, nutrition, motivation, etc. that may be holding you back from reaching your goals.
Have a better day today, and see you soon!
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About the Author: Yumiko Stowers is a fitness model and personal trainer with over seven years of experience coaching clients in several states including California. She is also a contributor to , and . Yumiko's Profile on OurFitLife: https://ourfitlife.com/author/Yumiko-Stowers/7ab54d0f-5601-4c1a-bfd8-e6546ea18e2b Blog Art: http://eatsandfitspo.