New research says that in order for us to create a completely new habit, it takes 66 day.
My own 66 day challenge begins before the New Year
I have so wanted to get fitter again by doing a regular aerobic workouts a week. I used to do this 4-5 times a week when I was younger and found it to be so powerful in managing, my weight, feeling great and feeling toned in my body. When and why did I stop!! Some of the reasons (excess perhaps) I came up with were:
- I was doing a lot of yoga
- I didn’t have time (the classic one) going to and from the gym was time consuming
- I felt fine as I was
- I was getting older and this would not be good for my knees
- I was very active with gardening, shopping and generally dashing about (my mother used to say this one a lot)
- I walked a lot!
- I was spending my time meditating more
I’m sure there many other reasons I told myself to stop as well but more recently I starting feeling more sluggish in my body and my weight gain slightly increased (yes lockdown did have something to with it of course). I seemed to have got into the habit of getting up a little later and going to bed later (especially during the Autumn/Winter months and my energy levels and stamina were not what they used to be. I didn’t like. In fact I decided I was definitely going to do something strategic about it. So I decided to set a goal. After reading about this 66 day principle, I was in.
I started to create this new habit (I did not postpone it to a New Year Resolution, another clever self sabotaging tactic I could have used) and began the challenge.
Just after 7 days I noticed such a change in me. Just choosing to make one change, led me to feel so much better about myself, more disciplined and I felt great! I found myself making changes in other areas of my life too. Wow, eating less ‘sweet’ things, drinking less alcohol, being much more aware of my posture and feeling fab overall.
Tell others about your new Goal
Find someone you see as an inspiration to you in this particular area and share your intention with them. Like having a mentor or coach or buddy to support you when you get to the middle stage (which is usually when we tend give give up).
Howard Klein, lead author and professor of management and human resources at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business says :
“You want to be dedicated and unwilling to give up on your goal, which is more likely when you share that goal with someone you look up to.”
Get started Now
Create A New Lifestyle in Just 66 Days
Don’t wait until after Christmas to start a New habit life changing or set a Great Goal for yourself! Do it now! Be where you want to be for the New Year instead!
Sometimes, it helps to get really clear about what you need. Identify your passions, find out what matters most to you right now in your life. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re less likely to get there.
If you need some help getting going, Contact Me for a 30 minute free chat to see how I can help you.
