Building Healthy Fitness Habits: The 3 R's of Getting Fit!

What The Heck Am I Doing Wrong?

     
     I believe my having been in the U.S. Army and being the mother of a tough, athletic preteen boy has caused me to speak bluntly and directly when it comes to reaching a goal. This is how I break it down for my son, for my clients, for friends or anyone that asks of me HOW to reach a fitness/sports goal because this is how I would want someone to break it down to ME.... 

   If being amazing was EASY then EVERYONE would be! Period. You determine how amazing you are going to be by how HARD to work and how much you DEDICATE yourself to your goal. So, why do some people succeed where others fail? Here is what separates the good from the GREAT in my humble opinion: HABITS

    Successful people have created the environment for success whether by choice or by chance. They make necessary choices to get to the end goal and its not always the fun choices. Instant gratification is the American way, it seems, but what are we trading for the instant pleasure versus staying the course that leads to long term rewards? You want to reach your goals but you have no idea how to? You are NOT alone. I have a simple road map that can help you sort and simplify your fitness routine.

THE 3 R's of Getting Fit

I didn't come up with this concept on my own. This is a proven psychological study from some of the brightest minds in behavioral psychology research today. Dr. BJ Fogg has done extensive research at Stanford on changing habits and Charles Duhigg has an amazing book on transforming bad habits into good habits. Duhigg's book refers to the three steps of the "Habit Loop"as cue, routine, reward. BJ Fogg uses the word trigger instead of cue. I prefer reminder because the army instilled the Art of Acronyms in me and it gives us the memorable "3R's". Terminology aside, rest assured that there is ample science backing this process.

Where The Heck Do I Start?

 Simply put, to create an environment for success you have to create a new system to support positive behaviors. Habits are created by the actions you choose over and over again, day after day. It is what makes you who you are and it is a DIRECT REFLECTION of your fitness progress. 

With all the different programs and fitness fluff floating around in the world it can be overwhelming to find something that makes sense AND works for your lifestyle. Sifting through all the fads is really a simple feat. DON'T BE SHEEP! Stop following cookie cutter workout programs. Fitness is about getting up and getting moving and repeating it until it becomes a good natural habit for you. Knowing your quirks and ticks is the key to building a BETTER BODY. Your body will tell you what it needs if you are open to keeping a keen "ear" so LISTEN UP!!!!!

THE PROCESS OF HABIT FORMING

Your phone buzzes an alert for an incoming text message, you reach for your phone to check who it is from and what it is about.

1. Reminder: The trigger/cue/reminder is the buzzing that initiates the behavior to check the alert.
2. Routine: The actual behavior is checking the text message. When the phone buzzes, you check the message. 
3. Reward: The benefit you gain from doing the behavior. You are rewarded (or punished depending on who the text is from) by finding out what the buzzing was about.  

If the reward was positive enough it makes you want to repeat the process the next to the reminder happens. If you repeat the process enough times it becomes a HABIT.

How Do I Build Healthy Fitness Habits? 

Pick a Reminder that is already a regular part of your routine. Something that you do automatically without needing to be prompted to do it. For example, waking up and going to the bathroom to brush your teeth and shower before you begin your day. You don't need to think about doing these things. They are just a part of your routine. Attach a healthy habit to some of these actions. 

Reminder: My pre-bedtime shower. I shower, brush my teeth, pull my hair up, go to my room to get my night gown on.

Routine: I put on my night gown and while I am near my clothes I also set out my workout clothes for the next morning at the foot of my bed, shoes and 

all.

Reward: I make better choices because I am prepared. My outfit is already set out. I don't have to think about what I am going to wear. It is much harder to make poor health decisions while wearing fitness clothes (proven). I hit my alarm clock, wake up wash my face, brush my teeth and IMMEDIATELY put on my workout clothes. 

I repeated that enough times to where it is no longer something I have to think about doing. It is just a part of my routine now.

REMINDER: Make 2 lists. In the first list write down several things that you do everyday without fail. 

• wake up
• brush teeth
• morning coffee
• check texts/emails/social media 

You can use these everyday actions as triggers to initiate a new healthy habit. For example: "As I am having my morning coffee I will reflect on my workout plan for the day". Another could be, "After I check my texts/emails/social media I will pack my lunch and snacks for the day into my cooler so I don't run out of healthy options". 

ROUTINE:

In the second list write down things that happen in your life without fail everyday. 

• drive to work
• stop at a traffic light
• receive a text message
• a commercial comes on TV
• get ready for bed

This list is a great list of potential triggers. Let's say you want to have a more positive attitude towards your body and fitness progress. You could use the time you are waiting at a traffic light to say (or think if you don't want people to think you're crazy talking to yourself), "At traffic lights I will say one positive thing about my appearance" or "When I get in bed for the night, I will reflect on the healthy choices I made today". 

 I believe it is the sum of small healthy choices like these that bloom into much more rewarding outcomes in life. 

REWARD: 

Celebrate your successes! Even the little ones. I don't mean with a cheat meal or something that could set you back but PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK! It is okay to give yourself a little "HELL YEAH!". When you complete your cardio or weight lifting class...give yourself a "woot woot, go me!". Take a selfie. Whatever makes you feel amazing for doing something good for yourself and your fitness goals.   

No matter how small the victory celebrate it. "I did 5 more push ups than last time. GO ME!" or "I cooked a healthy meal instead of dining out... Like a boss, GO ME!". 
   

   This is what I say to myself. You will find your own words for self encouragement. It may take some time to get used to this sort of positive self-talk if you aren't normally that kind of person but since habit forms from repeating an action over and over it is vital that you reward yourself somehow EVERY time you win a little victory. 

Give it a  TEST DRIVE!

   

   Give it this process a try and see if it helps you to create new healthy habits. The 3R's has been proven to be effective for almost any type of new habit forming. It doesn't have to be fitness. Fitness is just what I do and who I am so I try to speak from a perspective that I know well. 

The GOOD NEWS! 

I will always be right here, marching right along side you to help you along the way if you have questions or need a little extra encouraging. I would LOVE to hear from you about your successes and progress. If you give The 3R's of Healthy Habits a try feel free to leave a comment below or email me with your story. I am encouraged by YOUR SUCCESSES! Until next time.... 

References

1.  BJ Fogg has some top notch material on habit forming. If you are looking for more information on this topic check out, Tiny Habits.
2. Charles Duhigg's book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business is an excellent source of information.  
3. James Clear has a blog on the 3R's and habit forming that served as my inspiration for this blogpost.