Breaking Up With Bad Habits
We all have some bad habits that we wish to get rid of once and for all.
Whether it’s procrastination or overworking, mindless surfing on the internet, smoking cigarettes or overeating junk food—our lives would be so much better without them.
The truth is bad habits are time consuming, destructive and prevent us from achieving our goals.
If bad habits were easy to break, nobody would have any, right? We’d all eat healthy, make it to the gym at least three times per week, and maintain an adequate work-life balance.
How I Went From Chain Smoking Cigarettes To Running Races
I used to love to party on the weekends, eat pizza, and I even smoked cigarettes for a while.
It was near the end of college when I made a real decision to commit to health, fitness, and turning my life around.
As a nutrition student, I was interested in health and learning about the human body, but somewhere between sophomore and junior year, I let my health take a backseat.
During my fourth year at Ole Miss, I went through a pretty brutal breakup. I decided to give the ring on my finger back to the original owner, and at the ripe age of twenty-one, this breakup radically changed my life forever.
It was then that I realized how far off track I had gotten.
I had picked up on some bad habits.
I almost let my dreams go to follow someone else’s. Feeling incredibly lost, I realized I hated who I was becoming. I was puffy, broke, halfway into the semester, and an emotional mess.
For the first time, I sat down and realized I was in complete control of my life. The college experience would end soon, and nobody was going to save me.
How I Became Ruthlessly Driven To Turn My Life Around
Even though I didn’t have any of the answers, I knew running was how some people liked to clear their minds.
I set the goal to start running, and oh my god, that sh*t sucked!
I went out the first day inspired to run three miles but ended up having to stop after 2 minutes and walk the remainder of the way.
Walking felt so defeating at first, but I decided to keep the fire burning and keep my head up.
The next day I aimed to run for 3 minutes and then walk. Then four, then five until I could run for almost a mile straight.
I wouldn’t say I liked the act of running, but I loved the mental benefits in the aftermath.
I also loved watching myself make progress every day (even if it meant progress was only by one minute.)
Within two months of the breakup, I signed up for my first half marathon. Three months later, I ran a hilly 13.1 miles in just over two hours without stopping.
Because I was able to scale my goal down to small increments of improvement, I was able to push a little bit more.
The takeaway to breaking bad habits? Start Small.
The key is to find that sweet spot of getting out of your comfort zone where it’s not too daunting but just enough to propel you forward.
Splitting it into smaller chunks makes the entire process more manageable. Once you’ve mastered that first small step, add another.
What are you after that may seem so far away right now?
How can you scale it down to get yourself into the habit of working towards it every single day?
Can you shrink that down even further until it takes only 1 – 2 minutes?
Breaking Up With Bad Habits
It’s the little things that we do repetitively and consistently that cause significant changes in the long run.
You are closer than you think, but you must commit to taking action now, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, until you finally get there.
Krista
PS. If you want help streamlining your routine, I invite you to join my 90-day transformation challenge!
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There is no commitment necessary or charge for talking to me. Together let’s explore your true potential.