Does that title want to make you curl up and hide? Sometimes it does for me.
It is a great reminder to do a small evaluation of what adds to your life and your vision for your life and what takes away.
I have been recently reading Atomic habits by James Clear
A quick read – and I found to be inspiring to kickstart / restart some healthy habits that I have let go of – challenge to follow soon –
Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results is the tagline on this book.
I will share some gems. There are many – I will try to keep it simple –
I will start by sharing some research from Great Britain.
They did a study with 248 individuals of which they divided into three groups.
The first group being the control group. They were asked to track how often they exercise.
The second group, being the motivation group, was asked to track their workouts and also reach material to benefit their exercise. The researchers spoke to this group on the health benefits of exercise as well.
Finally the third group. These subjects had the same presentation as the second group to match levels of motivation – yet they were asked for a formal plan when and where they would exercise. They too were asked to complete the following sentence, “During the next week I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on (DAY) at (TIME) in (PLACE).
Whom do you think had the best outcome in their actions to exercise?
Those that thought about it? Those that were informed of the health benefits and thought about it? Or those that thought about it, were educated on the health benefits and that made a plan?
The first and second groups demonstrated that 35-85 % of people exercised at least once a week. – Interestingly, the motivational presentation given to the second group seemed to have no meaningful impact on behavior). But 91 percent of the third group exercised at least once per week – more than double the normal rate.
Implementation Intention……
James Clear states, “Hundreds of studies have shown that implementation intentions are effective for sticking to our goals, whether it’s writing down the exact time and date of when you will go to an appointment or recording the time of an appointment.”
Habits and routines are more easily implemented when people are forced to create implementation intentions by knowing what route to drive or bus to take, and or the time you are planning or have planned to go.
A clear plan is essential to instill and create healthy habits and eliminate bad ones.
Those that created implementation intentions are more likely to perform a new habit and follow through.
Hmm perhaps to some of you this sounds familiar – I truly hope so – as We try to support you through motivation – education – and planning with booking to set you up for success! We do find those that are the most successful in their health goals are those that have a plan.
Will you leave it up to chance or make a change – often individuals end up with health crises by leaving healthy up to chance – we wish to support you down a different health path set with intention, action, and outcome.
It’s not lack of motivation for most – but lack of clarity as we leave our health to fit in the cracks versus making it a part of a strong foundation. It is not always obvious when and where to take action. Some spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.
When a moment of action occurs, there is no need to make a decision or leave it for a rainy day. Simply follow your predetermined plan.
Where do you want to sit in your success rate for your health goals?
We are here to help.
One other important piece to implementation intentions is specificity. Being specific about what you want.
When you care for yourself or your child, we ask, “What are your health goals?” – What specific goals do you have in order to focus on as you move through care. Specific goals help one say no to things that get in the way of achieving said goals. Specificity helps you say no to things that may distract, slow momentum, or take you off course.
When your health dreams and goals are not specific but rather vague, it’s easy to rationalize exceptions every single day and then you end up never doing the things you need to in order to succeed.
I.e. I don’t need to go to that appointment. I’d rather spend the day outside in the sunshine. I don’t need to spend money on my health – I’d rather buy a new dress or golf shirt. Life is busy and can cause stress on budgets. You may say “I don’t have enough room in my budget,” yet spend $100 on eating out tonight or order Skip the Dishes. A Starbucks everyday can really add up! We are all guilty of it!
These expenses are so easy to do – many do them without even thinking. It is so very common in our culture today. Before you know it you have spent $500 this month on food and take out? Ugh.
Only you can decide for yourself – what your goals are – do you truly have ones in mind? How will you hold yourself to them when the world is so filled with distractions pulling our momentum towards a downward spiral of health, drawing us to the next shiny object, versus creating forward healing momentum?
It’s always a choice – Remember – It is Your’s – only you are responsible for your health.
We are here for you – to inspire, to give hope, to lead, to help support as you and your family move forward to a healthier tomorrow, today.
