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Motivation

Bad Habit Relapses happen. What do you do about it?

I think it must be the post race blues or something.  Now that my race is long gone (one week), Bad habits are returning in droves.

Q: How to break the Bad Habit Relapse?

A: Take Action immediately.  The sooner you can re-focus your actions on good habits, the quicker the bad habit will ride into the sunset.  The longer you let a bad habit fester, the more difficult it will be to remove from your vernacular.

In case you need a reminder, last week, I finished a triathlon in 3.5 hours.  Not bad, and I still have so much to say about it.  Yet, my blogging habits have not yet recovered.  Writing is a habit just as eating and exercise.  With any habit, consistency is the key.  I’ve been nothing but an inconsistent blogger this summer.  I’ve been so focused on my own health, my own fitness, and my triathlon, that I’ve put many other projects on the side including this website: simple weight.  Off that side-track!

Return of my Killer Bad Habits

Late Night Sugar Binges

In one night, I had a bowl of ice cream and a half a bag of Twizzlers.  In another night, I had a whole bag of Sour Patch Kids and a half of bag of Twizzlers.  Now, I’m not talking the friendly snack sized items.  I’m talking more the movie sized candy bags.

Sept 6 was the first day I did any exercise since my Triathlon (Aug 29) (I weight lifted for about 20 minutes).  In addition, one thing I noticed especially earlier in the week, my appetite was just out of whack. I wanted to eat anything and and everything I could find.

My work at home productivity has nose-dived.  I guess after one exerts so much effort and so much focus, its only natural to crash a bit.

The key I think is getting back on the bicycle and re-focusing both literally and figuratively.

3 Steps to Break your habits:

  1. Identify the Bad Habit.
    example:  Eating mindlessly late at night.
  2. Describe the Habit in detail and try to look for root cause.
    example:  When do I eat mindlessly at night?  I use Sugar & Carbs to improve work productivity.  What is causing the lack of productivity?  Energy low & lack of mental focus.  Possibly Lack of plans and/or lack of goals.
  3. Take Steps to replace the Bad Habit with Good Habits.
    example:  Return to an immutable exercise schedule.  Find a race to focus on.  Do a better job of identifying projects and categorizing next actions.

How quickly can one get refocused?

I know for me, having a race really helped me focus. In fact, it focused my action so much that: My next-action task is to find my next race.

In the meantime, I’ve created an off-season workout schedule to do some base-building again.

Sunday:  Weights

Monday:  Treadmill, Bike, or Rest Day

Tuesday:  Weights

Wednesday:  Swim

Thursday:  Weights

Friday:  Treadmill, Bike, or Rest Day

Saturday:  Swim.

This week will be a little altered due to the holiday.  I lifted Weights on Monday instead of Sunday.  So, I’m going to have to adjust the week. In addition, I have to build some flexibility into my schedule due to my changing consulting/freelancer work combined with my runner wife‘s crazy work schedule.  Navigating workout times is always fun.

The single most important thing for me though is to jump back in the pool, on the bike, or pound the pavement consistently!

I’m still trying to figure out a writing schedule.  As I said before, just like my exercise needs to be an immutable force in my life, scheduling consistent writing is required.  Subject to change, I’m thinking Tuesday and Thursdays will be my publishing days for now.

How can I help you break your bad habit today?

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