HOW TO EFFECTIVELY AND HABITUALLY EXERCISE AND EAT RIGHT

This post seems more so devoted to those who want to eat right and exercise, but it's mostly about developing habits that are effective.

While I was on my "run for my life" jog, I was thinking of how I should go about making an attempt to try harder to get out like that once a day. I exercise like once a week maybe and I want to change that.

I remembered when I heard a long time ago that something becomes a habit after 7-14 times. After looking up to make sure I was right, I saw many things with the majority of them saying 21 times. I wondered how this was going to work for me since I was planning on doing more of a Paleo style work out which is very intense and short bouts, 4-5 times a day. This would mean it would be habit in less than a week.

I started thinking which usually ends up in a catastrophe. However, it made some sense. I thought about how most people exercise once a day or even every other day.

This made me realize something for diet AND exercise. That each exercise needed to be done 21 times to form a habit. Each healthy meal or snack needs to be done 21 times to become a habit.

So if you want to eat healthy, each breakfast needs to be healthy for 21 consecutive days. Same goes for each snack, lunch or supper. This is true for exercise as well.

To make something a habit, start off small. Think like the 30 day free trials. The reason you've been given 30 days is that is just long enough for it to become appreciated, depended on, a habit.

If something should be done multiple times, just do it once a day. When you think you can handle it, add a second then third time a day. Make a note of it and place it somewhere you can see it everyday. If you are reminded of it everyday, it's kind of hard to forget to do it.

If you want to make a habit of exercise, grab a buddy. If its about eating right, make a journal, tell your friends. If you have something to be proud of and receive praise from, you are apt to keep doing it, right?

Be consistent. Consistency is critical. Try doing something at the same time and place, EVERYDAY. Breakfast is around the same time, so eat a healthy one at home. You can't eat a healthy meal everyday at home for 10 days then on a whim pick up some thigh equally as healthy from the gas station on the run, right?

Be imperfect. Expect to make mistakes just don't think it made you a failure. When you made that bad decision at the fast food restaurant because you were on the run or skipping that exercise because you just weren't feeling it, just go back to your previous commitments and do them. Keep on track with the future habits and don't dwell on your minor mistakes.

To sum it up. Keep trying and realize that if you've done something for a little bit and dropped it for a day, pick it back up. Keep striving for at least a month or you won't keep up on it. Whether it be exercising, remembering to tweet on Twitter everyday or just being more productive. It takes a while to make it a habit and you need to be forgiving to yourself.