I am Sheamus - Very Personal Development

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Previously on this blog I have written about how I made changes to my diet to further my pursuit to get into great shape. (”Changes“, May 6, 2008).

I also posted an update on May 17.

Twenty-eight days have passed since I began this program. In that period, I have lost 9 pounds of actual bodyweight - from 187 pounds to 178 - and I’m noticeably more toned. Indeed, I would estimate I’ve gained 2-4 pounds of muscle, thanks to several serious strength-lifting sessions at the gym. I would guesstimate that I’ve lost about 13 pounds of fat overall.

That’s not bad in four weeks.

(I know, I know - I promised pictures. I’m still working on the best way to do this.)

Better, I’m so encouraged by the diet that it’s something I plan to continue indefinitely. Expect a follow-up post with more detail on this soon.

This concept - that one can trial something for a short but still beneficial length of time and then make a decision on whether it’s right for you has been somewhat of a revelation for me.

It is generally accepted that it takes 21 days of doing the same thing repeatedly to make it habitual. Three weeks. After that period, the thing, whatever it is, becomes automated. It becomes part of your life - if you allow it.

This principle was first introduced in the late 1950s by Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon who observed that it took 21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in their amputated limbs. Maltz noted in further research that this three week period was a near-constant in the development of all new habits. His book, Psycho Cybernetics, was first published in 1960 and is considered a classic in the self-help genre.

I determined that if one accepts this to be a truism - and I have seen nothing to the contrary to suggest otherwise (logically it makes sense) - one could utilise this observation creatively as a potentially life-changing tool.

I concluded that if it does indeed take three weeks to make something habitual, if one was to continue to implement and observe this behaviour for an additional week, those final seven days would be a true test as to whether the program in question was right for you. Twenty-eight days later, you would know if something was just for then, or forever.

There is absolutely zero downside to trying something new for four weeks. Even if at the end of that period you determine that it is not something you wish to make permanent in your life, the ‘holiday’ you have taken from your normal routine will be a refreshing break for the body and mind.
It is also an excellent way to introduce something into your life that you know, from the outset, that you want to make permanent, simply because by maintaining a given behaviour for the 21-28 day cycle you have a better chance of it become habitual and therefore permanent. Examples of this might be 30 minutes of daily exercise, writing ten pages of a novel or making a new entry to your blog.

Often the thought of ‘forever’ is the main thing that holds us back from making any major changes to our lives, even if we know that those changes will inevitably be a positive. The idea that this is for the rest of my life is a powerful enemy.

But twenty-eight days? Four weeks? That’s nothing. After the trial run you decide it’s not for you, you can just quit, and go back to how it was before. While this attitude may appear like defeatism it is actually a powerful tool. Being aware that upon entering any new program that it’s only twenty-eight days until you can quit - as opposed to some random point in the future or (worse) forever - is both a comforting and supportive thought.

Subsequently, what generally happens is that over those four weeks you’ll condition your body and mind to accept these changes, once the ‘habit’ kicks in.

Some example plans include:

• Running
• Lifting weights
• Eating a vegetarian diet
• Spending 15 minutes a day decluttering your home
• Reading for an hour a day
• Getting up early in the morning

Naturally, this concept can also be applied to breaking a bad habit, too.

Examples:

• Refraining from the consumption of alcohol
• Stopping smoking, or cutting down to x amount of cigarettes per day
• Spending too much time in bed
• Feeling like you have to argue every point
• Swearing too often
• Impulse buying

The reason why it works is that the number, and the ‘streak’ within that number, makes you accountable. As the days pass and the number builds - three days, five days, nine, etc - it becomes more and more of a big deal for you to quit on the program.

If you get through the first week, you’ll have seven days - in a row - of doing the same thing each day, and that means something.

Once you get to the halfway stage (14 days), it’s almost like reaching the top of a mountain. You’ve accomplished 50 per cent of your goal. You’re heading home.

Twenty days in, why would you even consider quitting? There’s only eight days to go. Just over a week. You’re almost there!

Mentally and spiritually, completing a program like this can and will be enormously rewarding.

1. You’ve accomplished your primary goal (working out every day, reading for an hour, etc.)
2. You’ve proven to yourself that you have the willpower and resources to finish what you started. The next time you start anything like this it will be easier - even if the challenge itself is significantly harder - simply because you know you did it before.
3. You’ve proven to others that you have the willpower and resource to finish what you started. Don’t underestimate the value of respect from your friends, family and colleagues in elevating your own self-esteem.
4. At the end of the 28-day cycle, the successful implementation of a positive habit can be truly life-changing. The trial is over - the rest of your life now begins.

How To Make ‘28 Days Later’ Work For You

1. Be realistic. Don’t take on something ridiculously hard the first time you try this. Make it something you feel you’re capable of. It shouldn’t be too easy or meaningless, but ‘28 Days To A Marathon’ is doomed to failure if day one is the first time you’ve ever worn sneakers. (See more on my own running goals below.)
2. Make yourself accountable. Tell loved ones and friends what you are doing. Consider blogging your new daily habit, and tell everybody about it. If you know (or even suspect) that other people are aware of your goals and monitoring your daily success, this will encourage you not to quit. Moreover, good friends will be supportive and helpful. Likewise, be mindful of those who may try to sabotage or derail your goals.
3. Keep a journal. This is absolutely essential if you are trying a new diet plan or exercise routine. Keep track of as much information as possible. For example, if you’re implanting a new diet plan, write down everything you eat (and that means everything) and when, your moods, how you felt after certain meals, the eating options you had when you were away from home, etc. Again, consider putting it into a blog as this will go a long way to ensure that you update it and don’t cheat.
4. Make a game of it. Don’t enter a new 28-day plan lightly or flippantly. Be mindful of the streak you are building - turn into a game. Make it fun! After five days, remind yourself of what you have accomplished. Five days in a row of going to the gym! Think back to how it was before you began the plan - when maybe you only went to the gym five times in a month - and be aware of the differences. Focusing on maintaining that streak will help you maintain it - it’s that simple. (Alternatively, you may like to count down until the end - this can also be a deceptively powerful way to make the four weeks pass a lot faster, as each day you strike off - 28 days left, 27 days left, 26, 25, 24 etc - brings you one day closer to the end.
5. Don’t ‘skip’ a day, but if you do it isn’t the end of the world. Just get right back on track tomorrow. Sometimes we make lame excuses not to do things but sometimes life will get in the way. Stuff can and will happen. As much as you can try and keep your streak going from start to finish - you’ll only have yourself to blame if you skip a day because you felt tired, irritable, lazy or wanted to do something else. That’s when the self-loathing begins, and once you’ve missed one day, it’s always really easy to justify missing a second. Oh, I’ve ruined this plan now - might as well quit. Don’t. Just get up early the next day and start the streak up again until your four weeks are over (including the day you missed). Be mindful that you don’t use this as an excuse. Assuming you don’t aim too high on your 28-day plan, you should be able to fit in pretty much anything into a given day.

Give it a try. Certainly if you feel that you should be doing something - exercising or reading more, watching TV less, spending more time with loved ones, or whatever - this is an almost bullet-proof method to test the waters being really leaping in. If you don’t like it - and you might hate it - then after the four weeks are over you can just go back to how it was. But no matter how it turns out - and in many cases I’m going to boldly state that assuming your choice of plan is generally wise and suitable for you, then you will stick to it in some capacity - the trial itself will be of tremendous value.

After you’ve notched up a few trials, you’ll benefit from an increase in confidence and self-esteem, and this will make the next trial a lot easier to take on. Your faith in yourself will rise exponentially with the success in your trials.

I’ll be doing follow-up posts on this article over the next day or two, providing more raw detail on my successful diet (which, as said, is something I have decided to continue, predominately because I feel great) and also the program I began yesterday.

Meantime, let me know of any trials you begin. Make yourself truly accountable - post them below.

Other Articles You May Like To Read:

• Changes.
• Monthly Wrap For June
• Ten Days In; Seven Pounds Lost
• 28 Days Later… And A New Blog Announcement!
• Pssst - Wanna Know The Secret To Life? It’s Running. And Reading.
• So You Don’t Want To Start Running? (But Still Want To Lose Lots Of Weight)

Tags: 28 days later

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 5:18 pm and is filed under Eat Well, Get In Shape, Live Well, Lose Weight, Motivation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.