BBM Update
So I am 45 days into Bikini Body Mommy, which puts me officially at the half way point. I did my weigh in this morning and I have lost 7 lbs (I was one pound lower on Sunday, so maybe I've really lost close to 8 considering fluctuations?). I'll do my half way pics tonight and I can't wait to see the differences.
I feel a little bit different in how my clothes fit. My work pants are tight as always, but maybe a little bit less? It's my jeans, however, where I feel a difference. I know I'm not ready for a smaller size yet, but I felt like I was pulling my jeans up all weekend. How is that for motivation to keep going? Also, I noticed my watch is super loose. I think it fit fairly well when I got it in December, but yesterday I actually went so far as to take a link off of it, because it was slipping around my wrist (it's a bracelet/watch, so it's supposed to be a little loose). It still slides back and forth pretty well, so I think even without a link it's still a little bit looser than it was when I bought it.
Other than clothing, we also had the Fit Test again today, which was the workout we did on Day 1 and Day 15. Today I did it with no modifications, which felt amazing. The only counts that weren't higher from the last two times were the ones where I removed mods, which is to be expected. Also, I feel better in Zumba, and I feel like I'm actually making it through really well. She pulled out the original song set from January last night and I felt like I was really able to make it through... until the second to last song, haha, but I pulled through in the end. :-)
I'm still doing fairly well with my eating. I am realizing that I am probably not eating enough, so I need to find healthy ways to up my calorie intake. It's a nice problem to have, though. I'm choosing healthy options when going out, and even able to "splurge" at a restaurant and still maintain my goals! Hubby and I went out last weekend for Valentines Day, and I figured I'd overdo it on the calories. We went out to Brewer's Alley in Frederick, which is one of my favorite restaurants. We shared some oysters on the half shell for an appetizer, which was super yummy (and healthy) as always, and then for the actual meal, I really wanted salmon, but didn't feel like having any of the sides that came with it. Instead, I ordered a caesar salad and had a salmon fillet on top, and it was like the best salad ever. We even split a brownie sundae for dessert, plus I had 2 glasses of wine, and I still was in a good range for calories when I got around to updating FitBit!
Making a Habit
When I got to day 30, a close friend of mine told me that it takes 21 days to make a habit, so I was already in really good shape to maintain the workout routine. Hearing that got my curious, because I still felt like I could fall off the wagon at any time. I did some research, and came across several articles.
There was a study done in the UK in 2009 that says that it takes on average SIXTY-SIX days to make a habit stick. That could be something as simple as eating fruit every day, walking for 15 minutes, etc. The blog post that referenced the article, The Happiness Project, posted on Psychology Today, states that there's variation in that number. Some people form a habit in more time or less time.
I also found a post on Forbes from last April that goes further into the "developing a habit" concept. This post breaks it down into 3 steps, The Honeymoon, The Fight Thru, and Second Nature. The author says that at first, the habit is easy. The Honeymoon phase is where you may take on too much and you feel like there's no problem in creating this new habit. The Fight Thru is the next step, where you start to experience set backs and lack of motivation. This is the important time to remember why you are making the change and keep overcoming the obstacles. The Fight Thru may continue to happen over and over. The author states that you will likely hit 2-3 fight thru phases before going on to the third phase, and you may even go back to phase 2 from phase 3, and have to get through it again before going back to maintenance. The third phase, Second Nature, is where the habit has really taken shape. It's easy to maintain it because it's what you always do. You'll hit setbacks, go back through a few Fight Thru's, and make it back to maintaining it.
The research snob in me loves verifying the claims that turn into fact from being passed from one person to another. This "21 day habit" is probably one that messes lots of people up, because they expect it to be easy after 3 weeks, and when it's not, it's probably disappointing. I know with myself, that I have to constantly push myself, or I will completely fall off the wagon. Last week, for example, we had a big snow storm. Zumba was cancelled on Thursday, and I had injured my calf earlier in the week. I decided to take the day off and not do cardio at home. Friday I did my BBM workout, and then Saturday I lost motivation again for cardio. After taking two days off last week, it was totally tempting to not do Monday's workout. It can happen at any time in the process to hit an obstacle and be ready to call it quits. What makes the difference is when you tell yourself that is NOT okay, and keep going. Don't take minor setbacks as the end of the road, just find a way to push through!
Anyone else working to change a habit? Share! Comment! :-)
Image Quote - http://ourhealthylifestylejourney.wordpress.com/tag/weight-loss-quotes/
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