Creature of Habit
January 10, 2012
So, how long does it take to form a habit? I did some quick research and most of the answers that I found tell me that in 66 days you can "form a habit." This is done with repetitive daily motions... so, if you wanted to make your goal to have a glass of water before every meal every day... it would take you 66 days to do that without thought.... not sure I believe that, but thats what "they" say.
On the flip side, "they" say that it can take 60-90 days to break a habit... thats interesting and of course purely depends on the habit that you are trying to break.
One of the problems that I seem to have (both at the gym and in life) is that I get "used to" the way things are. I learned a certain way to do things, or taught myself the way I like things to be done and when that is questioned or I have to "unlearn" a certain thing... it proves itself to be very difficult.
When I started going to CFW in the mornings some people thought I was crazy. My last job, I had to get up for work at 5:00am to leave my house by 5:45 and be at work at 7:00 (an hour away). It was torturous to get up that early... felt like I dragged myself out of bed every day and barely made it to work with my eyes open. Now, I willingly get up even earlier than that every day and go to the gym before work, at which I dont have to be until 8:30... and you know what... I love it. Took a little while to get use to it... but now when I dont do it, I feel like something is missing. Now, that cant be habit... if it was, I would have been in the habit of it when I was working. No, its just that I actually enjoy what it is that I am getting up to do, and look forward to it.
There are of course real "habits" that I have... I am sure Hubs could name a few of them. They range from not drinking a glass of water that has been sitting out for over an hour, always sorting the laundry a certain way, the order in which I get ready in the morning, the side of the bed I sleep on, the fact that I dont drink anything while I am eating my meal (only when I am finished), which shoe I put on first... you know, quirky things that "everyone" does. Those are things that have been learned over time.
At CrossFit I am finding some of my previous gym habits hard to break. These are all things that I am working on as they become clear to me. Whats great is that K now has a video camera so we are able to see what we are doing right when she starts talking about it. Last week she was able to show me where I was going wrong with the kip, a few days before that she caught me pulling too early on my clean and jerk, yesterday when I thought my deadlift was getting faster she had the ability to look and see what else I could do to improve it... and just this morning while snatching I could clearly see the long pause that I was taking at the top of the snatch.
None of these things are a result of "bad form." Most in fact are just a result in thinking too much. I have a habit of being too controlled of my movement. Why cant I get the kip? Because I am over analyzing the crap out of it... Why is my snatch slow? Because I am thinking to much about holding at the top than I am anything else. I have to teach myself to let go of some of these habits to continue to grow at CF. I love the fact that I can see where the problem is. In my mind I was flying through those snatches today, but in reality I could have taken seconds off my time from each set if I just let go.
These are all things to come for me and CrossFit. I will continue to push, I will continue to change and I will continue to break habits and make habits for years to come!
WOD: "Ball Snatch"
21-18-15-12-9-6 for Time
- Snatch 45lbs
- Wall Ball 14lbs
(my time 11:40 Rx)
SKILL:
TABATA Row for Calories
(Total Calories 57)
WEEK 1, DAY 2: Paleo Challenge
Post Workout Shake - 2 Scoops Protein
Morning Tea
Morning Snack - 2 Paleo Banana Bread Muffins with Almond Butter
Lunch - Leftover Pork and Balsamic Butternut Squash
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Snack - Lara Bar
Dinner - Crock Pot Chuck with Mushrooms, Onion, Carrots and Celery
So, how long does it take to form a habit? I did some quick research and most of the answers that I found tell me that in 66 days you can "form a habit." This is done with repetitive daily motions... so, if you wanted to make your goal to have a glass of water before every meal every day... it would take you 66 days to do that without thought.... not sure I believe that, but thats what "they" say.
On the flip side, "they" say that it can take 60-90 days to break a habit... thats interesting and of course purely depends on the habit that you are trying to break.
One of the problems that I seem to have (both at the gym and in life) is that I get "used to" the way things are. I learned a certain way to do things, or taught myself the way I like things to be done and when that is questioned or I have to "unlearn" a certain thing... it proves itself to be very difficult.
When I started going to CFW in the mornings some people thought I was crazy. My last job, I had to get up for work at 5:00am to leave my house by 5:45 and be at work at 7:00 (an hour away). It was torturous to get up that early... felt like I dragged myself out of bed every day and barely made it to work with my eyes open. Now, I willingly get up even earlier than that every day and go to the gym before work, at which I dont have to be until 8:30... and you know what... I love it. Took a little while to get use to it... but now when I dont do it, I feel like something is missing. Now, that cant be habit... if it was, I would have been in the habit of it when I was working. No, its just that I actually enjoy what it is that I am getting up to do, and look forward to it.
There are of course real "habits" that I have... I am sure Hubs could name a few of them. They range from not drinking a glass of water that has been sitting out for over an hour, always sorting the laundry a certain way, the order in which I get ready in the morning, the side of the bed I sleep on, the fact that I dont drink anything while I am eating my meal (only when I am finished), which shoe I put on first... you know, quirky things that "everyone" does. Those are things that have been learned over time.
At CrossFit I am finding some of my previous gym habits hard to break. These are all things that I am working on as they become clear to me. Whats great is that K now has a video camera so we are able to see what we are doing right when she starts talking about it. Last week she was able to show me where I was going wrong with the kip, a few days before that she caught me pulling too early on my clean and jerk, yesterday when I thought my deadlift was getting faster she had the ability to look and see what else I could do to improve it... and just this morning while snatching I could clearly see the long pause that I was taking at the top of the snatch.
None of these things are a result of "bad form." Most in fact are just a result in thinking too much. I have a habit of being too controlled of my movement. Why cant I get the kip? Because I am over analyzing the crap out of it... Why is my snatch slow? Because I am thinking to much about holding at the top than I am anything else. I have to teach myself to let go of some of these habits to continue to grow at CF. I love the fact that I can see where the problem is. In my mind I was flying through those snatches today, but in reality I could have taken seconds off my time from each set if I just let go.
These are all things to come for me and CrossFit. I will continue to push, I will continue to change and I will continue to break habits and make habits for years to come!
WARMUP:
3 Rounds
- 20 Walking Lunges
- 10 Hollow Rocks
- 10 Pushups
- 5 Pullups
2 X Burgener Warmup
2 Min Hip Mobility
WOD: "Ball Snatch"
21-18-15-12-9-6 for Time
- Snatch 45lbs
- Wall Ball 14lbs
(my time 11:40 Rx)
SKILL:
TABATA Row for Calories
(Total Calories 57)
WEEK 1, DAY 2: Paleo Challenge
Post Workout Shake - 2 Scoops Protein
Morning Tea
Morning Snack - 2 Paleo Banana Bread Muffins with Almond Butter
Lunch - Leftover Pork and Balsamic Butternut Squash
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Snack - Lara Bar
Dinner - Crock Pot Chuck with Mushrooms, Onion, Carrots and Celery
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