The Turning Point
After 25 months of building a workout habit, there are a few things I’ve noticed.
The first is that maintaining my weight is much, much easier now. Even if I completely go off my regular eating over a holiday like Thanksgiving, it takes about 2-3 days to return to my normal weight afterwards.
The second is that we often tend to focus on the wrong habit. I often joke that I do not have a workout habit but in fact, I have a going to the gym habit. Some days are great workouts, others are not, but if I walk in the door of the gym, I’ve continued my habit.
The third is that eventually, we hit a turning point where our identity becomes wrapped up in the habit. There’s a point where it’s hard to imagine yourself not doing that thing. It becomes so deeply ingrained in who you are it’s not even a habit anymore. It’s just something you do.
The goal of any new pursuit that requires a lifetime of maintenance should be to reach that point—realistically, results are nice because they help you stay motivated—but none of them actually matter so much as staying long enough to change who you are.