They say that you need to do something for twenty-one
consecutive days to form a new habit. Repeat the pattern daily for three weeks,
whether you want to or not, and it will be mentally hard-wired into your daily
routine. You’ll do it automatically. It’s become a habit.
Taking that same logic, I suppose that the same length of
time would apply to breaking a habit. If you do something all the time and
then, for twenty-one days, you make an active decision not to do it you’re
creating a new habit, one of not doing the action that you previously did
regularly. Note, that’s breaking a habit,
not an addiction. So you might be able to stop doing something like biting your
toenails in three weeks but kicking a chemical addiction to, say, nicotine could
take a lifetime.
I really want to get back into the exercise habit. A healthy
body helps a healthy mind, right? While I was never the fittest or most
athletic person in the land I did at least make an effort. I used to run. I
used to pedal miles without getting anywhere on the static bike in my dining
room. I used to walk up hills that quite literally reached into the clouds. I even
used to do yoga for heaven’s sake! And no, before you ask: that’s an image that
will never make it onto YouTube while there’s breath left in my body. So what
happened? Why do I no longer do these things? Why have I reverted to my
previous alter-ego of Tub-O-Lard Man? I simply stopped doing the things that
burned calories. I lost the desire and, three weeks later, I’d simply slipped
out of the habit (as the nun said on bath night).
But habits that cause chemical changes in the brain (as
exercise does) have a habit of evolving into fully-fledged addictions if you’re
not careful. And it can be many things, some that you might not expect. For
example, I know quite a few people who will argue strenuously that they’re not
addicted to exercise. No sir. Definitely not. No way, José. Yet take this idea
for a moment…
Imagine someone who drinks alcohol, quite a bit of it every
day. Much more than you and I would consider to be healthy. They just can’t get
enough of it, usually two heavy sessions a day. They may not want to admit it
but they’re hooked on the chemicals that the demon drink gives them and if for
whatever reason they can’t get their boozy fix for a day or so they become
anxious, stressed or worse. You’d say that they have a problem whether they
want to acknowledge it or not, right?
Now re-read that previous paragraph but change all
references to drinking alcohol so that they instead point to doing some form of
exercise. It’s a healthier option, sure, but is it still completely healthy? Physically, they might be in peak condition but
emotionally or socially? I’m not so sure.
I’d rather take the holistic approach. Everything in
moderation, they say, and that applies to anything that you may think that
you’re addicted to. But where exercise is concerned, moderation is a heck of a
lot better than none at all. So this week I’m making an effort. I’m going to
get off my considerable behind and try to get a little fitter. I don’t ever
want to get to that stage where physical exertion defines me but I do want to
do something every day, even if it’s just a walk to the paper shop.
Today is the first day of the next three weeks.
© Shaun Finnie 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment