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Bleicke · 07-29-2008, 06:16 PM

Hey Steve (and guys),

Great post. I've been thinking about something similar lately when I finally managed to install a few new habits in myself.

I had tried eating healthy and working out for years, but I always lacked discipline. Turns out momentum is a great replacement for discipline.

It wasn't my plan initially, but I used several 30-day-trials to gain momentum and motivate myself.

In the beginning I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do ANYTHING AT ALL for 30 days. I had failed so many things that I wanted to do forever that I just had to see if I could do anything at all.

So I picked an easy one. Go vegetarian. That was not difficult since I'm not much of a meat eater anyway.

After 30 days I added "no sugar" (including sweetened cereal, soda, etc.), because there is just NO positive thing about eating refined sugar at all. So it's a no brainer. It was challenging, but I made it. Everyone kept supporting me because not eating sugar is somehow everyones secret desire which they can't pull off. The confidence from going vegetarian helped me pull through. I knew I could do it, if only for 30 days. On the 30th day I crammed myself full of sugar and almost puked. Wow, when did sugary stuff become so disgusting?

Barely able to wait till the next 30 days started, I added "work out intense for 5 minutes every morning prior to showering". Intense as in tabata squats (Google it if you don't know them, it's awesome. 4 minutes of workout and you're DEAD no matter what level you're at). I missed two days here but all in all I have no problem doing it now.

I recently started my 30 day write 1000 words every day trial. This one is challenging because it takes me up to an hour to write 1000 words. Most of the time is spent thinking. Sometimes I continue my new novel, at other times I post random thoughts in my blog at Bleicke.com.

My point is: starting with an easy 30-day-trial, I gained momentum and the confidence to do the more challenging trials.

I now don't eat meat, fish, anything with sugar, work out every morning and write 1000 words each day.

That's reflecting in my body composition, of course. People (especially girls) ask me if I lost weight. I didn't weigh myself, but I like them asking :-)

For me the early-game was getting into the habit of acquiring new habits. Middle game is now, I'd say. Having a few healthy habits that are not too tough. I guess when I finish this writing trial I'll change the workout routine to 15 minutes.

End-game, here I come!

07-29-2008, 06:16 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bleicke Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 263	Hey Steve (and guys), Great post. I've been thinking about something similar lately when I finally managed to install a few new habits in myself. I had tried eating healthy and working out for years, but I always lacked discipline. Turns out momentum is a great replacement for discipline. It wasn't my plan initially, but I used several 30-day-trials to gain momentum and motivate myself. In the beginning I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do ANYTHING AT ALL for 30 days. I had failed so many things that I wanted to do forever that I just had to see if I could do anything at all. So I picked an easy one. Go vegetarian. That was not difficult since I'm not much of a meat eater anyway. After 30 days I added "no sugar" (including sweetened cereal, soda, etc.), because there is just NO positive thing about eating refined sugar at all. So it's a no brainer. It was challenging, but I made it. Everyone kept supporting me because not eating sugar is somehow everyones secret desire which they can't pull off. The confidence from going vegetarian helped me pull through. I knew I could do it, if only for 30 days. On the 30th day I crammed myself full of sugar and almost puked. Wow, when did sugary stuff become so disgusting? Barely able to wait till the next 30 days started, I added "work out intense for 5 minutes every morning prior to showering". Intense as in tabata squats (Google it if you don't know them, it's awesome. 4 minutes of workout and you're DEAD no matter what level you're at). I missed two days here but all in all I have no problem doing it now. I recently started my 30 day write 1000 words every day trial. This one is challenging because it takes me up to an hour to write 1000 words. Most of the time is spent thinking. Sometimes I continue my new novel, at other times I post random thoughts in my blog at Bleicke.com. My point is: starting with an easy 30-day-trial, I gained momentum and the confidence to do the more challenging trials. I now don't eat meat, fish, anything with sugar, work out every morning and write 1000 words each day. That's reflecting in my body composition, of course. People (especially girls) ask me if I lost weight. I didn't weigh myself, but I like them asking :-) For me the early-game was getting into the habit of acquiring new habits. Middle game is now, I'd say. Having a few healthy habits that are not too tough. I guess when I finish this writing trial I'll change the workout routine to 15 minutes. End-game, here I come!