The Success Secret To New Year Resolutions – Habits

THE SUCCESS SECRET TO NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS – Habits

In 2013, when starting my Body Wellness Center, I began putting thoughts and ideas together. When thinking of names, I decided to go with the name ‘Body By Choice’. I understood at a young age that the choices you make today will always contribute to where you end up in the years to come. This is why it is so important to learn to develop good habits. Good habits are the foundation of self-improvement. 1% better than you were yesterday counts for a lot in the long run. Conversely, bad habits culminated are often the reason for failed health and performance attempts. 

Rather than rising to the level of your goals, you will fall to the level of your habits and systems. According to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. There are many thoughts regarding how long it takes to create a habit. I have realized that the amount of time you have performed a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it. Taking action and the accumulation of repetitions is the key to ingraining new habits in your life.  

We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: family, friends, and the powerful (those with status and prestige). The most effective way to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behavior is the norm. We find behaviors that gain us approval, respect and praise attractive. This is why setting up an environment that promotes success is so important. As herd animals, humans want to fit in and earn the respect and approval of our peers. We absorb the qualities and practices of those around us. 

Success is a choice. Your environment will dictate your consistency for excellence. Strive to surround yourself with people that lift you up and make you better. It has been proven that we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. It makes sense to surround yourself with like-minded individuals that bring out the best in you. I enjoy reading and learning from people who are successful and I have been fortunate enough to service many successful individuals in our community. I am always observing and listening. Over time, I have noticed that many successful people have a morning and evening routine/habit. My morning routine is outlined below. 

My Morning Routine

• Wake, emails, Eye Posture Calibration, Cold shower (5:30-6:00 am). I batch my email time to twice per day, once every morning and again to conclude my work day. Eye recalibrating is an interesting technique I have learned to instantly improve posture for the day by completing 2-3 minutes of eye exercises. Our eyes gather information from the environment and tell our brian and nervous system how to maintain better posture. Better poster equals less daily pain and lowers the risk of injury. Cold showers improve hormonal health and set the table for a healthy cortisol curve throughout the day. Research has shown that they increase circulation, reduce muscle soreness, boost weight loss, decrease depression and increase immunity. Yes, it’s awful, but I want to be my best in the early hours of the day. 
• Hydrate, Coffee and Prayer (6:30-7:00 am). I always start my day with 16 oz of water mixed with electrolytes along with a greens supplement to alkalize my body in the morning. After brewing some coffee, I enjoy it while I read scripture. A relationship with God is important to me so daily prayer is a staple of my morning routine. 
• 30 Minute Treadmill Walk / Personal development (6:30-7:00 am). As a business owner I am required to sit more than I prefer so I start the day with 3,000-4,000 steps in order to hit my movement goals. During this walk, I concentrate on personal development, which is career-focused in the morning hours. Changing lives and cultivating the gift of life is at the center of these thoughts so I am usually reading or listening to podcasts about strength and conditioning, business, performance nutrition concepts and functional medicine research. 
• Breakfast (7:00-7:30 am). As a dopamine-sensitive individual, I am very motivated and goal-driven. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for drive and motivation. The amino acid tyrosine is a precursor to up-regulating dopamine production so I eat tyrosine-rich foods in the morning – lean protein. I combine this with a healthy fat to increase acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for focus and mental acuity. My morning goal is to set my physiology up for success. Food cravings are real and very hard to overcome so I remove carbohydrates from my morning meal to keep insulin low. This will dramatically lower my cravings as the day progresses. This breakfast will also increase thermogenesis as it takes the body more calories to digest lean meat than it does a bowl of cereal. It also increases satiety leading to better food choices as well as increasing immune health markers and detoxification pathways. 
• Commute / podcast (7:30-8:00 am). I have a 30-minute commute to work each day and always listen to some type of informative podcast or a Blinkist. Blinkist is an app containing audio cliff notes of books. It gives a summary of the main points and provides me with an idea of which books I would want to read cover to cover. 
• CARS morning / Activation routine (8:00-8:30 am). CARS is short for “controlled articulate rotations”. It is a specific way to move each joint to prevent degeneration of the joint. Movement is life and also the best anti-inflammatory. I follow the CARS routine with an activation routine for core strength. I value my health and fitness and know that daily movement is essential for longevity. 
• Daily Big 3 / Legacy journal (8:30-9:00 am). The daily big three is a journaling process that I learned from Michael Hyatt. I write down my top 3 most important objectives that I want to accomplish for the day. I finish the journaling process with a gratitude log and some statements regarding how I want to leave a legacy. 

Please understand that you do not have to create a crazy morning routine like the one I have outlined above. My suggestion is to start slow by trying to master a few morning habits. It is through repetition that habits begin to form. A good morning routine starts with a great evening routine. I would encourage you to begin thinking about what your evening must look like to be consistent and supportive of your morning ritual. 

Good luck with your health and fitness resolutions! If you want to achieve them and not be one of the 95% that give up after the 3rd week then you must create habits and systems. True success lies in creating an ethos – a purposeful lifestyle supporting health and longevity. 

If you desire to better yourself, please inquire for a free consultation. Our free consultations are designed to gather as much information about you as possible, including your goals, exercise history, limitations, nutrition, sleep, stress, energy, etc. This knowledge will help me suggest the best plan that will give you the best chance at achieving your goals. Our success as a business comes by the success of our members. 

Resources:

• Wheeler, M., et al. Distinct effects of acute exercise and breaks in sitting on working memory and executive function in older adults: a three-arm, randomized cross-over trial to evaluate the effects of exercise with and without breaks in sitting on cognition. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2020. 54(13):776-781.
• Pub med: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Cold%20showers
• James Clear. Atomic Habits