Good Habit 2: Elevating Exercise

December 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

YOGA! July challenge © by lululemon athletica

If I don’t get exercise I feel it immediately; my energy will drop and I tend to get a testy mood. But as soon as I go for a workout or a long run my energy comes back and after training I feel elevated. The body produces adrenaline and endorphins that make me feel happy and energetic.

Your physiological foundation depends on how strong and durable your body is. The stronger your body is the stronger your foundation is. I recommend that you aim at doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. At least three of your training sessions every week should be 60 – 90 minutes.

I have set up a couple of good training habits:

Vary your training. If you do the same kind of exercise every day then you will only train parts of your body. You need exercise that covers your whole body and that includes cardio training, strength training and stretching. Furthermore, if you don’t vary your training then your body will not get time to recover and rebuild.

Physiological habit exercise

Habit 2: Excercise © Erik Back 2011

Do specialised training (e.g. swimming technique or rowing or martial arts) Specialised training will help you setting and reaching goals. The specialised training could make up the three long training sessions. Specialised training is usually done in a club where you will build a social network as well.

Be consistent – attend training even if you don’t feel up to it. Usually you will feel better during or after training.

Have fun exercising. Play games; break a record; do crazy stuff; use your imagination and try new forms of exercise. This will also help you strengthen your foundation for developing your extrovert personality later in the process. But for now, just have some fun!

Early training sessions. Your body has its own cycles and at specific times of the day your body do specific tasks and functions. This means that the best time for exercising is in the morning before breakfast.

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Good Habit 1: Sensational Sleep

December 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Physiological habit sleep © Erik Back 2011

This is the first article in a series of good habits that are based on my model “The Hierarchy of Habits”. At the foundation of the pyramid you find the physiological habits and today is about sleep.

Sleep research

Sleep is the most important habit of your life. If you do not sleep at all then you risk death; it is as simple as that. If you only sleep very little you will live but you will have a terrible life. I have seen relationships break because of lack of sleep; I have seen even more people get permanently sick because of lack of sleep.

Research show that you need 7-8 hours of sleep and if you do not get the sleep you need your cognitive performance will not remain intact. You will not be thinking as clear as you could. At 6 hours sleep or less research show that you will regenerate over time; your life span will be shortened.

You can read the research result that was published in 2003 here. If you would like a less academic text you can read an article from The New York Times here.

How I got a better sleeping habit

For a few months I have had only very little sleep, about 5-6 hours every night sometimes I managed to get a nap in the middle of the day. In the beginning it was not a problem with less sleep but lately I have had problems performing during the day. I forget things and have difficulties being positive. I realised that I had to work on my sleeping habits.

I wanted to get a stable sleeping pattern to get enough sleep and to bring balance into my sleeping habits; this is what I do:

I get up at 6.30 (6.30am) every morning. I started out getting up at 6.00 (6am) but that was too early, maybe because it is winter and dark most of the day (I live in Denmark and right now we only have about 7 hours of daylight)

I go to bed around 22.00 (10pm) in the evening, sometimes later, but I aim at ten o’clock. This results in approximately eight hours of sleep.

I take a nap during the day if I have the opportunity to do so. I never allow myself to nap more than 45 minutes. I have always had a biphasic sleeping pattern; I do not know if that is good or bad but most research seem to prove that a nap is a healthy habit as long as you take the nap between 13.00 and 15.00 (1pm – 3pm).

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Why You Should Make a Habit of Thinking

December 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Stopping to think © by Envios

“A habit is something you can do without thinking – which is why most of us have so many of them.”  ~Frank A. Clark

The first time I read this quote it made me laugh; I also laughed the second time and the third. But then I started to think about it – it is both funny and has good point. Implicit Mr. Clark is referring to the bad habits that sneak upon you without you noticing. If you just go with the flow and always act by impulse your habits are going to be random and a lot of them will be bad habits that stop you from getting what you want in life.

It is easier to act on emotions and impulse than thinking about your actions, but to get good habits that will result in your success you have to use your ability to think. Start defining what you want in life and discover the good habits you need to get there. You can address your destiny by using your brains.

Descartes famous words finally come to good use: “I think, therefore I am.” While studying philosophy at the university I never managed to get impressed by Descartes, but in this case his words seem to fit the context. If you want to be someone or something; if you want to achieve; if you want to get the feeling of accomplishment then start thinking and use your common sense and a good deal of willpower.

If you think about your habits and realise them, then you will achieve and you will feel the meaning of life. Your habits define who you are and by forming good habits you will be. In other words – if you think, you will be.

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A New Habit Takes Time

December 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Take Time © by hanspetermeyer.ca

Habits are difficult to break and they are difficult to make. The good news is that you can make a new habit but it will take a lot of effort to do. Do not waste time trying to break an old habit because you cannot. I do not believe in breaking habits. You have a habit because it fulfils a need you have. Instead of breaking a habit you should figure out why you have that habit and based on what you find you can make a new habit.

Your body takes about three weeks to get used to something new; it will adapt to new conditions and influences in just three weeks. E.g. if you prefer to drink a certain brand of coffee and you choose to change brand and drink the new brand for about three weeks then you will most likely prefer the new brand over the old one.

It is important, though, that you have your mind set on this change because if you say to yourself: “This coffee really sucks!” every time you drink the new brand, then your mind will focus on the old brand and nothing will change. It is essential that you want the change.

It takes more time to make it a habit

Getting used to something new is not enough to make it a habit. The three weeks as a rule of thumb is to be seen everywhere, but a habit takes the time a habit takes. How long a habit takes to be formed depends on the nature of the habit and the person trying to make the habit. Research shows that a habit takes everything between 18 to 254 days to form. The average is about two months. You can read more about this here.

To make sure that your habit will stick you have to keep your focus and mind set on your new habit for 3-8 months. You have to perform your habit every day and not miss a single day. Habits take hard work, but they are usually worth it if you are trying to make good habits.

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I Have a Cold Because of Bad Habits

December 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

missy with kleenex © by adamdoesit

I have a strong health and last time I caught a cold was spring 2010 after a break up. When the routines and habits that form your foundation crack then your immune system will weaken and you are more likely to catch a cold. Almost two years after my last cold I have another one. I am not complaining because most people catch a cold at least three or four times a year.

But the reason I caught a cold this time is that I have been stressed. I have had too much work, too many worries and too little sleep. My to-dos have piled up and they seem endless. No matter how much I do or how much I work there just does not seem to be and end to the tasks and to-dos. I have a flat tire on my bike, articles to be written, groceries, papers to be handled, bills to be paid and invoices to send, a budget that seems unrealistic and … I could go on all day.

The problem is not that I have a lot to do the real problem is my habits. Somehow I lost control of my habits and somehow some of my habits have turned into bad habits because the environment has changed. Business has not been well for a while and a lot of changes have been necessary, but I forgot that big changes in the environment demand big changes in habits and routines. It is time to tear down some walls and build some new ones, better and stronger than before.

The sooner I change my habits the sooner my health will become strong again. In times of change the most important thing is to keep a cool head and peace of mind. If you have a cold right now, then think about your habits. I recommend that you read my article about Zen habits to get better.

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