Hey guys, this post is in continuation to my older post
I did something for 7 days and..
My last blog was on how I took up running as a daily activity for 7 days and experiences pertaining to it. This time it’s about the same activity for over a month now. To be honest, after the one month mark I didn’t do it. This is not because I didn’t develop a habit out of it or have a regime grooved in, but because I wanted to try something new. It is now about taking up newer challenges and seeing if this can be replicated! Before I go ahead and talk about that, I would like to share the 30-day journey and what I really think about habit building and so on…
Table of Contents
Time for some honesty!
I was not able to go out for that run all 30 days since I started. I was juggling a lot of things and there were days I just couldn’t get out!
There are two instances of this journey I’d like to highlight
The days I foresighted (It was 2 missed days by the way) my evenings to be packed, I was really bummed I couldn’t go out for that run. “This is the day it’s all going to end. I am just not going to carry on with it because of this break in routine and my habit building is out the window! Challenge Failed!” I thought to myself; that’s the thing, the next day I was just as motivated to get out at the exact same time for that run!
This made me realize that habit-building is not entirely about sticking to a rigid 30-day or a 60-day challenge. The motivation a brain uses to complete a challenge is very different from restructuring it and making it do things that aren’t particularly convenient to do on a daily basis; a challenge does not guarantee a lifelong habit!
That being said, now the second observation
There were days I got out of work at 9 in the evening; I was somehow still determined to come back home and squeeze in that 20-minute run! What do you think my motivation was? The motivation to build a habit for myself or the zeal to complete the challenge I posed upon myself? A little bit of both, but I’d lean towards the challenge.
Having laid out both these aspects of my experience; a challenge is good to get yourself disciplined and committed to challenging activities but it may or may not convert to a habit; that’s still up to you! Today 20 minutes of my day is freed up to do just about anything because of my one-month regime.
All said and done, I think one month is good enough time for you to get committed and disciplined. I say this because I wouldn’t mind going out for that run, I am pumped and motivated but at this juncture, I chose to try something different; something new ( To take up as a challenge anyway!). Going forward I wish to get some form of exercise every day; it may not be a 20-minute run. It could be a 10-minute HIIT, a 30-minute walk, or the same old 20-minute run; just something that keeps the heart rate up! I think I have grooved into a habit of keeping fit rather than running ;).
This brings me to the benefits of doing it so far and why I’d continue with some form of exercise..
Believe it or not, the run really clears your head. The last few months have been stressful and emotionally not the healthiest and running helped me a lot. All the articles and blogs that have good things to say about running; are true! The main thing running helps with is getting you really tired; a good 20-minute run does a lot of tiring for someone relatively new to fitness regimes anyway! This is good for both your physical and mental health and I am first-hand proof of it.
You lose body fat! Yes; for those of you looking for weight loss as an objective, running should be considered. Over the month, I lost about 1.5 kilos with just 20 minutes a day! Eat consciously and I almost guarantee (Although I can’t :D) you will feel lighter and see some difference on the scale.
You become a tad bit more disciplined and committed. Whether you develop the habit you intended to establish or not; you definitely see a more disciplined version of yourself! That’s a takeaway according to me.
These were my outcomes and they would be my reason to hold on to carry on with this!
I would recommend you to start it off as a challenge so that you’re committed just long enough to see the benefits as I did :).
So what’s next?
Challenges
I intend on trying out newer challenges in the spirit of being adventurous and for the sake of being able to replicate my own results. I would also take up these challenges to see practical results vis-à-vis what is claimed on the internet and continue sharing these blogs to help you make better decisions without having to do much of your own research (Although, a bit of your own research is always good!).
As always feel free to comment and if there is something you want me to try out and share my experience do let me know!
Thanks for reading!
