Some of the most fattening and unhealthy habits in your life are the ones that may be under your radar. I’m talking about those little every day things that don’t really seem like a big deal yet they undermine all of your best efforts.
For example, there’s the individual who has made the massive commitment to workout with a trainer 3 times a week. They force themselves to go to the gym and endure exercise they don’t enjoy while putting up with the trainer they really can’t stand. they are spending a lot of energy, a lot of money and a whole lot of discipline in an effort to get in shape. Each session feels like a really big deal because it’s so difficult and costly. Surly something that takes up so much attention and focus has to be effective right?
And it would be, except this individual has a habit of treating themselves to a burger and fries after each workout. it’s nothing they really think much about because they’ve done it every day for lunch for years. it doesn’t feel like a big deal, and in a way it’s not. They almost do it on auto pilot without even thinking as they multi-task on their smart phone and think about the meeting later that after noon. Even though that lunch doesn’t take much attention in their mind, it wipes out most, if not all, of the calorie burn they struggled with during the workout. While their mind and body feels like they are ahead, the reality of the calorie balance is that it’s a zero sum gain.
Change is often hard due to the fact that the small habits that don’t seem to be much of a big deal often go unchecked, while the bigger habits that we think are so important (and may not be) take up all of you attention span.
If someone is struggling to improve, chances are they are too focused on the things that don’t matter all that much, and turn a blind eye to the things that do. Another example is the person who spends loads of time and money looking for the perfect protein powder but their sleep patterns are in shambles. And then there’s the individual who’s trying to figure out their perfect chest routine, yet they can’t maintain a consistent workout routine or they don’t keep a log to track progress.
I’m guilty as much as anyone for focusing too much on the things that don’t matter much, and ignoring the things that do. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this. If at first you don’t succeed, go back and try all of the things you thought weren’t all that important in the first place. Because in the end your success depends on sticking to the habits that are the most important rather than then one’s you think are the most important.
