Happy New Year Fit and Fabulous Floridians! As we reflect back on 2024 and re-evaluate ourselves for 2025, it’s a great time to identify bad habits we may have let sneak into our lives and BREAK them. So, what is a bad habit? A habit is something that is performed so often that it almost becomes an involuntary response. If this habit becomes undesirable, we may consider it to be a “bad habit.” Essentially, a bad habit is a recurring action you do that typically provides instant satisfaction but often leads to long-term problems. Some examples of bad habits could be smoking, nail-biting, drinking, eating processed or sugary foods, negative self-talk, overthinking, etc. So how do we break these bad habits and how long does it take?
Back when I was in college (we will not divulge when that was), the old saying was, “It takes 21 days to form a habit.” Let’s be honest, we are all different, and depending on our stage in life, free time, lifestyle, and motivation, this could take much longer. New scientific studies show that it can take anywhere from 18 to 245 days to create a new habit, with the average time it took being reliably consistent hitting around the 66-day range. Whether it be the 21-day rule, 66-day average, or 245-day “max,” there is really no one size fits all. The best way to break bad habits and create new healthy habits is to take small steps and be patient with yourself.
Here are some ideas to help you start the process of creating good habits and getting rid of those sneaky not so not-so-desirable habits.
1. Set realistic (SMART) goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. Setting SMART goals will play a big role in your success. Set small achievable goals with a very specific pathway to accomplish them. For example, if you have a tendency to put yourself down and want to portray a more positive image of yourself, a SMART goal could look something like this: Each day for two weeks, I will say one thing out loud that I like about myself every morning right when I wake up and focus on that when negative thoughts creep into my mind.
2. Identify triggers and develop coping strategies. Bad habits, most of the time, creep in when we are looking for something to de-stress or comfort us. For example,people may feel they had a long, hard day at work, so unwinding with a cocktail in the afternoon or evening feels relaxing. This often leads to having more than one drink and doing it every day, which could lead to weight gain, cardiovascular issues, and many other health complications. Identify what your triggers are, which in this scenario, is having a hard day at work, and develop a different coping strategy than having a cocktail. Some suggestions might be taking a walk on the beach, reading a book, or talking with friends.
3. Review your inner circle and build your support group. This is a big one and probably the most challenging for a lot of us. Our inner circle is the people we spend the most amount of time with. It could be friends, family members, work colleagues, etc. Most of the time, these are people we have fun with, care about, and support us in many ways. If your inner circle supports you and loves you, they will also support you in trying to break those bad habits. For instance, if you have friends who gossip about others and gossiping is a habit you would like to get away from, let your friends know you don’t want to talk about others. If they are truly supportive, they will respect your decision and may even stop that habit themselves. This can work with any bad habit. However, if your inner circle is not supportive, it may be time to re-evaluate those individuals and make some changes to find people who will support you as you work to better yourself.
4. Last but not least, track your progress and celebrate small wins. You will try, you will fail, and you will try again. Life is full of failed attempts. Successful people are the people who fail, get up, learn from it, and try again until they succeed! Celebrate the small wins and write down something you are proud you accomplish each day!
2025 is a year of new beginnings and a great time to start healthy new habits and leave those bad ones behind. YOU are amazing, strong, and driven. Set those SMART goals, identify triggers that lead to harmful behavior, and develop healthy, positive coping strategies. Take inventory of your inner circle and make changes if necessary and CELEBRATE your progress!
CAT Burke is the owner of GETCATFIT Marco Island Fitness Bootcamp, Personal Training and Nutrition Coaching. She has over 30 years experience as a fitness professional, holds a BS in Kinesiology, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. CAT is also active in the natural bodybuilding industry as a professional athlete and judge. CAT may be reached at info@getcatfit.com. Website: www.getcatfit.com.
