Building a habit with a plan
This month I picked up an amazing book ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. This book helps you understand the science and working behind habits and how one can develop a new habit or break a new one. In one of these chapters ‘Secret to Self- Control’ the author discusses how people keep taunting and nagging people who are fat, smoke or have any other such habit, labeling it as something that should be criticized and made fun of. This is thought of to be a way of inspiring them to actually work towards getting rid of the habit of eating, smoking, etc.
What people fail to understand is that taunting someone does not motivate them, instead the person gets them into the loop of self-destruction.
How do I know this?
I have also been on the receiving end of these comments as I was also fat (nit too fat, but a little). People around me did not miss a single chance to make me realize how fat I was, how I might not find anyone, I may never get married and all the other criticism that comes with it. All these comments never inspired me to workout or exercise or put a brake on my sweet tooth, instead, it demoralized me into a place where I started questioning my existence, my worth and thus I slowly started losing my confidence.
I went online and ordered myself an ice cream, chocolates, waffles and all the sweet things I knew would help lift my mood. So instead of inspiring me, the criticism made me eat more and made me even fatter.
What inspired me?
Well, all those people who ensured to bring my confidence down, with their constant nagging were not actually right. I always knew that I might not be the fittest, but I am smart and someone would appreciate, who I am and not for who I wasn’t.
Years later I came across a guy who was smart and intelligent, not just in the bookish sense, but also street smart. While once we are discussing our childhood, I got to know that he too was a fat child but never faced similar criticism. While he enjoyed his food, he realized that he needed to control himself and stay fit, not thin.
He inspired me to start exercising, he told me to start small and eventually take it up a notch each time.
Step 1: Start by walking.
Step 2: Start exercising with 7 min workout app.
Step 3: If you like start running a little.
Some important things to keep in mind he said were:
- Eat everything, just be regular with your exercise.
- Do not go overboard with exercising or eating.
- Always start slow and then increase consistently.
- Do not do anything because others were doing it, but do what you like.
This was the first time, someone was not making fun of me for being fat, instead was helping me with being fit. I started going for a walk daily, then exercising. While I experience the pain of exercising daily earlier, I still was not very consistent.
During March 2020 when the lockdown began I decided to start exercising with curefit. They had a variety of fitness options and dancing was one of them. I started dancing daily because for me dance is fun. Now it has been over 6 months that I have been consistent with my exercise. I not only dance but also do yoga, strength exercises.
Exercise for me now is a habit, a routine that I follow without a miss. I lost almost 10 kgs in this time period and now everyone around is in shock when they see me.
This article is not to brag how much I have reduced, but instead to show that building a habit does not require nagging and taunting and pulling yourself down. Instead, it requires dedication and a slight effort to take the first step. Once your efforts start bearing results, it becomes a habit before you know it.
So, if you too are trying to build a habit, do not wait for miracles to happen, start small today, and make a consistent effort every day. There is no fixed time for developing a habit, it is the small steps you take. Before you know the one thing that was giving you so much trouble will become your habit.
