There is a saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit. So say all the gyms promoting January membership deals. So now is right around the time that lots of new years day members start to drop out.
I joined gyms many times, in the first week of January and many other times throughout the year. Nothing stuck until I was literally afraid for my life when I was diagnosed with diabetes.
In that initial period after the diagnosis, I did develop a habit of exercise and that helped a lot in the following year when I plunged deep into triathlon. But, truth be told, everything was hard that year. All the laundry, the packing each night for next day's workouts and figuring out how to fit in each day's workout was pretty challenging. And then there was the challenge of the workout itself. The fact that working out regularly became a habit definitely helped. But the logistics of incorporating it into my busy life was quite daunting.
I noticed a big shift this year though, just in the past few weeks. I realized that it isn't really the "habit" that gets me to the gym or on the bike or at the trailhead. It's just what I do. And the realization was pretty astounding to me. Thirty months in, training for running and triathlon has become such a part of my life that I no longer think too much about my workouts. I plan them to the extent that I have to in order to pack my gym bag but that's just 10 minutes. I have pretty set routine. And it's not like I hit all my workouts in Training Peaks every week, but when I miss one it's usually unavoidable due to work or illness or just a legitimate need for sleep, which I've learned is also an important part of training.
So this year I've learned that, yes, developing a habit of exercise is really important. But it's not the end goal. If you keep a habit going long enough, it becomes much more than a habit. It becomes life.
Looking just super happy and enthusiastic at the start of my long run this morning. Habit can get you to the trailhead. But it gets so much easier when the question "should I go" doesn't even get asked.