059 • Some (beneficial) habits that I can't seem to quit
Most of the talk surrounding habits has to do with struggling to form them so today I’m going to break the mould and share some habits that I struggle quitting.
I’m talking about the kind of habits that nag you in the back of your mind until you complete them, not feeling quite right until you’ve ticked them off.
First, the physical habits that I’ve dialled in…
Gym/physical training…
I’ve been going to the gym for over six years now and it’s something I’ve stayed completely consistent in, apart from a couple of occasions (the Covid lockdown in 2020 and extended travel last month).
Training brings blood flow to the brain and allows me to challenge my mental strength by pushing to physical limits.
The progress that comes from lifting weights increases my mental confidence, as I feel more comfortable in most physical situations.
Training your body makes you more ready for anything and once you start this, it’s hard to stop.
When I was travelling abroad, the only reason I wasn’t out looking for a foreign gym was because I was so busy moving around and taking in the sights.
Otherwise, I’d have gone crazy because of the lack of physical stimulation.
Eating clean food…
I’ve always been interested in health and dedicated to consuming food that’s at least somewhat good for your body.
In the last couple of years, I’ve taken this further and tried to only purchase single ingredients. My diet is simple but it does the job during these years where I don’t have the want or the facilities to create something fancier.
There are also mental practices that I use to keep my mind sharp because the two come hand in hand - you improve your mind you improve your body and vice versa.
The first one…
Limiting social media usage…
I’d like to be able to say that I use pure discipline to avoid social media but I don’t because it’s too difficult to stay away from the distraction.
Instead, I use app and website blockers to make sure there’s a cap on the time I can spend using distractions during the day.
The tools I use for the job are Refocus on my iPhone (a great new find - I didn’t have a reliable way to do this before) and Cold Turkey on my Mac.
Cold Turkey is a classic and has served me very well for a long time now.
Journaling + task tracking…
Although I’ve not been able to meditate consistently, I have been tracking tasks and making journal entries for the last three years.
What this does is ensure that I know what my goals are and that I stay on track to achieve them.
Sometimes it’s a struggle to think clearly and stay true to your values and journaling helps with this especially.
Other habits I’d like to form…
I think that the primary choice here is meditation.
I used to be quite consistent with the habit - giving myself time to sit down every morning or evening and just spend a short minute focusing on nothing but the present experience.
Over time I found that meditating helped me make better decisions but I fell out of the rhythm and haven’t been able to get it back. I’d love to do so though, as the practice would be very powerful when combined with journaling.
As well as meditation, I’d like to add some kind of regular intense cardiovascular training such as running or cycling because although I lift weights, I don’t do much cardio outside of competing in sports.
Incorporating this would do wonders for my overall health so I’m going to give it a go as well as meditation whilst trying not to take on too much at once (it’s hard to form many habits simultaneously).
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading Fundamentalised; I’ll talk to you soon!
-- Theo
