Day 0/66

Dear Future Me,

People always say that it takes 21 days to make a habit. In reading about habit formation, I found that this is a myth.

It takes 21 days to get used to the new pattern of behavior you’ve introduced. So how long does it take to actually form a habit? Apparently, the new magic number is 66. In 66 days, not only are you accustomed to the behavior you consciously set out to develop, but you’ve made it habitual.

So what does this means in terms of being healthy and committing yourself to a workout plan?

It means that for the first few days, you will feel good about going to the gym and being healthy. Then, probably around the fourth day or so, you’ll start to realize that you’ve chosen a new habit that isn’t all that fun to follow through with. For the next three weeks, your mind will be inundated with a persistent buzzing that tells you to quit, to stop whatever it is you’ve tried to start.

I imagine after three weeks that little voice nagging you to stop will ease up. I imagine you’ll feel so good that it might just be easy to lace up your shoes and pull on that sports-bra. I imagine you will look in the mirror with pride–not because your appearance has changed, but because your mindset has.

There is no such thing as fixing it overnight. As much as I wish I could just keep hitting refresh until my dream life appears before me, that’s not what’s going to happen. So it’s time to put in the work.

Today is day 0 of my fitness journey. Tomorrow is day 1. You know what that means…I’m right at the base of the mountain.

-Your Past Self