"The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg

Would you like to quit smoking? Start working out regularly? Follow a healthy eating plan? Or kick a nasty habit like biting your nails or hitting the snooze button every morning? The empowering read you are looking for is "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg.

I have known for a long time the power of habits and routine. For example, the only times I have been successful (in my mind anyways) at being a healthy adult were during times when I could establish a proper routine and develop good habits. Right now I am in one of the "cue, routine, reward" loops that Duhigg describes in the book, I have been going to the gym now for 33 weeks straight (minus one week while at Disney World) and have worked out 184 times. It is all because I made going to the gym and working out part of my daily routine and it eventually became a habit. 

It all started for me when I returned home from my previous vacation. While visiting San Diego for a week in February everyone made time to go to the gym but me. I had been working on a side project at work and in was consuming all of my down time on vacation. All of a sudden my Grandfather passed away while I was on the other side of the planet enjoying the California sunshine. My Grandfather's health had been an issue as long as I could remember, so I made a pact with myself that on my first day back at the station after vacation I would hit the gym for my lunch hour. 

I had been religiously going to the gym before I started my "grown-up" 9-5 job. After moving to British Columbia I found I had no time to go to the gym and for eight months focused on my new job and my new home. On the first day back from California I joined Peak Physique in Castlegar, British Columbia and hauled my ass to the gym every workday (and some weekends) until my next move at the end of July. 

I knew it was going to be a struggle when another move popped up, but I have continued to venture to the gym at least five times a week even when in different provinces and forced to use hotel fitness facilities. For me it was never about a number, how much I weigh is not really something that bothers me and loosing weight is definitely not my focus. Going to the gym and eating properly has always been better for me mentally than physically. Feeling good on the inside translates to looking good and hitting the gym helps me curb some of my anxiety and burn off extra energy. 

Everyday I wake up and I hit the gym. My cue is sliding out of bed and into workout clothing. My routine is drinking my pre-workout, driving to the gym and then working out. My reward is a little time in the sauna reading, enjoying a protein shake and that post-workout high. 

An area that I need to start applying the "cue, routine, reward" theory is with my online life. If you follow my blog you can tell that I really do not spend much time writing right now, my website needs to be revamped and well my social media pages are pretty dull. Moving across the country has really killed the amount of time I spend online. While working at the radio station I spent lots of time online at work and while I was at home but now I have lots of other priorities that do not include looking for hot topics to talk or write about. Right now I am working "offline", I am not intentionally avoiding the internet but just do not have the time for the things that were really important to me at this time last year.

It has been a nice break but I am looking forward to figuring out a way to include more time for writing and creativity in my new routine. Any tips? I have always been big on lists and charting my goals, this is something I need to work into my new living situation. I have always created little nooks and areas in my living spaces to do my work, this is lacking from my new house. Maybe my first reward for blogging everyday for a month could be a new desk? Hmmmm... or I'm thinking a coffee everyday on my way home from the gym to help the creative juices flow while writing my daily blog? We will see... that could get expensive. 

What did you do to kick your nasty habits?

If you have yet to figure out how to start a new routine for yourself or quit a habit or addiction I recommend "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg.. I have always been a fan of buying books at the airport and this book was up there on the list of my favourites. It was incredibly easy to follow and I could not put it down. I actually read over half of the book while on my flights from Orlando back to Halifax.