Did you know that winter is naturally a time for introspection and self-study?
It’s no surprise that this time of year inspires so many people to reflect on their habits and consider changing routines.
When incorporating new habits into their routines, many of the people we work with approach it with the mindset of, “I have to do this every day to be successful.”
I’m sure you know what ends up happening…
They’ll be successful at implementing the new habit for a couple of weeks or maybe even months but once life gets in the way, a day gets missed and then from there it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of losing track of that new habit entirely.
One thing that I talk about with my clients is giving yourself some leeway with the new habit because life will get in the way.
We then go into a discussion about “emergency reserve days”.
Here’s a great example – My client, Stephanie, wanted to start adding in more strength training days into her week to help her build muscle, so she could lose more fat.
Stephanie used to have a strength training routine of 5 days per week a few years ago, but life with two little ones pulled her away from that consistent routine.
So instead of letting Stephanie think that working out 5 days per week was the only way she’d be able to achieve her goal, we talked about what was realistic for her. Due to her schedule and life demands, we agreed Stephanie could realistically start working out 3x per week.
The goal that we set for her was to focus on getting those lifting sessions in 3x per week, with one emergency reserve day each week. This way when life happened and Stephanie could only get the gym twice in a week, she wasn’t failing herself by missing that third day, she just used one of her emergency reserve days.
And you know what happened after that? Stephanie established consistency. Sure, she used one of those days here and there but now she’s so consistent in her routine that she doesn’t even WANT to use any of those emergency reserve days.
Six months has gone by, Stephanie actually upped her strength training to 4x per week, she’s added 50 lbs. to her front squat AND lost 15 lbs!
This isn’t some crazy thing that this tattooed doc thought up all on his own, it’s actually backed by research.
And that research shows incorporating emergency reserve days into a new habit isn’t about taking the easy way out—it’s actually a strategy that promotes greater consistency.
So here’s something for you to ponder:
How can you use emergency reserve days towards your current goal?
