Pushing My Limits for Longevity: Mindshifting from Novelty to Normalcy
I was always under the impression that in order to make or break a habit, you had to do it for 21 days.
I was so convinced that I even researched this to share the proof for an article I was planning on writing on the topic. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this wasn’t true. I discovered that if you really want to create a new habit, you need to have the intense desire to integrate it into your life along with a deep-seeded motivation to keep doing it. If you don’t have a strong enough reason for why you are doing it, you may be able to keep going for a while but then you will eventually slide back into old, comfortable behaviours.
That’s probably why 80% of new year resolutions fail and often by mid-February.
So as I reached the three week mark of embracing my new longevity lifestyle, I’m fortunately discovering that my motivation is remaining very high compared to my previous attempts.
Now I must admit, much of my motivation is tied to the fact that I don’t want to publicly fail, but once I pull that away, I realize the prime motivation is my desire to be able to live and do all the things I would like to in my later years. I know that if I really want to have this chance, then I really don’t have a choice but to change some of my thoughts and habits.
I think the people in the Blue Zones are great examples of people living a longevity lifestyle. But what I also find quite fascinating is that as Dan Buttner from the Blue Zones shared, the people who are living the longest on this planet aren’t actually focused on living a long life.
They are just living their lives.
They have incorporated movement, healthy eating, doing things they enjoy with people they enjoy being with as part of their everyday living. They aren’t thinking about it. They aren’t scheduling it. They are just doing it.
That’s what I’m hoping for. I’m hoping that all these things that I currently view as a novelty behaviour will transform into being just part of my daily way of life. Eating healthy foods, looking forward to exercising, making sure I spend time with family and friends will simply just become part of my life's daily routine.
But I also recognize I still have some ways to go before that happpens.
I still catch myself thinking of personal rewards in terms of sugary treats I could eat or popping open a bottle of wine to celebrate. I know that until I can get my eating habits under complete control, I will need to focus on reprograming my views to find new ways to reward myself. For example, possibly taking the time for a nice long bath or going out to watch a movie I have been wanting to see would be better choices.
So my work on my longevity lifestyle continues. And hopefully soon I will see my new healthy habits as being just my normal routine rather than just a short term novelty.
Interested in reading more about my longevity lifestyle journey?;
About the Author
Susan Williams is the Founder of Booming Encore - a digital media hub dedicated to providing people with information and inspiration to create and live their very best encore in later life. Susan is also the co-author of the book, Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and contributor to Longevity Lifestyle by Design. Susan frequently writes and publicly speaks about retirement, aging and longevity.
