WEEK THREE - “I Will” March 15-March 21, 2021 🌺🌺
MadisonMolly2017
Posts: 11,152 Member
Hi Everyone!
Let’s continue rally ourselves (with more than half March still ahead of us) to choose another *small* habit for our Week 3 challenge!
Rather than setting an “I Will” for the month, let’s set a weekly “I Will.” Week 1 & 2 have had really terrific results. Yes, the normal hills & valleys happen, but today gives us an opportunity to recommit or start AFRESH!
Let’s keep the ball rolling & “dedicate ourselves to self-improvement” at least a little each week!
At the end of the week, you can assess how it went. Then keep the same plan or modify your plan & commit to whichever you decide for the next 7 days.
Why?
* Sometimes, we get further into the month, and we get a little bored or our enthusiasm flags.
* Sometimes we realize there is something more important that we need to focus upon.
* Sometimes, we’ve mastered the new habit in the first week or two!
Let’s give it a try!!
🌸Maddie & 🌼Denise
@MadisonMolly2017 & @themedalist
Newcomers! Welcome! We are glad you are here!
🌸 For information on achieving your goals through tiny habit changes, please Google “BF Fogg.” He has some very short talks < 3 minutes and longer interviews.
🌼The bottom line, habits trump motivation. Tiny habits give us confidence in our ability to be successful in changing our behavior, which leads to more tiny habits, which then leads to success.
🌺The book Atomic Habits by James Clear has been helpful for many members. He also has a free (short) email he sends out every Thursday that ALWAYS has something I find very wise/insightful!
aq8p3gi0xyqz.jpeg
From Maddie’s favorite walk!
🌼 It's a brand new month! What's your favorite part of MARCH?
What healthy habit would you like to work on this WEEK? Is it something new or a continuation of your February focus? Whatever it is, let's dive in and make it happen!
🌸 If you are new to our group, welcome! Please let us know what you will be working on and how we can help! Just a suggestion: set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on!
🌼 You might frame your goal along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This WEEK, I will..."
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself...
6. What help would you like from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of this WEEK?
Optional:
Short form for tiny habits:
AFTER I ________________________
I WILL __________________________
Examples:
After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth.
After I drink my afternoon coffee, I will put on my walking shoes.
After I put away my breakfast dishes, I will prep 3 servings of vegetables for the day.
After I clean up after dinner, I will plan tomorrow’s dinner & move necessary items from freezer to refrigerator.
After I weigh myself in the morning, I will drink 2 cups of refreshing, cool water.
After I start my coffee brewing, I will stand on each leg for 30 seconds.
You get the idea!
🌺What can I do today (and this week) that will make my Future Self proud?
TRACKERS can HELP establish your new habits. Some of us do these on paper (even coloring them as an additional reward), and some use fun emoticons 🎉❤️🍎 in their posts to track.
Here’s a site with a bunch of paper trackers.
https://thepetiteplanner.com/21-free-printable-habit-trackers/
There also seem to be quite a few free apps for phones that will help you track your habits.
Of course, you don’t need to use any tracking system.
😃😃
Let’s continue rally ourselves (with more than half March still ahead of us) to choose another *small* habit for our Week 3 challenge!
Rather than setting an “I Will” for the month, let’s set a weekly “I Will.” Week 1 & 2 have had really terrific results. Yes, the normal hills & valleys happen, but today gives us an opportunity to recommit or start AFRESH!
Let’s keep the ball rolling & “dedicate ourselves to self-improvement” at least a little each week!
At the end of the week, you can assess how it went. Then keep the same plan or modify your plan & commit to whichever you decide for the next 7 days.
Why?
* Sometimes, we get further into the month, and we get a little bored or our enthusiasm flags.
* Sometimes we realize there is something more important that we need to focus upon.
* Sometimes, we’ve mastered the new habit in the first week or two!
Let’s give it a try!!
🌸Maddie & 🌼Denise
@MadisonMolly2017 & @themedalist
Newcomers! Welcome! We are glad you are here!
🌸 For information on achieving your goals through tiny habit changes, please Google “BF Fogg.” He has some very short talks < 3 minutes and longer interviews.
🌼The bottom line, habits trump motivation. Tiny habits give us confidence in our ability to be successful in changing our behavior, which leads to more tiny habits, which then leads to success.
🌺The book Atomic Habits by James Clear has been helpful for many members. He also has a free (short) email he sends out every Thursday that ALWAYS has something I find very wise/insightful!
aq8p3gi0xyqz.jpeg
From Maddie’s favorite walk!
🌼 It's a brand new month! What's your favorite part of MARCH?
What healthy habit would you like to work on this WEEK? Is it something new or a continuation of your February focus? Whatever it is, let's dive in and make it happen!
🌸 If you are new to our group, welcome! Please let us know what you will be working on and how we can help! Just a suggestion: set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on!
🌼 You might frame your goal along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This WEEK, I will..."
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself...
6. What help would you like from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of this WEEK?
Optional:
Short form for tiny habits:
AFTER I ________________________
I WILL __________________________
Examples:
After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth.
After I drink my afternoon coffee, I will put on my walking shoes.
After I put away my breakfast dishes, I will prep 3 servings of vegetables for the day.
After I clean up after dinner, I will plan tomorrow’s dinner & move necessary items from freezer to refrigerator.
After I weigh myself in the morning, I will drink 2 cups of refreshing, cool water.
After I start my coffee brewing, I will stand on each leg for 30 seconds.
You get the idea!
🌺What can I do today (and this week) that will make my Future Self proud?
TRACKERS can HELP establish your new habits. Some of us do these on paper (even coloring them as an additional reward), and some use fun emoticons 🎉❤️🍎 in their posts to track.
Here’s a site with a bunch of paper trackers.
https://thepetiteplanner.com/21-free-printable-habit-trackers/
There also seem to be quite a few free apps for phones that will help you track your habits.
Of course, you don’t need to use any tracking system.
😃😃
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Replies
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I realize I am getting ahead for the week but Sunday is usually my day where I have some time to sit down and do some catch up. I am caught up on reading all the posts from the prior week and waving hello to all!
For the coming week, I am sticking to my original weekly goal of...
After each habit, I will record it in my tracker. Or at least by end of day.
This has been surprisingly helpful for me. I have gone back and reread the chapter in Atomic Habits on tracking habits and tweaked what I was doing. Several things he said reinforced the importance of why I should take the time to do this. After considering different options, I ended up designing my own tracker in excel which seems to be working well for me. I still consider what I am doing a work in progress. I am quite happy with this as my goal as there is a positive cascading effect.3 -
@znaoiec, same here. Sunday is my day to catch up here and on other things I’m involved in. After sitting at my home office computer for 9 hours during the work week, I just can’t stomach any more computer time during the evenings.
Glad you are finding Atomic Habits useful to you! It’s a great book!0 -
This week I’ll continue to drink some water AFTER I decide to have a cup of coffee or hot tea, but before I drink those beverages. I want to do this for a whole month and see if I notice any differences.2
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@themedalist I listened to a podcast, The Model Health Show, quite awhile ago and still remember that the host said when we get up in the morning we are dehydrated, so it's important to drink lots of water first thing in the morning. A couple of months ago my goal was to fill my coffee cup with water and drink it before filling it up with coffee. After a month, it stuck because, like you said, it's easy. I still don't look forward to it, but at least now I can finish the whole cup. The habit itself doesn't have to be enjoyable, but we get the reward of doing something good for ourselves and (sometimes) that's enough to make it feel somewhat enjoyable.
I was thinking of all the habits we do automatically every day just because it's a good thing...hang up the towel after a shower, brush teeth, put pj's in the hamper, straighten up the bed. Not fun things, but makes life easier in the end.
@znaoiec Trackers have been helpful for me, too. They have become a reward in themselves and once I get a streak going, I don't want to break it.
Have a great Week 3 everybody. I'm still thinking...1 -
I thought you might be interested in a closer look at the Fogg Behavioral Model. I've found it very helpful in thinking about potential habits that I might create and whether they've got the staying power to stick around and become true habits. Most of us can do lots of things for a while. But can we keep doing them 6 months or a year from now? That's the real test of a habit.
The Fogg Behavioral Model says we act when Motivation, Ability, and a Cue occur at the same time. We can visualize it graphically like this:
.
Here, the Action Line is the boundary line that separates actions we can take based on our motivation and ability from actions we can't take due to our motivation and ability.
Shading the graph helps a lot!
NO HABIT CAN FORM REGION:
The rose-colored region is where a habit can't take root. Either the action is too difficult or we are not sufficiently motivated to do it. Here, a Cue or Prompt won't be useful and could be annoying because we can't do this action. We don't want to be reminded about something we can't do.
HABITS CAN GROW REGION:
But in the green region above the Action Line, a habit could take hold because we are sufficiently motivated and/or the action is well within our ability to do. In this region, the Cue is essential because this is a new action for us. Even if we are motivated, and even if we have the ability, without that Cue we will likely forget to do the action. When Motivation, Ability, and a Cue converge at the same time? PURE MAGIC!
Now, let's take an example and consider a typical New Year's Resolution. Most people are highly motivated on January 1st. They're excited for the clean slate, endless possibilities that the new year brings. Let's think about a typical New Year's Resolution: to go to the gym for 60 minutes, 5 times a week. Let's further assume that this fictitious person is new to exercising. He or she doesn't really want to exercise, they are just making it their resolution because they think they *should* exercise more. Because this person isn't accustomed to exercising, trying to be at the gym for a full hour, 5 days a week is a really difficult goal to set...not an easy thing to do at all! But because they start out on Jan 1st highly motivated, their graph might look like this:
Their sheer motivation propels them to the gym and they can overcome this difficult action and meet their 1 hour gym goal.
But usually, after a couple of weeks motivation wanes. It may be easier to go to the gym (maybe they see a friend there or set their clothes out the night before) but with much lower motivation, they can barely keep going to the gym:
And usually...you can guess what happens next...by the end of January their motivation has plummeted and there's no more gym:
Sadly, this is what happens with most New Year's Resolutions.
But what would happen if this person scrapped the idea of going to the gym every day for an hour and instead made their goal something much easier to do, like going to the gym for just 15 minutes? That might look like this:
SUCCESS!
Which brings us back to why all the habits researchers urge us to start with a small action and focus on that through repetition until it becomes truly a habit. Because small actions are easier to do and thus require little or no motivation. Motivation fluctuates too much for us to rely on it for habit building. By focusing instead on how to make something we want to do simpler and easier, especially when we are starting out, our chances for success skyrocket.
.................................................
TL;DR: Small changes win.
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Hello Everyone,
My goal for the month of March is to lose 8 pounds.
Due to some scale/mindset issues I had in February, I will NOT be weighing in to check my progress until the end of the month....but I hope to maintain a pace of 2lbs per week even though I won't be checking.
The small actions I will take to accomplish my goal are:
- Get 7 or more hours of sleep each night.
- Drink at least 64oz of water each day.
- Stay within my caloric parameters as dictated by MFP.
- Track all of my habits daily using my habit tracker.
My FOCUS habit for the week will be tracking all foods BEFORE I eat them.
@nebslp I like the water in the coffee cup first idea. I may implement that in a future week. I rarely struggle to hit my water goal, but I do think getting some extra first thing would be a plus.
Have a great week everyone...
Angela from Pennsylvania2 -
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March 15-21 I Will
For each day I weigh under 156, I Will increase my food budget to 2150. If over 156, I’ll stick to 2100. If under 155, I’ll
Give myself the leeway to go up to 2,200 calories.
Reason, lost weight over the past 9 days & very close to maintenance and feeling more hunger.2 -
@nebslp, such a good point about being dehydrated in the morning. That’s when I need to make sure I get my water in.
Living in a cold climate state and on well water, the water coming out of my tap is ice cold and unappealing. So this morning, I ran the hot water first to make the water a better temperature for me.
Thanks for your post!1 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »March 15-21 I Will
For each day I weigh under 156, I Will increase my food budget to 2150. If over 156, I’ll stick to 2100. If under 155, I’ll
Give myself the leeway to go up to 2,200 calories.
Reason, lost weight over the past 9 days & very close to maintenance and feeling more hunger.
Just a comment
that seems a little too stringent/inconsistent because weight is never static. If you are trending down you might just want to go to 2200 for several weeks. Making decisions day by day puts so much emphasis on the scale and to me you are really doing well and to me thinking longer term is easier. If 2200 is REALLY too much the most you would see would be a gain of 1 pound in a month....to put it in perspective.
I think you should reward yourself with the additional cals for a few weeks esp since you are feeling more hunger.
Summerjustmyopinion1 -
@themedalist Thank you for the diagrams showing how a habit doesn't just happen because we want it to. Things have to be in place to make it a consistent behavior. I learned from Atomic Habits that the desired behavior has to be easy and obvious if the habit is going to persist. It's so much more complicated than white-knuckling and repeating an action until it sticks, because it probably won't stick once the motivation is decreased, as your diagrams show. Why weren't we taught this in grade school?!?!
@MadisonMolly2017 I think SummerSkier has something there. I am caught in the sticky web of changing or not changing my eating habits based on what the scale says in the morning. Not a good place to be. I keep telling myself to trust the process, the tracking, the staying within a calorie limit, and not to trust the fickle scale, but it's not easy for me. You are doing so well with what you've been doing. Seems to me it's working.2 -
This week I WILL log my food and stay below my TDEE every day this week.3
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this week I am taking a vacation from habits.. LOL. Just doing the normal stuff I do and whatever my fancy happens upon. First Covid Pfizer shot DONE!2
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Thanks for the ideas. I’m doing great!
I weigh myself daily - just data - and I know how it varies (not much). It does not get into my head. I’m also basically at my goal weight, so it doesn’t really matter.
Appreciate your support @Summerskier & @nebslp!1 -
SummerSkier wrote: »this week I am taking a vacation from habits.. LOL. Just doing the normal stuff I do and whatever my fancy happens upon. First Covid Pfizer shot DONE!
@SummerSkier
Just not into it?0 -
SummerSkier wrote: »this week I am taking a vacation from habits.. LOL. Just doing the normal stuff I do and whatever my fancy happens upon. First Covid Pfizer shot DONE!
😁 YAY!!!! Getting the first shot made me feel almost normal, so it’s a great time for you to just do normal stuff! Enjoy!😍 Don’t forget us though. I’ll be expecting to hear your 2 🪙 🪙 worth occasionally please😉
I get my second dose on Thursday 🎉 🎈 🧳 🚙 then packing my suitcase and going on a road trip!
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Day 1 👍2
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Im still here. Just haven't picked anything in particular for the week. Mostly since I am going to be fully vaccinated I have been working to schedule things which "need" to be done. Mammo, sono, Dentist, Dr appts etc. May is going to be a busy month for me. My arm is just a little sore today but nothing worse than with the flu shot and definitely a LOT better than the shingles one.
@nebslp look at you go!!!!2 -
Hi, Everyone! 🌞
@SummerSkier
I'm also planning to make an eye appointment and a dentist appointment, both of which I neglected last year. I really need to see the eye doctor. Also, I'm making a list of places I want to go after the second dose of vaccine. Nothing major -- I will still be really cautious -- but I think I'll venture to Trader Joe's, a local farm market, and I do need a few pieces of clothing.
I know I'm a day late, but my habit for this week is to include a fruit or vegetable product in each meal. (By "product," I mean the V8 juice I had this morning.)
March 15 =
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@PKM0515 that's a great idea for a habit. Did you know that the state vegetable for Oklahoma is ..... the watermelon?
I have lived over 60 yrs with the false impression watermelon was a fruit! Now I know that tomatoes are debated but seriously the watermelon???2 -
Oh, the appointments! I cancelled my eye appointment in March, 2020, and am in desperate need of going but they're all so booked up for weeks.SummerSkier wrote: »@PKM0515 that's a great idea for a habit. Did you know that the state vegetable for Oklahoma is ..... the watermelon?
I have lived over 60 yrs with the false impression watermelon was a fruit! Now I know that tomatoes are debated but seriously the watermelon???
Seriously???!! I guess they're kinda like pumpkins and squash, so.....
So I've been putting cues in place which are extremely helpful in making my habit obvious. I'm really struggling with rewards. Any ideas for immediate rewards? I can drink my water because it's good for me, I can log and monitor my calorie intake so I will lose weight in the future, working out makes me feel good immediately after, but it's still easy to put it off. I need something more concrete and immediate to get a consistent preferred response. I'm thinking maybe a money jar with a specific purchase in mind, or is that too distant a reward???I need more than a fist pump and a "great job" when it comes to resisting that ice cream at 11:00 at night, or when I think I should exercise but decide to sew or read instead. I know there's a solution and I need to figure it out soon. Is it just a mind over matter thing at first? Do you have to white-knuckle it until it becomes part of your identity? Any comments are welcome.1 -
@nebslp
Ways that have worked for me & others
* Focus on one habit until solid, then add another.
* Use the things you live as rewards.
Ie after drinking a cup of water I can relax & read for X mins etc
After exercising, I can enjoy an hour in my sewing/craft room
* Ice cream is one of the hardest esp since I think your husband wants it in stock. That IS where I would bring in a pretty big money reward. Each time I Really want ice cream & I don’t eat it, I get $5.00 towards (whatever would be a splurge for you). I often used Michael’s Jo-Ann’s or an independent bookstore. Gardeners often use the local nursery...
(BTW what finally killed my interest in ice cream was a UCSF study that showed it had SIX ingredients that cause or worsen Crohn’s disease. They were not “eat occasionally” they were eat “never”. I find once I have a medically research reason, I abide by it. For example: minimum 5 servings of veg /fruit a day... walking...sleep. I don’t need rewards for those as my goal is to be as Healthy as possible!) the alternative is dreadful enuf to motivate me.
If $5.00 felt like too much for a reward, I reminded myself of the actual costs of being obese. Doctor appts, PT, prescriptions, lab tests, and the TiME they take to schedule, drive, WAIT (lol), etc!
The best goals are SMART:
Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based.
The research I’ve read (working with students) shows 1-2 week rewards work & can trigger permanent change.
Is there one habit you’d like to focus on first? Perhaps the easiest?
BTW re: white knuckle
You definitely will move past that stage! Just be kind & gentle & Really Identify WHY you want to make these changes!!
Best,
Maddie1 -
@MadisonMolly2017 Thank you. Wise words.
I've heard from a reliable source that a morning routine works well I have from 9:30-10:00 and 11-12 open every day so I will spend 20-40 minutes of that time working out. Just have to figure out which time is best and have a plan and reward figured out. That will be be my next week I WILL so I will prepare myself mentally this week.
Thanks!0 -
@nebslp Although it may sound silly for some...what really works for me is a good old fashioned sticker chart.
I find adding a sticker (or similar...like coloring in a bubble) to my chart very satisfying.
especially if I have a good reward in mind when the chart is complete.
For those types of rewards I like to go with something I like, but wouldn't buy myself regularly.
Like a pair of nickel -free earrings. Or a face mask.
Not too pricey...but definitely something that falls into that want category.1 -
Hi Everyone,
I’m going to be taking the rest of this week off. Tragedy struck someone I knew well & I need to take care of of myself & process. Thanks.
I wish you all the best this week,
Maddie5 -
@MadisonMolly2017 Sending you and your friend light & love, prayers as well.1
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Hi Everyone,
I’m going to be taking the rest of this week off. Tragedy struck someone I knew well & I need to take care of of myself & process. Thanks.
I wish you all the best this week,
Maddie
Awww damn. thinking of you and your friend also.
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@MadisonMolly2017 I’m sorry. Thoughts and prayers to you and those involved.1
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@nebslp, I’m glad you liked my Motivation/Ability post. I realize it’s very graph heavy, but I thought some of us might be interested in the details.
For me, this is been the greatest “A Ha!” habit wise in the last year. It isn’t enough to just set a goal and an action step and then keep repeating it. If we try to white knuckle through it, chances are it won’t have much staying power. We can’t force ourselves to do some thing we don’t want to do long-term. Motivation and Ability are huge players in habit building.1 -
@MadisonMolly2017, I’m thinking of you as you go through this very difficult time.1
