“In my mind I was pushing play each and every day with every single one of these ladies, what for me, was the start of a healthier more fit lifestyle and that we are all WINNERS!!” – Tricia Kay
From daily meditation, brushing our teeth, drinking our coffee or tea–and hitting the gym–and GOSH about a thousand more daily routines are in place for us to thrive through each day.
Linda Marie, health and fitness coach and myself, Susan Vernicek, CEO of IdentityMagazine.net and also a health and fitness coach gathered 21 amazing women, moms and entrepreneurs and for 21 days we followed the same nutrition, fitness, and self-awareness program.
We wanted to learn what kept them motivated–or not, what they discovered along the way, what did they take away, and what were their overall
[Tweet “Tap into your mental game, which is really the foundation to create any lasting habit.”]results.
Of course, the big question… “Did they gain new habits?”
“It has been a crazy few weeks. Down 10.5 inches and 4 lbs. I can never really see it in the pictures, but I feel it in my clothes. – Karen Goldstein.”
I know for the longest time I had read that it only took about 21 days to form a new habit. And while that may be true for some of us, researchers from University College London followed the new habits of 96 people over the course of 12 weeks. They found that the average time it took for them to form a new habit and it stick was actually 66 days.
I know! Something we don’t want to hear, but the study also mentioned individual timeframes varied from 18 to a whopping 254 days. So hey, you can very well be that 18-21-day woman who succeeds quickly.
As one of the leaders, I noticed that those women who DID show up, check-in, and participate, got results. Those that changed it up a little and didn’t participate as much, well, they didn’t have the same results.
It’s Takes More Than Will Power to Form a Habit
The right recipe is going to be a mix of personality, motivation, participation, ego, circumstances, and of course the habit in question.
We found 21 women to take a challenge in creating new nutrition and fitness habits. In addition we tested them mentally, so turn off all your distractions and tune in to read what we’ve discovered.
“I lost 7 lbs. I didn’t take measurements but I know I lost inches in my waist/abdomen because my dress pants are not as tight” – Della Street Leinart
“The biggest difference for me was my hips and getting stronger. I love seeing all the transformations internally and externally. The amount of love and determination was beautiful and powerful with our group of women.” – Chris Stoner
As we write this article, it has been almost 2 months since they finished their 21 day challenge and (more than 50% HAVE CREATED THE HABIT WITHIN 21 DAYS and are still implementing what they discovered with Linda and I as their coach and within our private group.
Personally, I’ve been working with women for years through the Identity Magazine community, workshops, and coaching and I’ve found that the mental game IS the make or break element in our success.
That’s why we teach and share resources, tools, and science to help support these women and their WHY.
Knowing, accepting and embracing YOUR WHY is the key to your success. You have to hang onto that vision, that dream, that feeling you are striving for and do whatever it takes to LIVE and EMBRACE YOUR WHY.
- You ask for help and support—especially accountability!
- You show up and do the work
- You don’t quit on yourself because you wouldn’t quit on any of your loved ones, right?
- You journal about your goals and progress
- You acknowledge your WINS so that you feel that success and leverage that motivation
These women tapped into all the tools and WON! They felt and saw results because they showed up and played an active role within their lives.
You CAN do the same and if you want to chat about, you can EMAIL ME HERE to set up a call!
[Tweet “When we focus on our mental health, especially acknowledging our passed successes–it impacts our results within our day-to-day.”]Special message from participant Chris Stoner:
Dear reader, I want you to know your worthy to design a vibrant life full of pure joy. Many people, that’s how I felt for years, feel their just mediocre and not worthy or believe in themselves to have more. Their feelings and cravings are clues that their body and soul need true nourishment. You can EnLIVEn Your Life!
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We tie our signature “Get All A’s” exercise in with our health and fitness coaching. When we focus on our mental health, especially acknowledging our passed successes–it impacts our results within our day-to-day. So when these women took this 21 day challenge, they tapped into the mental game which is really the foundation to create any lasting habit. Take a look a their responses below!
How would you answer these questions?
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
