Stay healthy
This is a continuation from previous post: Start with health
My procrastination
Throughout most of my youth, and well into my mid-20s, I struggled with procrastination. Nearly every morning of my school years, my mom’s loudest yell was my alarm clock.
I was the student who never arrived on time, even with a school just a 10-minute walk away. During my university years, I often found myself cramming the night before exams, yet somehow managing to pull through.
For me, adhering to a strict schedule or a good habit has always felt impossible… That is until the accident.
The inspiration
About 4-5 months after my knee surgery, I came across someone famously known as “the ice guy.”
One night, driven by growing curiosity, I ended up watching over 100 of his videos. I watched them in the dark and without sound because my child was already asleep.
Each video showcased a 1-minute cold plunge accompanied by an inspirational quote that he personally articulated.
What surprised me the most was his video from the fourth day. In it, he appeared utterly miserable, swearing and doubting himself profoundly. Yet, he persevered.
So as I am lying there, feeling depressed, I thought to myself: I have to make this happen.
Reasonable and sustainable > Extremes
Long ago, I’ve read a book “Mini habits”. The science behind habit revealed in the book is quite profound. But I got nowhere with the action back then.
Now after more than half a year of practice, here are the few keys to build a healthy habit:
1. Start small, one good habit at a time.
One mistake I’ve used to make is just try to add too many habits at the same time.
This is put immense pressure on your body and mental strength, which easily causes break-downs.
Remember the most important thing is to have consistency.
2. Focus on day-to-day targets.
Do NOT even think about 30 days or 2 months target.
With the way our brain works, expecting the end at 30 days or 2 months will just make the time feel longer.
3. Be reasonable and flexible.
Don’t push yourself to breakdown because an injury will interrupt your habit forming process
If your schedule is tight, you won’t be able to commit too much time, try to make it compact and still powerful
4. Tap on existing good habits.
Once the first habit set for a month or so, start trying to add more habits gradually by attaching it to the existing ones.
Example for mine:
- Cold shower in the morning (first good habit)
- Push up set before cold shower (the hook)
- Weekly running 2km x 2 times after cold shower (the hook)
Health observation
Health is something we never know it’s there until we lose it.
I would never have imagined being able to jump or run normally could mean so much to me as it has always been a given.
But I think it’s a blessing in disguise.
Now, whenever I lack motivation to keep running I can tell myself: “Being able to run is already a reward”