I have routines that I consistently do every day. I go to work. I make breakfast for the kids. I read my Bible. These are disciplines I’ve built into my routine and have developed them into habits.
Eating clean and with a purpose every day is a way of life for me now. Again, it’s no different than the other disciplines I have worked on until they have become habit. But when I started P90X in March 2010, eating clean and tracking what I ate was an entirely new thing for me, and it was hard at first. Those were NOT habits I was used to, so I had to put in a lot of effort to discipline myself and break old habits and replace them with new, more productive ones.
Fanatic from the Start
When I think back on the keys that helped me retrain myself and change the entire trajectory of my life, I will admit that one thing that made it possible was that I became a FANATIC in my approach to my P90X journey. I had 36 years of bad habits stored up, and you don’t change 36 years of bad habits by casually deciding to make a change. You almost have to become obsessed!
When I wasn’t working out or at work, I was scouring message boards, studying about nutrition and supplements, and interacting with others who had success with P90X. I had to stay fanatical or it would be far to easy to revert to my old habits. And it worked! I completely retrained myself, did a 180 in my perspective on health and fitness, and it’s remained a habit for over 3 years now.
My wife and I were talking about this just the other evening — she remembers the times that my fanaticism would frustrate her (I refused to veer off my charted course even once during my first 90 days and it led to some heated conversations about where we would eat out on date night, etc.). There was even the “Carrabas Incident” as I call it (Carrabas is an Italian restaurant that has ZERO healthy options unless you ask for a plain lettuce salad — which I did on my wife’s birthday, much to her chagrin!). But looking back, she agrees that my obsession with that first 90 days is why I have stuck with it ever since.
So if you are just starting out, what’s my advice to you? If you have a personality like mine, with a tendency to revert to the status quo anytime you go on auto-pilot, you will need to take extreme measures to change your status quo. Get fanatical to keep yourself exactly on course until your habits shift and your mind resets to a new status quo. My status quo is now keeping track of what I eat, exercising daily, and taking care of my body. That’s my default now. And it makes it much easier to stay on course now. I don’t have to be as much of a fanatic now because it’s a way of life and it would take something extreme to change my current habits.
When I look at the people who have had long term success with their fitness, I remember their fanatical attack during their first round. I no longer worry about whether or not they will bring it — there is no doubt! They have changed their habits! They have changed their lifestyle!
While being “obsessed” or a “fanatic” may be seen as negative, I feel like it’s the only way that I was able to get outside my comfort zone and make a lifelong change. You won’t have to stay fanatical once you’ve developed the new disciplines and habits into a way of life. But if you are like me, it takes a LOT of effort to shift your way of thinking, and you have to get a little crazy at first to accomplish it!!
If you are like me, do the same!!! Be a FANATIC!!!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
