If you’ve been following my stories on Instagram – then you know recently we’ve been doing a #30daychallenge. Back in mid March, I put out the challenge to build a new healthy habit for 30 days.

If you joined me from the beginning, then congrats on making it to 30 days! It’s been a journey! And the great part is, you’re truly just getting started, friend. 💙

But… I get that as a creative entrepreneur and mom, you’re juggling the never-ending whirlwind of responsibilities, and you’re constantly pulled between the daily demands of motherhood and the pursuit of your entrepreneurial dreams. 

Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you.

According to New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, James Clear defines a habit as, “Small decisions you make and actions you perform every day.”

My #30daychallenge was to workout 3 times a week. Okay, so this doesn’t (entirely) fit Clear’s definition since it’s not a daily action, but getting back into a routine of consistently putting in a workout makes it a habit in my book (when it comes out in the future!).

And honestly, after having four kids, (and seriously, no more) I simply want to get my strength back. Becoming a mom and birthing a tiny human takes its toll on your body, and you are never quite the same. I can say that with certainty after going through that miraculous process four times over. Each time, and as I got older, my body responded in different ways.

Plus, with my family’s history of breast cancer, I’m highly motivated for myself and my family to take charge of my health.

Now, I can tell with with total honesty, over the past four weeks, I’ve only hit my goal twice of working out three times a week.

I could totally beat myself up, but you know what? I’m still going to celebrate my accomplishment! 

Why?

Because before I wasn’t going to the gym with any kind of regularity.

Because over the past four weeks, I was still working out at least two times a week.

Because after the first couple weeks of being utterly sore and exhausted (I thought exercise gave you more energy?!) I began to feel a tad better about it.

Because I actually started to look forward to going to my class.

Because it’s working.

Building a habit takes time – a lot more time than the 21 days that we used to think. Many experts say now that a habit truly becomes a habit after 60 days or more. Depending on your attitude towards your habit, that can feel like a long time.

But often, you fail at habits because you haven’t set yourself up for success in the first place. So I thought it might be fun to reflect on the past 30 days and tell you the top 3 things I’ve learned that can help you 10X your habit:

1. You’ve got to enJOY the habit. If you don’t like doing the habit, chances are, you’re not likely to stick with it. For me, working out after having kids definitely feels like work. BUT – I found a small-sized class with a coach that I like, and it has the right mix of what I need right now. So I actually LIKE going to the gym. In fact, now, I look forward to it! So if you find yourself struggling with building a certain habit (let’s say, eating more whole foods) ask yourself, what might make it more enjoyable for you? What if you tried incorporating veggies into a fruit smoothie? Or cranking up the tunes while you’re cooking up a healthy meal for the family? Try adding in elements that you really love into your new habit, and see how it changes your attitude about it. Give yourself time with this. It can take multiple attempts of trying out a few different things before finding something that begins to get you excited about your habit. Case in point, I wasn’t working out consistently (and consequently not seeing the results I wanted) because I didn’t really enjoy any of the classes I had tried. Don’t give up on this – make your habit enJOYable and you’ll be 10x more to succeed in making it a true habit.
2. Build a habit around the habit. Here’s what I mean: For instance, like I mentioned, my 30-day habit was to workout three times a week. But doing this requires me to do other things I normally wouldn’t. Such as: getting my workout clothes together, making sure I had my gym bag packed with the things I needed, mixing my special green drink together. Each of these things can easily turn into an excuse to not go work out. “Oh darn, I don’t have any clean workout clothes.” “Oh shoot, I’m out of protein powder.” “Ugh, I forgot to refill my toiletry bag.” “Guess I shouldn’t go to the gym today!” Do you see? We naturally want to be lazy. Our minds will find any excuse to NOT do something that’s good for us. But – we can combat this by creating a routine around our habit. This protects it and dare I say, begins to make it effortless. So, if I take 10-15 minutes the night before I know I’m going to the gym, I can pack my bag, set my workout clothes out, make my green drink and put it in the fridge. This way, in the morning, when I’m still tired (and maybe cranky) I have no excuse. I can get dressed without thinking, grab my bag and drink and GO. Add a routine around your habit and I believe you’ll 10x your results.
3. Here’s the third thing I’ve learned – accountability is key! This is a tough one, because we don’t always like it. But I believe it’s necessary and is a habit-building X-Factor! You’ll get to where you want to be 10X faster and farther if you have someone holding you accountable. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I knew I needed to show up for you on IG to keep encouraging you (and LBR – encouraging myself too!) – I don’t think I would have made the progress I did. I truly mean that. It felt great to check in with you and let you know where I was in my journey. It also really helped that I was able to find a class at my local gym that was a small group and had a coach that I felt was right for me and what I need right now. In the past, working out on my own without a coach there to push me made me feel alone. But being in a community, working out with a small group, makes it feel more doable. So find a friend, get plugged into a group, or simply tell your mom or your spouse and ask them to help keep you accountable – I can guarantee you’ll want to stick to your habit 10x more when someone you love asks you, “So, how’s it going with xyz?”

So there you have it! Three strategies that are helping me begin to build out my habit of getting strong again, and I believe will help you to 10x your own habit building.

In case you missed our #30daychallenge on IG, or you’re just joining me here…

…start today! 🙌🏻

There’s no better time than right now to create a good habit!🌞

And if you made it with me the full 30 days – congrats! Keep going, don’t give up.

Post in the comments what habit you’re working on building. I’m cheering you on! 👏🏻

And if you’re feeling overwhelmed wondering how the heck you can fit a new habit into your already busy schedule – don’t worry – I’ve got just the thing!

Grab my FREE Time-Savvy Supermom Guide that includes my top 5 shortcuts to help you take back your time AND take care of yourself & your family in the process.

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Are you enjoying my blog content? Want to hear about different topics? Tell me in the comments below! I ❤️ hearing from you. See you soon, friend!