A man once said, “To fall into a habit is to begin to cease to be.”

A very true statement in most cases, unless you have good habits. The lives of humans are consumed by process of routine.

From the moment we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed, most of us are ruled by the practices we have developed. Webster defines the word as: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance. The second definition is: an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary. Good tendencies are more difficult to develop, it seems, than bad ones; whereas bad tendencies are more difficult to break than good ones. This is all a matter of perception.

Taken from: http://habitsandgoals.com/

For each of your 3 to 5 Resolutions you made yesterday post to comments:
-An old unsuccessful habit that prevented you from achieving your goal.
-Directly followed by your new successful habit that will help you achieve your goal.

Now we are getting somewhere:-)

In the spirit of closing out the year of 2009 lets start setting the good ol’ New Years Resolutions.

What is a New Years Resolution?

The definition is wikipedia: “A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.”

In the United States, popular goals include:
Lose weight
Get out of debt
Become more organized
Maintain a diary
Save money
Improve grades
Get a better job
Get fit
Eat right
Get a better education
Drink less alcohol
Quit smoking
Reduce stress
Take a trip
Volunteer to help others
Be less grumpy
Be more independent
Learn something new (such as a foreign language or music)
Try to get up early in the morning
Time management
Help the poor

What about the success rate?

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.

So let’s here it guys. Post 3 to 5 (minimum) New Year’s Resolutions. And let’s all hit them TOGETHER!

Hard work + Consistent + Positive = Renee Jasmer

Ever heard the phrase: “When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything”? I have found this to be very true for my personal life. Life can be challenging, staying consistent with CrossFit can be challenging, continuing to eat healthy and stay on track with the Paleo can be hard.

How do you stay motivated?

It’s all in our head.

-When it is 5:05am and you roll out of bed, it’s your brain that tells you get up and go workout vs. roll back over and get that extra 2 hours of sleep!
-When you are out to eat with friends, it’s your brain that tells you to order the salad vs. the double cheese burger!
-When you are stuck in a rut with your workout routine and tired of not getting results, it’s your brain that tells you to go for it and try something new (CrossFit Sioux Falls:-) and break your old habits that are NOT fulfilling you!

There are so many ways for a person to get and stay motivated. One way that has worked for me is to train your brain like you train your body. So many people in American say, “This is it, it’s Jan 1st, I’m going to get in shape this year” and by Jan 22nd they already quit 3 days ago. The intentions are always good, but you have to execute to make your goals a reality.

How do you train your brain?
-Daily affirmations/Quotes
-Personal growth/Motivation books
-Surrounding yourself with positive
-Listen to motivational CD’s

Breaking our old habits takes a while. So does losing 50 lbs. But to lose the weight it takes many many hours in the gym, it takes lots of healthy eating.

The same is with breaking old habits and creating new ones. The more you educate yourself, the more you fill your head with positive thoughts, the faster you create new habits and achieve your goals.

Here is a great quote:

“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be. I have always chosen to be in the first group.“ -Mary Kay Ash

Make it happen!

Today’s WOD: