Infographic inside!📊
Ever wonder how long it’ll take to reach your fitness goals?
I made this handy little infographic for you!
This is NOT a hard science, but rather an art and some science.
I created this based on a few things:
- Transtheoretical Theory of Change
- Fitness Periodization Programming
- Theories of Habit Formation
- Cycles & Seasons Theories
- Lived experience of me & my clients
The time lengths listed are not hard and fast, either. Rather, they’re general guidelines, and basically the minimum amount of time it takes to be proficient at that level.
What does it mean?
It takes about 3 months to make a fitness habit:
To add some sort of regular, planned exercise to your weekly schedule, it will take about 3 months before it feels like a habit.*
BUT WAIT!
At the 3 month mark, the seasons change! Whether it perfectly aligns with the actual weather or solar seasons doesn’t matter–after 3 months you will be in a new season internally (but ALSO externally).
So that is one of the dynamic variables you have to contend with once you start to feel like you’ve built a habit. Committing to stick with it through this change is how you build resiliency.
I tell you this NOT to discourage or dissuade you from setting or working toward your fitness goals! Not at all!!!
Rather, I tell you this so that you know what the journey looks like!
When you finally sign up for that Zumba class, & you go weekly, AND you get over the 3rd try hump** & you love it, & you’re feeling great, then all of a sudden one week you miss a class & somehow it all comes crumbling down, & you can’t manage to get back on track…
Was that about 3 months in?
GOOD! That means you’re right on schedule! And NOW you know exactly what the hurdle is and how to overcome it!
Next week I’ll tell you more!
*There is a lot of nuance to what actually is/is not/can/cannot be a habit, which I’ll spare you today.
**Ya know, when you’re stoked for the 1st, the 2nd try you’re less excited, & the 3rd try all of the motivation is gone?
TTYL,
Deanna
