By Naomi Rabon, NW Fitness Team Trainer

What is the one habit you would change the most if you could with just a snap of a finger? “Snap!” and boom, just like that, the habit changes to what you want it to be?

CRAVING CHANGE

It is often said that people don’t like change. I disagree. I think people can sometimes be obsessed with change.They crave something different than what they have right now. So why is it so hard to change if we yearn for something different and better? What is stopping you from changing that one habit that you could change if you could just snap your fingers?

RESISTING CHANGE

Because if it was as easy as snapping your fingers, you would do it in a heartbeat. But it’s not. It is a slow, sometimes agonizing process to implement true, deep-rooted, lifelong habit changes. It isn’t the change itself that is terrifying, it is the uncomfortable – sometimes downright agonizing – process of going through the change that is the hard part.

As a trainer/coach, I take the fact that people don’t enjoy going through the process of trading in their unhealthy habits for healthier ones. So, I try to make it as painless as possible, because who wants a coach that says you need to give up some of your favorite unhealthy habits in order to see progress?

THE UGLY TRUTH

The truth is that you can keep some “unhealthy” things in your life and still see progress and achieve goals. But sometimes there is no way around it and you just need to be honest with yourself about things you have in your life or behaviors that you need to get rid of in order to achieve your goals. Sometimes you just can’t have your cake and eat it to.

It’s the process of getting rid of the bad habits that is the hard part, but once you are on the other side of it, you will most likely not even recognize the person who used to partake in some of those unhealthy behaviors and it will all be worth it.

STEP-BY-STEP

Here are some steps you can take toward changing unhealthy behaviors and habits for healthier ones.

1. Be Honest Be brutally honest with the “ugly” parts of yourself you don’t want to see. Those are the parts of yourself that you probably want and need to change the most in order to become a healthier person. We are only as strong as our weakest link, so you need to put a magnifying glass to your weaknesses in order to strengthen them. This takes a lot of bravery and courage, and is probably the hardest part of this process, but it’s taking that first step and that first leap of faith.

2. Struggling Is Normal When we are changing behavior patterns, especially ones that are lifelong and ingrained in us so deeply that we can’t even see how they are unhealthy because they feel so “normal,” we will struggle and struggle hard! It’s OK! Sometimes the most beautiful skies can be seen after the fiercest storms. The harder the struggle, the greater the reward. You will have tough times and you may feel like you are failing, but that is all part of true change. If you fall, get back up. If you fall again, get back up again.

3. Remember Why Throughout the process of changing your behavior, you may feel like you just want to run back to your safety net and comfort zone of that bad behavior, much like an abused partner runs back to the “safety and security” of the abuser. Your unhealthy behavior is comparable to an emotional and physical abuser because, in a sense, that is what that behavior is doing to you. Remember your reasons for wanting to “leave your abuser” or abandon an unhealthy behavior pattern and adopt a healthy behavior in its place.

It’s easy to see when a person is treating another person poorly, or being unkind, and we have a hard time tolerating it when we see it in front of us. But it is really hard for us to see when we treat ourselves poorly, or when we are unkind to ourselves. Engaging and indulging in self-sabotaging behaviors and habits can be a mild or severe form of self-abuse. If you truly want to reach your health and fitness goals, be honest with yourself about what behaviors you need to change in order to reach those goals, and be brave enough to take the first step.

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ABOUT NAOMI RABON
Naomi-lighterBIOOne of the trainers on Nicole’s elite NW Fitness Training Team, Naomi is a certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is a NPC Figure competitor who has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 12 years.

Go here to find out more about training with the NW Fitness Training Team!