Key Ingredient to Maintaining Healthy Habits

At the beginning of my meditation courses, I ask students to briefly say why they’ve signed up for a class in mindfulness.  Their reasons are compelling and heartfelt.  They want to be more attentive and present, less distracted and less reactive, be more kind to themselves and others, to worry less, and be more at peace. 

All these wonderful reasons motivate them to attend class, and to practice the meditations while we are together.  Often though, many students will not keep up their meditation practice when they are on their own, or they will maintain it for a little while and then it will fall away. 

As a teacher this has concerned me because I’m invested in them succeeding, and it also makes me curious. 

Why do we abandon beneficial practices and habits? 

Lack of time, expectations weren’t immediately met, changes to schedule,  the practice isn’t stimulating etc. are often reasons for putting aside what we’d like to do for ourselves. Every new practice, regimen, diet, or habit, even those we’ve done in the past, require renewed effort from us to establish it. 

The main reason people abandon their efforts is because they lose motivation and feel deflated.  To counter these reasons we have to know what our attitude is to the practice, and have more compelling reasons for continuing it. 

These questions will help in discovering our intrinsic motivation for and attitude to the practice.  They can be applied to meditation, or any positive habit you are starting like abandoning an unhelpful habit, being healthy, being generous, helping others when we don’t feel like it, being patient and so on.

·         why am I adopting this habit, exercise?

·         what will the effects be if I don’t do it?

·         what am I willing to do, give up, curtail to ensure that I keep this priority?

The last question is the most important one in discovering our attitude. 

Recently I began doing step aerobics again --- at home!  For years I did step aerobics in gyms in South Africa and in the U.S, and then somewhere along the line, my exercise regimen switched to walking only. 

My main reasons for taking up this habit again is I need to lose some mid-life weight gain, and get aerobically fit again.  If I don’t do this, I will have to get a whole new wardrobe (my clothes are dreadfully uncomfortable now), and I’ll likely begin developing health problems.  Basically I’m not willing to be uncomfortable and get sick!

My attitude is that this is something within my control, so I’m going to give it my best effort.  And because I know it is going to benefit me, I am happy doing it.   Now three mornings a week, you’ll find me bouncing up and down my step board to loud music. 

This next point is really important. 

I usually meditate in the mornings.  To add exercise to my morning schedule  (research shows its best to do it early in the morning as the body will keep burning fat all day),  I’ll have to adjust my routine to fit in this new activity.  So three days a week, I get up about 30 minutes earlier to do aerobics and then sit for meditation.

The decision, and more importantly, the willingness to shift our schedules even slightly to accommodate a new activity is vital to our success.  If we know why we are doing it, and what we are willing to give up to keep doing it then half the battle is already won.

This joyful attitude (even if it doesn’t feel particularly joyous) reflects our priority and will help us decide how to set up our day.  We can cut out a half hour of television or internet surfing to go to bed earlier, wake up ten minutes earlier and so on.  Creating space to welcome the new activity is paramount.

If we don’t shift something to make room for the new activity, we’ll spend time each day debating when or if to do it.  This inner conflict can exhaust us, which will leave us with little drive or energy to do the practice.

The other trick is to do the new habit in the same time slot.  Once it is calendared in like any other important appointment, the mind will begin to associate that time with that activity.  And of course, there’ll be days when you aren’t inspired to do it, but fueled by your intrinsic motivation you will be diligent.

In a meditation practice the attitude of one’s body and mind is vitally important-- mind and body are alert, and relaxed.  Relaxed means an openness and willingness to be joyfully interested in whatever arises, and especially to be able to laugh and persevere when things get tough.  Over time and with consistent practice, we’ll actually begin to look forward to meditation and will begin enjoying it.

It begins with the mindset of joyfully making space for new habits in our life. 

May you happily welcome healthy change into your life.