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So, is it getting easier? Are the habits starting to stick? Are you starting to make healthy choices without thinking about it? It might take a little longer for some of your goals to completely feel natural, but you might not be far off. The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get. You can take the success you’ve had so far and build on it to create the magic of an unexpected breakthrough. The secret is consistency. You never know when your new fitness and health habits will start to impact other areas of life. But it will happen. It’s called the Crisscross Effect. You start off pursuing a goal and unexpected, surprises have a way of showing up. For example, getting more sleep could lead to less stress and higher productivity at work. Or healthy eating habits might give you more energy to spend quality time with your kids. Good things happen to goal-oriented people. This is particularly true for health and fitness goals. If you set clear goals and develop a plan for how you are going to accomplish them, the sky is the limit for your success! Pleasant surprises happen because you’re creating a new lifestyle. You’re developing a more positive attitude, which breeds positive action. You’re more aware of what’s going on and have the energy and willingness to take advantage of it. Three areas seem to be especially valuable sources of the Crisscross Effect:
Success builds confidence, it’s that simple. Once you learn that you can control your health and improve yourself, you quickly realize that you can do anything you put your mind to. And it doesn’t take much. Rosemary’s workouts pretty much consisted of running and training for a 5k race. Three weeks before the race, she hurt her shoulder and couldn’t run for two weeks. But she got through it and was still able to finish the race. This one goal success has given her the confidence to build a richer life by trying things she never would have before. Rosemary has also dedicated herself to her new management job, encouraging her employees to be more goal-oriented and using her new confidence to gain skills she still needs. The fact that she didn’t win the race doesn’t matter. She’s already seeing benefits outside of fitness. Energy So much of our lives can go unfinished or neglected because of a lack of energy. It can affect concentration, your daily endurance and your ability to even give something a shot. The Crisscross Effect of healthy living can bring that energy back. Cheryl is a nurse who has spent years working difficult hours. She would come home exhausted, and often fall asleep on the couch watching television. At home, she maintained a pretty healthy diet, but at work, she regularly munched on snacks and drank pop. She was never really overweight, but decided that she needed to fix her eating habits, and even began a small exercise routine. She saw results fast, soon losing weight, and coming across some extra, unexpected benefits. She found herself with a lot more energy throughout the day. She stopped falling asleep watching television, and had more time to devote to her family. Leadership This can be one of the most powerful unexpected surprises around. Who knew that getting healthy could lead to leadership opportunities and skill-building? By being a leader of yourself, you’re developing the ability to lead others, even if it’s just by living as an example. Chai used to weigh 300 pounds until she realized it was killing her credibility as a motivational speaker. She decided that weight loss is a lifestyle change, not an event, so even though she’s already lost 142 pounds, she’s still disciplined and focused enough to continue to follow her program. She uses that same discipline and focus in running a successful change management company. She now helps others accomplish goals using the same strategies she used. Next Steps So what’s next? Now that you know how to build habits, you have the power to do anything you set your mind to. Let’s think beyond nutrition and fitness for a minute. What else do you want to accomplish? What are your goals and dreams? Your new fitness level can be used as a springboard to doing something totally new and different. Here’s the thing: the road to that special goal that fills your dreams at night is the exact same road you took to changing your lifestyle. Same steps, same strategies, many of the same tools. Every meaningful goal, whether it’s starting to exercise or starting a business, starts with the right habits. Every goal can be reached using the same concepts you’ve already been using. So think about something you’ve always wanted to try but never thought you could. Now you know how. Now’s your chance to see it come true. |