Establishing Habits

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Dear New Years Resolution,

It was nice knowing you.

Sincerely,

January 2nd

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A plethora of books revolving around the study of habits have hit the shelves in the past few years. They all have one question in common: Why are some people able to change bad habits while others are not? If you have been changing your habits for prostate health, the content of these books may be a great resource. Your Prostate 8 team will review a series of these books over the year with a goal of finding messages that will resonate with all of us.

Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise, 2013

Noting that New Year’s resolutions have only an eight percent success rate, blogger Stephen Guise decided he needed a new strategy to help him get fit. He’d been failing at his promise that, for the next year, he’d get back to the gym to perform his daily 30-minute workout. Yet every time he tried to get motivated, the idea seemed daunting and overwhelming. He felt guilty, out of shape, and worthless.

The turning point happened when he tried a creative challenge — to try the opposite of what he was currently doing and see what would happen. Voila, the “one push-up challenge” was born. No matter what, he would do one push-up every day for the next year. And then, a funny thing happened while attempting that challenge. “When I got into push-up position, I noticed it was exactly the same as the start to an actual 30-minute workout,” Guise wrote. “I did a few more since I was already in position.” He then set another mini challenge to complete pull-ups and was again successful.

Normally, in Guise’s workout, it would be time for abdominal exercises. “Don’t push your luck,” said an inside voice. So he set another mini-challenge and just set up the mat. Success. Then found the ab video. Success again. Ten minutes later, his stomach muscles ablaze, he had completed his whole workout and felt great. These small steps, and their subsequent rewards, created a successful habit allowing him to realize his potential.

Guise’s playful writing gets you through chapter to chapter, with encouraging titles like “Never, Ever Cheat,” “Be Happy With all Progress,” and “Remind Yourself how Easy This is.” You find yourself cheering through the whole book for Guise, and for yourself.