Micro-Habiting Your Way To Success
I can’t believe it’s already been eight days since I finished the Musselman Ironman 70.3. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but hands-down the most fun too. This past week’s been a little funky, though. I got in three gym workouts (yep, still a gym rat at heart. After two weeks of no gym before the race to prioritize recovery, I was itching to get back), but I’m in this weird haze. It’s like when you study like crazy for finals in high school or college, take the test, and then you’re left going, “Okay, now what?”
I’m in this limbo between my old training block and the next one. It’s nice to sleep in a bit for recovery and eat a little looser since I burned nearly 6,000 calories during the race, but that’s a dangerous path. I could easily talk myself into ditching the good habits I’ve built over the last two years - waking up whenever, eating junk because “I’ll burn it off later,” or skipping movement since I went so hard eight days ago. I don’t want that progress slipping away.
You see it all the time: folks work hard for a big event - a wedding, a vacation, etc. - and nail their diet, workouts, and focus on their goal. Then, once it’s over, they lose those habits and slide back to old ways. That stinks. You put in all that effort to feel awesome; why let it go just because the event’s done? That’s why I’m sticking to three daily micro-habits to keep my routine strong while prioritizing recovery.
Move Your Body Daily
This is a big one for me. Now don’t confuse this with “work out every day” or think of it as “exercise.” It’s about any intentional movement - strolling around your neighborhood, wandering the grocery store, doing a quick stretch routine, or playing with your dog in the backyard. It’s all about finding joy in moving consistently, not sticking to a rigid gym schedule. That doesn’t mean skip strength training or cardio in your week - do those too! But if working out or carido feels like too much to keep up daily, just find a way to move your body in a positive way every day.
Deliver on Self-Commitments
If you wouldn’t want to be seen as flaky or untrustworthy with friends or family, why be that way with yourself? If you promised yourself last week you’d get back to your diet, workouts, or more sleep, follow through. Breaking promises to yourself is a slippery slope - like knocking over the first domino, each one falls easier than the last. When you’re tempted to skip, think about why you made that promise in the first place. Will the quick thrill of blowing it off beat the long-term joy of sticking to it? Even one small win, like writing a single to-do or eating a healthy snack, builds trust in yourself that keeps you going. Missing a habit once is a slip or an accident; missing it twice is the start of a new pattern.
Prep One Habit Helper
If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail. One of the greatest things you can do to maintain a routine or a streak of good habits is to take seconds or minutes out of your day to aid in future tasks. For example, if you want to wake up at 5 am to work out, pick your clothes out the night before and load the coffee machine in advance. If you want to sit down and write a newsletter tomorrow, start to brainstorm ideas of what you want to write about today. Habit preparation isn’t about redoing your whole life; it’s about making your routine work for you. It may seem overly simplistic, but trust me, the compounding effect of these tiny prep tasks over time really sets you up for success.
So if you have a good routine going, have just fallen off a routine, or are looking for a way to get into one, try these three tips and see what you can accomplish. If you do that, you’ll definitely find your 1%.
Have a great week!
Michael
GTY Performance
