Developing Reliable Habits Can Provide a Major Boost
With 2020 behind and a new year upon us, most people take a moment of reflection. While 2020 will go down as eventful and full of surprises, 2021 may present new challenges, or better yet, new opportunities. Even if you aren’t someone who makes or believes in New Year’s Resolutions, there is always room for growth. In the world of swimming, our seasons may begin in late August or early September, but the new year brings a great time for reflection as many swimmers compete in midseason championships around this time. While you don’t need to change your entire lifestyle come January 1, it’s comforting to know there is a tool for all of us to use in terms of making positive changes in our swimming careers.
One of the most challenging aspects of change is making a plan and sticking to it. But, lucky for us, humans are built based on habit and pattern. We thrive and perform our best once we develop, fine-tune, and see-through some sort of routine or habit. Yet, more often than not, this is all easier said than done. Think about times in your life where creating a new habit was easy. Maybe you have trouble flossing every day or remembering to hang up your wet towels and suits to dry after practice. Regardless of what it is, as long as you are willing to take action and commit to change, the hard work will pay off. Let’s break down this idea of habit and bring it into the context of swimming.
Establishing Habit
The first step in developing a habit is figuring out what you want to change. To make this less overwhelming, start with one thing you want to improve. While there could be many areas for improvement, creating a habit is a process, and losing touch with the process will hinder how well you can implement a new habit. Start small and think of the kinks of swimming: starts, turns, underwater kicks, stroke mechanics. You can even think of things outside of the pool. How early you arrive at practice, implementing stretching or a dynamic warm-up to your routine, what you eat and drink before, during, or after workouts. Choose something that not only resonates with you but you can build off of and use throughout your time as an athlete.
Understanding Habit
Once you have figured out what you want to focus on, it’s essential to recognize how habit becomes automatic in our lives. If you’ve ever been to a gym come the new year, it tends to be full of more members and even new faces. But, as the days and weeks go on, there quickly seems to be a drop in attendance. This is because we feel so good and on top of our game the first couple of days or weeks, but then there is a sudden break in the cycle. We give ourselves a break, perhaps a “cheat day.” We convince ourselves that we have done it up to a certain point, and we deserve a reward. In all honesty, we need to do quite the opposite. It is important when establishing a routine to understand that making it automatic in our brains and bodies takes a good chunk of time. A habit is a commitment. Research has shown varying figures but overall, engraining a habit into your system can take anywhere from 3 weeks to almost a year. That’s why it’s important to commit to one or two new habits and allow yourself time for growth in those areas.
Habit in Practice
When going through the habit-making process, it can get extremely overwhelming for many reasons. A top contributing factor is failure or fear of failure. When establishing a new habit, there are going to be times when you mess it up or completely forget, and that’s okay. Especially within the first few days or weeks, patience is a virtue. A great way to combat this fear is to write down reminders and place them in places you frequent. Use sticky notes to write down your goal or new habit and put it in your swim bag, in your equipment bag, or even on your door or mirror in your bedroom. It serves as a friendly reminder of what you’re working towards and how important it is that you see it through. Another way is to tell others about what you are trying to accomplish. Communicating your newly developed goal with a coach or teammate is a great way to hold yourself accountable. If it makes you feel more comfortable, challenge a teammate to do the same thing, and that way, you are both in this together!
Reflection
One area we tend to forget when it comes to creating a habit is reflection. It’s important to check-in with yourself and track your progress through this process. This may look different for each individual, but having something to help you stay in line with your goals and values will only instill this habit even more. Plus, by creating a new habit, you will most likely develop habits in other areas of your life as well. Making a habit can have a prolific impact on your entire lifestyle with just one small, simple change. This is why the idea of habit is more much more complicated than we give it credit, but its complexity is something that has an immense impact on your performance.
One of my favorite quotes about habit is when Jim Rohn said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” An athlete’s determination is based on what they are willing to do beyond the minimum. Don’t let another moment go in your career where you look back one day and wish you could change. Create the change now and be an inspiration for others. Just like showing up for practice every day and jumping in may be hard, there is work to be done beyond that point for improvement. It’s not enough to say you will do something; it comes down to putting in the work and staying true to your intentions. Take a moment, understand the challenge ahead, and get to work. You can do this!