Staying Focused this Fall Using My 3x3x3 Method

The fall season can be one of the hardest times of the year to stay on track with your health habits, yet this is the worst time to quit on yourself.

The last thing you want is to use the fall to give up and give in to bad habits and behaviors that are going to put on the pounds and send you on an unhealthy tailspin for the rest of the year.

If you’re certain that you don’t want this to happen to you, here’s what you have to do if you want to stay focused this fall.

I call it the 3x3x3 Method.

STEP 1: Pick one healthy habit or behavior you want to adopt (or keep) for the rest of the year.

Something like this:

• I want to be in bed by 9:30pm every weeknight
• I want to stop eating a snack after dinner
• I want to wait until 8:00am before I check my email every morning
• I want to do 5 minutes on my elliptical machine immediately after waking up

Notice that all of the above are “habits/behaviors,” not “outcomes.”

Again, pick just one, because as ambitious as you might be, if you pick the right one for you, it’s likely you’ll notice improvements in other areas you’re desiring as well.

Once you have picked just ONE, it’s time to move on to Step 2…

STEP 2: Use your imagination to open yourself up to the possibilities that this one good habit could become for you.

Write down…

3 GREAT Things That Could Come From Adopting This Habit

For example, take my first statement above – I want to be in bed by 9:30pm every weeknight.

If you currently get to bed at 10:00pm, imagine what another 30 minutes of sleep could mean for you?

Perhaps you find yourself more rested when your alarm goes off so you quickly reach for it, shut it off, and get right out of bed instead of pressing the snooze and going back to sleep.

More refreshed and with more time in the morning, you find yourself preparing a healthy breakfast, packing a nutritious lunch, and you get ready and leave the house (on time and with ease) already feeling in charge of your day.

What good thing(s) does that lead to?

STEP 3: Do the opposite

Write down…

3 BAD Things That Could Happen If I DON’T Adopt This Habit

Perhaps you can pull from your current experience.

Using my example again, maybe getting to bed too late causes you to feel too tired in the morning – what does that lead to?

Or maybe eating a snack after dinner doesn’t feel good and you find yourself tossing and turning at night.

What does that lead to?

Again, come up with 3 bad things that are currently happening (or could happen).

STEP 3: The 3 “C’s”

You’re going to determine your #1 Compelling reason WHY.

From the 6 reasons above you wrote down (3 good things that could happen/3 bad things that could happen = 6 total reasons), which ONE hits you most at the emotional level?

There’s no right or wrong “reason.”

This is your Compelling Reason that you’ll draw on when you feel discouraged.

Now it’s time to take action on your commitment.

You’ll do this by putting it your Calendar – more specifically, when will you start this new habit/behavior?

Finally, you’re going to Call on someone to tell them what you’re doing – they don’t have to hold you accountable necessarily (although it’s better if they do), but you do have to tell someone.

What this does is strengthens your commitment.

Many skip this last step of telling someone what you’re going to do, but it might be one of the most important things you do.

Oftentimes we have a hard time being accountable to ourselves – it’s easy to let things “slide” if we don’t tell someone about this change we want to make.

If you don’t have a trusted person to share your commitment with, it can be me.

Just email me at kim@transformationwellnessforwomen.com (or your trusted friend) your commitment, your compelling reason WHY you’re doing this, and when you’ll begin (calendar).

That’s your homework.

Here’s the overview to bring it all together:

Pick one good habit you want to adopt by the end of the year (write it down the old-fashioned way, pen and paper).

Now, use my 3x3x3 method:

1. Use your imagination to write down 3 good things that could happen if you adopted this habit. How can this habit become a game-changer for you?

2. Using your current situation, write down 3 bad things that could happen if you don’t adopt this new habit.

3. The 3 “C’s”

• Determine your most Compelling reason WHY you must adopt this new habit. Out of the now 6 reasons to make this change above, which ONE really motivates you? (This one hits your gut. You’ll bring this reason to mind when you feel like quitting.)
• Schedule your start date in your Calendar.
• Call on someone to hold you accountable.

There you have it – my 3x3x3 Method for staying focused on your health this fall.

I can’t wait to hear what GREAT things come from it.

It’s your turn to take care of you,

Don’t “fall” back into old habits this season…  
I’m here to help.