Is a Habit Really Formed in 21 Days?

For almost 3 decades of my life, I could not stand the taste of water! It was not pleasurable at all! I instead used to drink up to 1 litre of juice everyday. To try and avoid judgement, I would go for the freshly squeezed ones and convince myself that they were healthy! Given that it takes 13-15 oranges to produce 1 litre of orange juice, that mere statistic should have been enough to convince me that I was injecting way too much sugar into my system. However, it wasn’t. Even my husband couldn’t convince me to reduce my juice intake. When he expressed genuine concerns about how it could possibly affect my health negatively in the long run, I told him to pray to God that it wouldn’t! How ridiculous was that? It’s amazing the things we can say when we don’t want to give up something! When we look back, we have a really good laugh.

So how did I get to this point today, where I find myself drinking up to 3 litres of plain water everyday at my own free will and actually enjoying the taste of it? – a point where I can go for months without drinking juice and not crave it at all? – The Power of Habit! I don’t know whether it took me 21 days but in 2013, after putting on a lot of weight after marriage, I decided to venture into a healthy eating lifestyle. This entailed drinking lots of water. I stopped buying juice completely because I knew if it was in the fridge, I wouldn’t be able to resist it! Strongwilled as I was, I knew the limits of my willpower! Whenever I would drink juice, I would dilute it with water. At 1st, I didn’t like the taste it. However, with time, my taste buds got used to less and less sugar. To try improve the flavour of my water, I infused it with fruits. I invested in several water bottles (3 for me and 3 for Chief) making sure I always had a bottle of water with me in the house, office or when I was out and about. I had a schedule from Jane Mukami’s 21 Days of Change Facebook Page and since I knew I was very good at following rules, I used that to guide me. It entailed the following:

• Drink 500ml water with lemon on an empty stomach upon waking and wait about 20-30 minutes after consumption prior to having breakfast
• Drink 300ml water 20 minutes prior to lunch and dinner
• Drink 500ml water after every meal
• Drink 500ml water with lemon after dinner or before going to bed
• Sip water every 20-30 min throughout the day
• If working out, drink an extra 1.5 litres to replenish the body due to the sweating process 

As you know, drinking lots of water, comes with a price – peeing endlessly! I hated going to the loo all the time and waking up feeling like my bladder was about to burst! I however liked the results in the mirror – I was losing the weight. With time, my body got used to water. I still pee more frequently than I used to before I started drinking water but not as frequently as when I started. Today I enjoy the taste of water – plain water without the infusion of fruits! I carry a bottle with me  everywhere I go and sip away at work, while driving, in church, at restaurants and in people’s houses when I visit:-) I keep getting asked whether it’s special water – no it’s not☺️. It’s just a part of me and I enjoy taking a sip every now and then! I also enjoy taking count of the number of bottles I have drank each day. There’s a pleasure that comes with it😉.

Honestly, if 4 years ago you had told me that one day I would come to love water like this, I would not have believed you! God must have surely heard my husband’s prayers and answered them way more than he had anticipated!

So, can a habit be formed in 21 days? From my experience, I have learnt that when you consistently discipline yourself to follow something to the letter over a prolonged period of time, it becomes one with you! What habit would you like to form today? Would you like to work out more, read the Bible more or be consistent in your devotion, study more, start reading books, stop a  habit e.g. stop taking sugar or alcohol or smoking or stop watching things that are not adding any value to your life? Why don’t you try it for 21 days and see how it goes! You will be amazed at what you can teach your body to do with some repetition and structure!

Until next time,
Happy habit forming!:-)
Dee

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Or my following posts on marriage:
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For more invaluable insights on my journey of marriage and life, do  pop into the “Devotions/Life Insights” section on my blog every now and then.

You can also pop into the “DeeLicious Gourmet by Dee” section for a glimpse of some of the yummy but healthy dishes I have prepared while “cooking up a storm” in my kitchen (together with the recipes):
– Breakfasts
– Starters
– Main Courses
– Salads
– Eggless, Wheat-Free Desserts
– Snacks

Photo credits: Shizphotography

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