The big lie - forming a habit in three weeks

I haven't posted here for a week.  And that week is week four - half way through my eight week challenge.

After three weeks of eating healthily, exercising hard, and feeling virtuous, I went off the rails.  I became completely unreasonable in my thinking about my health, and everything in my life was catastrophised.

That's right, after three weeks, the claim is that we have formed a new habit.  But I have found out ...
THIS IS A LIE

What did I find? This blog post which actually sited a research article in a peer reviewed journal! Now we're talking...

AND this research suggested that 66 days was the average to have a habit turn into something automatic.  The average. And that this was for simple things, like eating a piece of fruit with lunch, or drinking x glasses of water a day. 

SO, for us peeps, trying to lose weight, eat more healthily, incorporate exericise into our daily life... HUGE changes to our habits, these things will take considerably longer. 

The days it took to form simple habits in their set of test subjects were between 18 days and 254 days.  For new habits to form that require major changes, we are talking a lot longer.  

AND, the research also suggested a sub-group of people who took a lot longer to form habits.  The study suggests that there is likely to be a group of people who are HABIT RESISTANT!

That is why it is almost impossible for me not to walk my dog each day. I have been walking my dog twice a day almost every day since April 2010.  I may only walk Dusty once a day sometimes, but it is a pretty extraordinary day if I don't walk her at all. My dog walking habit is automatic.

But, my healthy eating? My high-intensity exercise?  Nope, none of these are habits yet.  So, I'll just keep on trying.