They say old habits die hard...

but trust me, they are totally able to be vanquished!

I remember reading an article once that said it takes 21 days to create a habit. Their take on the matter was that if you do something for 21 days in a row, it becomes something you no longer need to think about. Intriguing, no?

While I'm not 100% I agree with that, I can definitely tell you that building a habit takes time and perseverance. You will screw up. You will forget. You will have days when you think "Why the HELL am I doing this?" but you'll keep going. And soon? It'll be easy.

I've fallen into a steady groove now in my fitness goals. I counted every calorie I put into my mouth for two months straight. It drove me crazy, but soon I found myself thinking about how much I was going to have to kick ass at the gym just to eat that candy bar. Was it worth it? Sometimes I'd decide yes, sometimes no, but I didn't need a calorie counter to tell me. Now I don't need one anymore :). I know what I should eat. I know what is good for my body. I've just finally gotten the willpower down to make those good decisions.

Best of all, going to the gym has gotten to become a habit that I actually like. I wouldn't go so far as to say I love it yet, lol. The gym and I have a love/hate relationship. I hate going, but once I'm there I'm always happy. So my outlook is slowly getting better. If nothing else, it's the motivation from the way I look and feel that's keeping me going. It feels good to be fit!

There's still a long road ahead of me, but I'm not giving up. This is my year of health and happiness! I'm building happier Jessica to face her 30's head on.