The Rule of 2

You’re probably thinking this post might have something to do with Star Wars, and if so, you’re my kinda person. And if not, that’s totally fine, because this has nothing to do with Star Wars. This blog is about maintaining a healthy routine. Bla bla, normal intro about how hard it is to maintain a healthy routine.

I watched a YouTube video several months ago that really stuck with me. The guy was trying all these ridiculous healthy habits for one month at a time to see how it went (maybe also where I got inspiration for those challenges I was doing last fall). One month, he incorporated the two day rule, which I hereby renamed the Rule of Two, because I’m a nerd like that.

The gist of the Rule of Two is not to skip two days in a row. Whatever challenge you are undertaking or habit you are trying or routine you are living by, don’t skip twice. Inevitably, life gets in the way and we get sick and tired and lazy and we will end up skipping. The trick is to not think we have then failed. That has been my problem with diets in the past. If I get off on one cheat day, I will continue to stay off and then it is so much harder to get back in the healthy swing of things. So instead, offer yourself a little grace and allow yourself to mess up. Give yourself a skip, a cheat day, in whatever way you see fit. Maybe that just means you don’t work out one day, or you let yourself buy coffee on the way to work, or you eat the free pizza in the breakroom. As long as it’s a small little skip, and not a full-blown all-you-can-eat-buffet of a cheat, you’ll be fine. You can get back on it tomorrow.

And that’s the other key: get back on it tomorrow. Because once you allow yourself two skips in a row, that’s when you start building up a different habit, an unhealthier habit than the one you’re trying to build. And ultimately, you want to be doing the healthy thing more times than the unhealthy thing. Back when I did CrossFit, my coach said if you’re eating well 80% of the time, you’re doing great. Eat the pizza at the birthday party. But then get back on it the next day.

Let’s say, worst case rule of two scenario, you skip every other day. You are still making healthy choices 50% of the time. You are still working out three days a week. You are still probably doing better than you were. And over time, you will get better and stronger and will cut down on those skips and cheats to where they only come once in a blue moon because of something unforeseeable. 

Allow yourself some grace when you take on any kind of health challenge or routine, but give yourself some credit to still achieve your goals, even with little skips here and there.