5 Tips For Creating an Exercise Habit

5 Tips For Creating an Exercise Habit

Habits are formed by repeating behaviours until they stick.

Some people assume that creating an exercise habit is tough, that it is a case of daily grind until they are struck by some magic motivation bullet, where going to the gym is easy and requires no effort at all.

If that magic motivation bullet exists, it hasn’t struck me yet – despite over 10 years of trying to be a target!

Creating an exercise habit is more a case of toughing out the difficult first few sessions until you are at least into the routine of regular gym attendance. When you aren’t used to training, it’s hard work. Low fitness levels mean exercise feels so much harder, but as the old cliche goes, it really does get easier. Once the wheels are greased, it isn’t so hard and becomes a feel-good activity.

It just needs that initial push.

There are those who say that it takes 30 days to create an exercise habit – whether or not that is true, I don’t know, but I do know when you make exercise a focal point of your days then creating an exercise habit is much, much easier. I now set my days up to make sure I can get some exercise in at least 4 times per week – 5 in December, as I will explain why in a moment.

If I have made time for exercise in my day, I have no excuse when it comes to committing – I have already set aside the time for it.

In my experience, the best way to go about creating an exercise habit is to just get out there and do it.

In December I made a point of increasing the amount of exercise I was doing as I wanted to stay in the habit during the busy Christmas period. I have learned from previous years where I have allowed exercise to fall out of my routine and have suffered the consequences – weight gain, fitness decrease and the feeling that I am starting from scratch all over again.

It’s pretty grim, knowing what you were capable of only a couple of weeks earlier, then trying to match that after a fortnight of too much food and drink. I have memories of almost spilling my guts in the shower after a post-Christmas gym session! After that I decided never again would I leave it so long before exercising, especially when indulging in too much junk food and booze.

1. Start with a exercise programme that doesn’t push you to your limits.

We are motivated by two things – seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. If a training programme is so hard it’s painful, you aren’t going to enjoy it – and definitely won’t want to repeat it. Start with a basic exercise programme – try the one in the video below. It’s mostly bodyweight work that can be tweaked to be made easier or harder depending on your abilities.

2. Accept that DOMS will make an appearance!

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is the result of micro tears in the muscle tissues. Accept that after your first session or two you are going to be in some sort of discomfort. This isn’t long term, and it doesn’t happen every time. Read how to beat DOMS here.

3. Train with a motivated friend.

Training with a motivated training partner is amazing for ensuring you stick to a regular exercise schedule. Not wanting to let down your training partner is often enough to get you to the gym, even if you don’t fancy training yourself! It’s also a common reason lots of people hire a personal trainer.

4. Take a ‘before’ photograph of yourself.

   

This serves as a reality check that helps you when creating an exercise habit. One tip that personal trainers often use is to get clients to take pictures of themselves to serve as ongoing motivation – a reminder of what you don’t want to return to, if you will! Check out this post for examples of clients of mine who have really changed their shape!

5. Find a way of exercising you enjoy.

This harks back to the seeking pleasure tip – we are motivated by seeking pleasure. If you find a way of exercising you enjoy, you are far less likely to skip these sessions than if you were dragging yourself to do something that you didn’t like.

Creating an exercise habit isn’t going to be all sunshine and flowers – there will be days when you don’t want to exercise, days when you are tired and days when the weather will make you not want to leave the house. Exercise anyway. It will help you with creating an exercise habit.

Remember, habits are behaviours repeated until they stick. If you want to create an exercise habit, you need to exercise repeatedly.