Why would you want to turn working out into a habit? Habits, whether good or bad, are hard to break. If you’ve ever moved to a different part of town, you may have driven to your old address on the way home. It comes from years of doing it until it became a habit. You do it without thinking, like brushing your teeth in the morning or making coffee. Link exercising with something you do every day. Develop a habit of walking for half an hour after dinner or exercising right after you get up in the morning.
Put your workout on your schedule.
One reason people tend to stick with an exercise program when they work out with a trainer is that they have an appointment with someone. You can use that same strategy even if you don’t use a trainer. Put your workout on your schedule and treat it like any other appointment. Make it at the same time every day. It makes it more of a priority and develops a habit. You’ll feel like something’s missing when you don’t exercise.
You’ll be more apt to exercise when you’re meeting someone.
Having someone to meet increases the urgency to workout. It doesn’t matter whether you use a trainer or a workout partner. If you’re meeting another person or going to exercise with someone at home, you don’t want to let the other person down. You can set up friendly competitions to push you even further and make the journey to fitness more fun.
Have a plan for success.
If your day gets out of control the minute you step into your office and forces you to work late into the night, scheduling a workout and hoping to get it in after your normal workday is supposed to end but doesn’t or during the busy day is useless. You won’t be able to complete your plans. Instead, try exercising in the morning, before you work. On the other hand, if you can’t force yourself out of bed early, early morning won’t work for you. Find a time to schedule your exercise that will show the most success.
- Treat your exercise program as though it’s a prescription. It can help prevent health issues. Consider it like a prescription that you need to take daily.
- Find ways to insert small sessions of exercise throughout the day. You don’t have to do 45 minutes all at once. Break your workout into sections. Do 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch, and 15 minutes at the end of the day.
- Don’t try to do too much at first. Focus on preparing your body and learning the proper form first. If you overdo the workout initially, you may hurt too much to continue or even injure yourself.
- Set the alarm on your phone to remind you to exercise at a specific time, or have a friend call to check and see if you did it. Go old fashioned with sticky notes to remind you and post them on your desk, mirror, or car visor.
For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness