You desperately want to be the person who works out regularly. The person who’s able to run marathons, hike mountains, or just handle daily tasks without muscle cramps and embarrassing breath shortages after a set of stairs. Motivation kicks in, things are quiet at work so you finally start hitting the gym, going to the yoga classes or getting your walks in. You go strong for a few consecutive days or maybe even weeks but life gets in the way one day and that almost habit, is now a part of history.
You begin to relate the great thing which is getting your movement in with the negative thing which is feeling disappointed in yourself for failing. Now the fantasy of becoming a fitter person is clouded by that feeling of failure so the attempts to create the habit become few and far between. You start telling yourself either someday you’ll try again or you’re simply not that type of person. Anybody who has the ability to move is that type of person and lucky to be too. It’s not that exercise is just not for you it’s that you have never managed to Find a sustainable routine Stay consistent with a routine These words aren’t coming from a judgemental place, believe me. I once thought the exact same way. Life is full of all sorts of stress, other obligations, financial difficulties, family situations that can absolutely get in the way of prioritising something that doesn’t seem like a priority at the time.
Create a sustainable and consistent routine. After years of dancing the ‘try and give up’ tango, I eventually managed to figure out how to make my workouts as habitual as brushing my teeth and have been maintaining the routine for over 4 years now.
How?
Make it a priority.
Before attempting to start a workout routine you must know why you’re doing it. You need to truly value the benefits associated with moving your body and really want those benefits. Writing out a list of why you want this to be a part of your life is a great way of visualising and reinforcing the desire in your mind.
Regular movement is the key to living a longer, healthier and happier life. It creates a person who’s more able to deal with the unforeseen stressful situations, a person who’s more resilient to life’s surprises as well as muscle pain and cramps, a person who doesn’t feel exhausted all the time and a person who can run and play whether for their own hobbies or with their kids or grandchildren.
Once I managed to secure a consistent routine, I felt each and every one of those improvements in my own life. From beginning as a self proclaimed couch potato, it took me a while and it was difficult to repeatedly get up and do it every day but as months went on it just became a part of my life. I don’t mentally try and talk myself out of it or dread it anymore, I just do it without thinking and I’m so happy to be naturally in a routine like this now.
Give it a specific time
Saying you’ll do it next week is no good. Saying you’ll do it tomorrow is no good. Saying you’ll do it now is also no good. To be consistent, you should have a consistent and sustainable plan.
I’m going to work out every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 6AM for one hour as an example. Maybe you’d prefer weekends, maybe you’d prefer evening workouts, maybe depending on your other obligations you’ll have to do mornings some days and evenings other days and maybe you can only fit in 20 minutes which is far better than 0, either way pencil it in as a non negotiable.
If you only have a general idea of when, then you’ve left that time slot open for interference from friends, family, work or even a new netflix show. Having it physically written somewhere, in a diary, on a calendar or on your phone, makes it a cemented plan rather than a good intention.
Make it easy
This is more or less, ripping off James Clear’s book, ‘Atomic Habits’ but I swear this is what I practiced before I ever read the book. I actually workout at home. My dumbbells and yoga mat are always there staring at me as soon as I wake up. I don’t even change out of my pyjamas most days. I just get straight into it because it’s too easy not to.
Whatever you do for movement, make it as convenient as possible. If you have to go to the gym, keep your gym bag prepared at all times. If you’re going for a walk, keep a sunblock, sunglasses or an umbrella by the door. If it’s yoga classes, keep a mat somewhere you can see it as a reminder or a back up plan if you can’t make it to the class that day.
I also happen to love strength training. It took me a while to find a workout I enjoy so I encourage you try everything until you find your favourite because a routine you actually enjoy is a lot easier than forcing yourself to do 30 BORING minutes on a treadmill, which I’m pretty sure is all of our first inclinations when we think of exercise. Try everything you can out in the beginning but for a long period of time, maybe a month and in those time slots you’ve already planned.
Habit stack
Again, James Clear said it first, I just hadn’t realised it had a name. My workouts come before my coffee, my coffee is a well established morning ritual of decades at this stage so adding on to that routine, are my workouts.
Before I go to bed I habitually brush my teeth, wash my face and roll out my mat and fold the table in my tiny apartment to prepare my workout space for the morning. It’s become so cemented in me, that I often accidentally do it before my rest day.
Maybe you’re thinking you don’t really have any clear habits but I guarantee you do. For you, your usual route home from work could now have a gym stop on the way, when you prepare your outfit for the following day you also prepare your gym bag. You get off a bus at a stop earlier to walk an extra mile instead. I have no idea where I heard this quote but learn to “master the mundane” and you’ll be unstoppable.
Celebrate!
Every day that goes by where you’ve been consistent, hype yourself up! I can’t tell you the best way to celebrate, that’s very personal. For me, I loved marking my calendar with a little check mark every day. Watching the calendar fill up with those little marks and proving that I am very capable of sticking to something was an extra little jolt of motivation on the particularly difficult days. It’s been four years and I still regularly pat myself on the back for fitting it in but now I celebrate by purchasing heavier weights and seeing what else I’m capable of.
As mentioned above, life is just better. The energy, the endorphins, the cardiovascular health, the strength gain, the smug allowance, the ability, the mobility, the lack of strain and pains from everyday life and the overwhelming realisation of how powerful your mind can be when you finally take control can affect every single part of your life positively.
-If the desire to workout is solely based on self hatred, go to a therapist before the gym. -Dedicate a notebook to your workout planning and consistency tracking -Have reachable goals in mind. -If you don’t stop trying you can not fail.
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