3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

This might be helpful for those who have a difficult time getting into the habit, or have fallen off the wagon and are having trouble getting restarted into a routine.

I have used something similar at times to "get back in the saddle". It's easy to fall out of the habit, when life gets in the way and you find yourself making choices on your time. Take the time to do this. You will improve your health and establish a system to get you going... and keep going when it seems like you don't have the time to do everything. 

One thing I find useful for myself is to "finish". Whatever goals I set for the day's workout, I never stop until I have completed everything I set out to do. If you make compromises and stop in the middle of your routine the first time, you'll find an excuse to do it again. This is NOT the kind of habit you are trying to establish. Make a reasonable goal and see it through. I think you will find that this will help you toward your goal as much as anything. 

I also give myself about 30 minutes to do it all. Think about why you are doing this. Are you serious or just going through the motions? If you give an honest effort, 30 minutes should usually be enough. If it takes more than that, you are:

1. In the groove, so give it the time you need to finish what you started. I don't watch the clock, but I have developed a pretty good estimation of time when I am feeling my best. If I extend the time, there's a good reason. Stick with it. You are doing great!

2. Goofing off. I have seen my share of people when I went the gym who do one exercise, then spent the next ten minutes strutting around, or talking on their phone. They aren't serious about working out, and probably have another reason for being there. For me, the gym was not a social club. Maybe it is for some. I actually have better things to do wiith my time.

3. Setting a goal too high and you are spending more time recovering from the last exercise than you should. Reexamine your goal and see if you need to modify it to something more to the level you are now. You can always increase it later, when your recovery time improves. You've made the choice to do this. Don't burn yourself out while you are just getting started.

And with all that being said...

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3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit by James Clear, Behavioral Science Expert

A lot of people want to build an exercise habit that sticks. A 2012 survey analyzed the top 10 habits of thousands of people and found that exercise was number one by a long shot. Of course, wanting to make exercise a habit and actually doing it are two different things. Changing your behavior can be difficult. Living a new type of lifestyle is challenging. This is especially true when you throw in very personal feelings about body image and self-worth. But there are some strategies that can make it easier to stick with an exercise habit.

I have been using the three strategies below to build my personal exercise routine, which I have stuck to for two years without skipping a workout. While I don’t claim to have all the answers, I’m happy to share what I’ve learned so far and how I have successfully made exercise a habit that am I excited to do each week.

Here are 3 simple ways to make exercise a habit.

1. Develop a ritual to make starting easier. Habits are behaviors you repeat over and over again, which means they are also behaviors that you start over and over again. In other words, if you don’t consistently get started, then you won’t create a habit. In many ways, building new habits is simply an exercise in getting started time after time.This means that if you can find a way to make getting started easier, then you can find a way to make building a habit easier. This is why rituals and routines are so important. If you can develop a ritual that makes starting your workout mindless and automatic, then it will be much easier to follow through.

You can start building your own ritual by stacking your exercise habit on top of a current habit or by setting a schedule for yourself. For example, you could set your intention to exercise by filling out this sentence: During the next week, I will exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].

One research study showed that people who filled out this sentence above were 2 to 3 times more likely to exercise over the long run. This is a psychology concept called implementation intentions and there are hundreds of studies to back it up.

2. Start with an exercise that is ridiculously small. The best way to make exercise a habit is to start with an exercise that is so easy that you can do it even when you are running low on willpower and motivation. In the words of Leo Babauta, start with something that is so easy you can’t say no.

Struggling to find motivation to go for a run? Just fill up your water bottle and put on your running shoes. That’s all you have to do to consider today’s workout a success. Often, this little 2 minute start will be enough to get your motivation flowing and help you finish the task.

3. Focus on the habit first and the results later. The typical approach to diet and exercise is to focus on results first. Most people start with some type of goal. “I want to lose 20 pounds in the next 4 months.” Or, “I want to squat 50 pounds more six months from now.”

I think this is an unfavorable approach. It’s better to focus on the system rather than the goal. What matters most in the beginning is establishing a new normal and building a new routine that you will stick to; not the results that you get. In other words, in the first 6 months it is more important to not miss workouts than it is to make progress. Once you become the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts, then you can worry about making progress and improving.

One way to do this is to set an upper limit on your behavior. One member of our community, Mitch, set a rule for himself where he couldn’t stay in the gym for more than 5 minutes at the beginning. He had to go every day, but he wasn’t allowed to stay for 6 minutes. He was focused on building the habit of not missing workouts.