Introduction
There is often a flurry of activity at gyms at the start of the year as thousands of people resolve to finally change their lives. Fast-forward to March and the majority of these new-comers have faded away. It is rarely a lack of willpower that leads to their disappearance. Instead, people attempt to design a faultless, all-encompassing fitness routine in a single day. This unrealistic effort burns them out in the long run and leads them to the conclusion that fitness isn’t for them.
A sustainable daily fitness routine requires no expensive, hour-long routine. It needs to complement your real life, not take over. This guide can help you build the habit the right way.
The guide outlines four practical steps. The first step is to form a clear, specific reason for wanting to change and shape your goals to reflect the reality of your life. Let’s get to work.
Step 1: Define Your “Why”
A goal to “get fit” is going to be about as useful as our resolution to “lose weight.” What does “getting fit” really mean? How will you know when you achieve it?
Setting a specific goal requires thinking about your deeper reasons for wanting to improve your physical health and fitness. It could be that you want more energy to play with your kids, less back pain, better sleep, or the ability to be stronger in your body. Whatever your reason is, the important thing is writing it down, looking at it regularly, and remembering it throughout this process.
Knowing your reason is only part of the equation. You also need to craft a goal small enough to feel almost trivial. Here are two examples:
- “I will work out for an hour, everyday.”
- “I will move my body for 15 minutes, everyday.”
Which do you think is more achievable? Remember, in the beginning consistency is more important than intensity. One 15 minute walk each day for a month is more beneficial than killing yourself for 5 days a week for 3 weeks and then doing nothing for the other 17 days.
Also, knowing what the experts say is also very helpful. The World Health Organization recommends that the average adult is getting at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities per week and are doing muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. You can check out the full report on their website. Use that as your end goal and treat this as your starting point. If you are doing nothing, 10 minutes a day is a big deal.
Write your goal somewhere so you see it everyday. Use a sticky note on your mirror, write it on your phone, or post it somewhere on your fridge.
Step 2: Choose Movement You Can Actually Enjoy and Maintain
People often get the term “exercise” backward. “Exercise” is anything you will keep doing, and for many, the idea of running or lifting becomes a burden. Eventually you will quit.
You should start by just exploring. In the first two weeks try out a couple different things, and see how you feel doing them and after. A few starter options are:
- Walking. Cheap, easy and impact free.
- Bodyweight exercise. Examples are lunges, push ups, squats, and planks
- Cardio. Swimming and biking are easy on the joints and improve cardiovascular endurance.
- Relaxation. Improves flexibility, balance and helps mental relaxation.
- Dancing. The best cardio.
A good routine balances cardio, strength, and mobility work. There is no need to include all three of those the first day. Start with the most enjoyable, and work the least enjoyable into the routine. For example you could walk 15 minutes a day for a month, then add bodyweight work the second month and stretch after the workouts.
Be mindful of your body as well. Mild muscle soreness is expected with new exercise, but sharp pain, dizziness, or unusual shortness of breath are not. If you are new to exercise, have a health condition, or have been inactive for a long time, consult a doctor about starting a new program. The goal is to have a long-term, sustainable routine, and staying injury free is part of achieving this.
Step 3: Build Structure Around Your Schedule
The key to long-term habit success is less about motivation and more about structure. Structure means routinizing your new behavior by determining when and where it will happen. This removes the need to decide when to work out each day. The goal is to automate your new behavior as much as possible.
Here are some ideas:
Work out immediately after brushing your teeth in the morning, or as soon as you get home from work.
- If you’re not an early bird, don’t try to be. Many people assume working out at 5 a.m. is the only way to be successful, but it’s really about working out at the time of day when you are least likely to be interrupted.
- Prepare the night before. Lay out your clothes. Fill your water bottle. Charge your headphones. The more you can reduce friction before starting, the easier it will be to start. And starting is the hardest part.
- Invoke the two-day rule. If life gets in the way and knocks you off track, the rule states that you can’t miss two days in a row. A habit blip is missing one day, but two days in a row starts to develop a bad habit.
- Keep a simple tracker. A paper calendar where you mark an X for each day works well. A growing chain of Xs will motivate you to continue and protect your habit.
- You can plan for a “minimum version” of your workouts for especially chaotic days. Commit to doing the bare minimum for that day.
- Continue to stay motivated and adjust as you progress. Maintain a plan for the unexpected to avoid treating rough patches as failures. Travel and illness are part of life.
- Progress can be measured in many ways. Most people put all their focus on the number on the scale. However, weight is just one factor and it fluctuates for many reasons. To find motivation look for non-scale victories. These can be sleeping better, feeling less winded during daily activities, or being in a better mood.
- Create an accountability buddy. Set goals with your family, friends or local community. There’s safety in numbers. Having someone else to set a goal with can also be the motivation you need to finally get out of bed.
- Reinforce the behavior. If you reach your goal of walking 10,000 steps a week, treat yourself with a new song to listen to while working out, a new workout top, or a massage.
- Look at your beliefs. Perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking can be the biggest reason you give up. Learning more about the psychology behind habits can be important when trying to adjust your self-discipline. Use resources to your advantage.
- Adjust your routine. After you’ve got consistency, you can begin pushing your limits. Increase your time for activities or add an extra set of reps. Slowly challenge your body with new activities or deeper muscle engagement to keep your body and mind from getting bored.
- Encourage rest. Recovery is not laziness. Sleep, hydration, balanced nutrition and a lighter day all help the body to rebuild. If you are always tired, sore and irritable, take a few days off. Listening to your body and giving it a break when it needs it most is important to be at your best in the long run.
Conclusion
Creating a daily fitness routine from scratch isn’t a revolutionary overhaul. It’s starting with a small, realistic reason and goal, enjoyable movement, a schedule and time commitment that works for you, and the freedom to progress at your own pace.
While it does take consistency, for a routine to last, it has to be something you truly enjoy. Most successful folks aren’t the most naturally fit, or most disciplined. They are the folks that have shown up the longest. Showing up is the most important part, and the habit will stick and become part of your identity. Resources like MindAlignPsych can also support a balanced approach to overall well-being.
So, the time to start is now! Pick one thing to do for 10-15 minutes, and then move your body. You’ve got a goal now, you know the anchor habit, tell someone what you’re doing! One small step is the perfect way to start a lifetime of progress.
Author:
Sara William, a digital marketing consultant, writer, freelancer, WordPress enthusiast, and coffee lover.
