Organizing your fitness habit
Habits are formed by daily reinforcement and by removing obstacles that get in the way.
British researchers studied how people form habits in the real world, asking participants to take on a healthy eating, healthy drinking or 15-minute exercise habit.
The study, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, showed that the amount of time it took for the task to become automatic -- a habit -- ranged from 18 to 254 days. The median time was 66 days! Daily repetition is key to forming habits, so make sure you start small to increase your chance of success.
If you are looking to start a new fitness habit this year here are four simple steps you can take to get started today:
Organize your gear. Put your shoes, workout clothes, socks and other clothes in one place ready to go. Consider sleeping in your workout clothes if you want to roll out of bed to work out each morning or pack your gym bag every night before bed and leave it by the door.
Pick a time. Choose a time every day when you can squeeze in just 5 to 10 minutes of exercise. Set your phone alarm as a daily reminder.
Pick a small amount of exercise: It can be a walk, some morning push-ups, a trip to the gym or the Well 6-minute video workout. It doesn’t matter what you do; it just matters that you do something physical every day to form a habit. Starting small will increase the chance that you’ll keep doing it.
Plan a reward: Habits are formed when we are quickly rewarded for our actions. Choose a playlist or a book on tape that you will listen to only during exercise. Plan for a smoothie or a delicious coffee to reward yourself after every workout.
Here are some additional resources to help you along the way. You got this ! 😜 Want a great workout, but don't have any time? You surely have six minutes to spare. This 6-Minute Workout will get your heart pumping and your muscles toned in the time it takes you to make your coffee every morning. You can even enable it on your smart speaker using this 6-Minute Workout skill on Alexa. How to Set Exercise Goals You’ll Actually Keep: The 5 Truths You Must Know Before You Start AND the Easiest Exercise You Can Do - PowerInTheGroup.com Monthly Exercise Tracker 12 Week Full Body Workout Routine for Beginners | Muscle & Strength (muscleandstrength.com) If you click on workouts on the top, then select a category, then select a specific workout program, click the pdf button on the middle of the page and it will be perfectly printable and ready to go ! The Importance of Walking 25 Ways to Burn 300 Calories or More
