Have you ever started working out only to have something break your momentum in the first three weeks? Maybe car problems, project deadlines, or a sick kid. Whatever the obstacle, you told yourself you would get back on track next week…but it didn’t happen.
This isn’t a motivation or willpower problem. Fitness simply hasn’t solidified itself as a habit yet. The ugly truth is that it usually takes around 6 months to make fitness a habit…something that’s harder NOT to continue. Over the last 12 years, we’ve watched thousands of people get started. Until someone crosses the 6-month mark, even a vacation is a threat to their consistency. Here are my top 3 recommendations on how to make fitness a habit.
Put Your Workouts On Your Schedule. This sounds almost too simple to be effective. It’s easy to do but it’s also easy NOT to do. When you decide in advance when and where you’re going to exercise, you’ve increased the likelihood you’ll actually get it done. Just don’t let your workouts be the negotiable part of your day that you drag and drop on your calendar. Keeping the promises you make to yourself is how you build self-confidence and you erode it by not following through.
Have A Backup Plan. Life happens and you should expect your consistency to be tested by one or more obstacles. The people who stay consistent aren’t the ones who never get derailed, they’re the ones who have a backup plan to get back on track faster. If you’ve started exercising for 60 minutes at the gym but can’t make your normal time, skipping your workout altogether should not be the next option. A 30-minute home workout or a 30 brisk walk are both significantly better than doing nothing. Decide on your Backup Plan before life gets in your way. If you wait to find a backup plan until something goes wrong, you’re far more likely to do nothing and this puts your consistency under immediate threat.
Get Accountability. Most of us are remarkably talented at talking ourselves out of things and letting ourselves off the hook. All of the reasons you could possibly conjure up for working out later today, tomorrow or Monday sound reasonable…and that’s the trap. Having someone you deeply respect and do not want to disappoint holding you accountable is a game changer. Friends and family members are obvious choices, but these are the people most likely to let you off the hook (aside from yourself). Working with a coach or a training partner changes the equation. We show up more reliably for other people than we do ourselves. That’s not a character flaw…it’s simply how we’re wired. Rather than fighting this, use it to your advantage.
Consistency is about finding more motivation. It’s about building a system that works even when things go wrong. Schedule your workouts, have a backup plan and get someone else in your corner…that’s the formula for consistency.
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