In order to establish an exercise habit, you need to make some small changes to your current daily routine to accommodate it.
This will make getting active much easier as you’ll have the time to do it and know exactly when it’s happening. When you are trying to create any habit you should choose one or two small things to start incorporating into your life. Starting small will help you to build up your successes and avoid overwhelming yourself from the get go.
When to exercise
Set yourself the goal of exercising before work each morning. I’m not going to pretend it’s an easy habit at first, but it will have huge benefits to your working day. Research has shown that people who exercise in the morning are more alert, start each working day at a faster pace, are generally more productive, and grow in confidence quicker because they have a feeling of accomplishment at the beginning of each day. It’s a positive change that you can make to improve your physical and mental well-being. Start with just 15- 20 minutes each morning. You can increase the time as it becomes easier for you.
Schedule your workout
This is a really straightforward step. Invest in a weekly planner or use your phone to schedule your workouts. Spend just 5 minutes every Sunday to plan your workouts for the following week. Perhaps one morning you have to do the school run early, then you’ll know in advance you’ll do a lunchtime workout that day. Having a visual representation of your commitments will help you stick to your goals. Start with adding one to two, thirty-minute sessions into your week.
Prioritise your sleep
Having consistency when it comes to your sleep times is really important. Whilst you may think at first that this doesn’t relate to exercise, it directly affects it. For most of us, our sleep patterns dramatically change at the weekend which distorts our energy levels, mood, and recovery throughout the day. Have you ever felt more tired after sleeping in? That’s why! If you wake up at the same time at the weekend, you could find an extra hour to exercise without changing anything else!
Set micro goals
Set yourself a mini target or goal. This could be jogging for 5 minutes one morning, spending 10 minutes stretching before bed 3 times a week, or learning how to cartwheel. Whatever your mini goal is, have fun with it, and trust me you’ll feel so good about yourself once you’re ticking off all these little achievements throughout the week. It’s important that we are actively growing our self-confidence as this will help us stick to our long-term goals. People who have clear goals with a deadline are more likely to achieve and create habits. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be a personal accomplishment that makes you more accountable and focused.
Have a plan
There is a reason why even the most successful athletes and Olympians still follow fitness plans. Don’t underestimate the importance of setting goals and writing a fitness plan. Having a clear strategy in place will significantly increase your chances of achieving your goals. At Studio Fitness we can help you create a personalised fitness plan that will act as your ‘roadmap’. Based on your goals, your plan will clearly identify the steps you need to take in order to achieve them. Don’t forget that having a plan in place will also allow you to track your progress throughout your fitness journey, enabling you to monitor your milestone successes along the way!
