How to Make Exercising a Habit

About this time of the year, fitness goals that were made in January may be waning.   As a personal trainer, many people ask me every year how they can stay motivated or even get motivated to exercise.  We all know the health benefits of physical activity, but sometimes we have trouble sticking with it.  Why is that? We need to make fitness a habit, just like brushing your teeth.  Motivation gets you started, but a habit keeps you going. 

I’m the type of person who likes lists and to mark things off as items on the list are completed.  If you’re that same type of person, you might like the monthly coloring page I created to keep you motivated in February and March.  Each day you exercise color in or check off the square for the day.  At the end of two months you’ll see how successful you were.  By the end of two months, exercising will hopefully be a habit and not a chore.  

Here’s how to have success in making exercise a habit. It’s almost impossible to be motivated to do something you dread. Choose an activity you enjoy or at least something you don’t hate. All movement counts as exercise. The hardest part really is getting started. Chances are, once you start, you’ll keep going. Even if you don’t have 100% to give on a particular day, something is better than nothing.

If the idea of exercising for 60 or even 30-minutes is not appealing to you, start with a small, doable amount of time.  Do something on a daily basis.  Each week add on a few more minutes until you eventually get to 30-60 minutes.

One way to stay motivated is to join a class.  Whether online or in person, there are class formats available in which to choose. With a class, you have an appointment to work out, and you don’t have to think about which exercises to do. Ask me about both classes online or in-person.  I can help you!

Once exercise becomes a regular habit, it’s not so hard. Chances are you’ll feel better and have more energy.