Making something a habit can be difficult, particularly if it is something that you don’t really like to do in the first place. Healthy habits can include eating better, getting enough sleep, and exercising. Yet, most of us do the bare minimum due to busy lifestyles or simply making excuses. I have learned that making anything into a habit requires consistency.
I remember when I was younger, every time I’d go to get my teeth cleaned, my dentist would ask me how often I flossed. I would answer, very embarrassed, not every day. Flossing was something I knew I had to do, yet, I would just brush my teeth and move on. Finally, I told myself that the health of my teeth was important. I had to make flossing a habit. So, I made a commitment to floss daily for 30 days.
After 30 days, flossing naturally became a part of brushing my teeth. When it was time for my 6-month dental appointment, my dentist said, “This is the first cleaning where your gums didn’t bleed.” I felt so proud and now I floss without fail, every day. It is a habit (a good one at that) that I’m glad I’ve made.
Making Exercise a Habit
The point of my little story is that it took the same type of commitment to make exercise a habit in my life. Like flossing used to be, I would exercise very little or not at all. I just didn’t see the importance of it. Unlike my flossing habit, I didn’t commit a full 30-days to exercise in order to make it a habit. However, I did join a gym and the thought of paying my membership fee, helped to keep me exercising regularly.
Eventually, the gym became boring and I wasn’t getting any results in terms of weight loss and fitness. Along came Beachbody® and P90®. I purposely started with P90 because I wasn’t in good enough shape to jump into P90X®. What I love about this program is that you dedicate yourself for 90 days.
What an easy way to make exercise into a habit. I hit the 30 day mark in no time. I am now on day 38 and can tell you that exercising 6 days a week comes as naturally to me as brushing my teeth. I just know that I msut and will exercise unless I am under the weather or just unable to fit it in that day.
How You Can Start Your Exercise Habit
I know everyone is different and some people loathe exercise. However, if you are desperate and truly want to get into the exercise habit, there are some things you may want to consider:
- Stop the excuses – You don’t need a gym membership, you don’t need fancy equipment, and you have the time (you just need to fit it in just like everything else.)
- Pick something you like – If working out at home is boring, exercise in a park. Take classes in something fun (tennis, martial arts, dancing, etc.)
- Start easy – Walk 30 minutes a day but stick to it.
Whatever you choose, do it for 30 days straight. This will form a habit and you will give yourself a chance to reap the benefits of regular exercise such as feeling good physically, being more alert, and even weight loss.
If structure and guidance is something that you need, I suggest trying out programs that are set for a specific time frame such as P90 or P90X (90 days.) Slim in 6 (6 weeks) is another good one. The time frames give you less to worry about and the time goes by fast once you commit to the programs.
Yours in Health,
