How to Create Good Habits

A common misconception about going to the gym is that you have to go ALL THE TIME or you're not committed to your fitness goals. A lot of the population who tries to get in the gym 7 days per week often end up quitting for short or long periods of time because they feel like a failure for not being able to maintain that routine. Usually because the 7 days per week doesn't realistically fit into their busy lives. They would be better off committing to a couple less days per week and aiming to maintain consistency on that routine.

If 2-4 days is what you can manage to fit into your schedule right now, then that's what you should do.

Those who are looking to work out a couple times a week without making their whole lives about the gym should try these steps to set a consistent habit of exercise without going overboard.

Start Small

We'd all like to jump into a full routine and have everything perfect right away, but it's highly unrealistic. You're more likely to create strong habits by starting small and escalating the "intensity" of your task as you go. The better you can do the small stuff, the easier the big stuff becomes - especially when it comes to exercise.

Most people come into the gym expecting to start seeing results in a matter of days. This is no bueno. Mostly because the expectations are set to incredibly high standards and they end up disappointed when they don't see the results they're looking for.

Every year, with good intentions to fully commit, millions of people set out of their New Years Resolutions to become a healthier and sexier version of themselves. They enter the gym, excited and full of energy, and tell the eager young fitness consultant that they are committing to 7 days a week at 6am (because getting up at 4:30am to go to the gym sounds fun!). What usually follows shortly after is the "Drop Off Point". Somewhere between Week 3-6, about half of the new gym goers, well, stop being gym goers.

It wasn't because their desire to be in better shape dissipated in any way. They still want to go to the gym, but life became busy again and they realized they couldn't keep getting up at 4:30 every morning and working out 7 days a week.

As stated before, starting small and working on creating small habits as you go, while building up the intensity of said habits over time works very well for those who want to make real changes.

So instead of committing to 7 days a week right off the bat, try committing to 2 days per week. Once you've successfully maintained 2 days for a couple of weeks, then bring it up to 3 and so on.

Similarly, you could apply the same me gods to eating well. Start small by adding a bit more protein to each meal. Maintain that for 2 weeks, then add more vegetables and so on.

See it Through to the End, No Matter What

You're going to have bad days. I guarentee it. Whenever new habits are being formed, there will almost always be a relapse back into the old habits. The best thing to keep reminding yourself of, is that those bad days only come once in a while. There are A LOT of good days to be had too. 9/10 workouts will likely go swimmingly. The other 1/10 is going to suck ass. True story.

If you're really struggling to keep going your new gym routine going, here are a few options to make your life a little easier:

• Hire a trainer. They'll run you anywhere from 40-100 dollars per session, but a little extra help here and there goes a long way.

• Bring a friend to the gym (not at 6am, until you're both crazy people, which in that case, go for it)

• Set a reminder in your phone (with an alarm) that on M,W,F you do at least 30 minutes of weight training and on the days you're not training, you do a group class (helpful for making friends or at least having people keep you accountable).

Give Yourself A Break

We've all beat ourselves up over not finishing something we started and felt we should try again. Out of embarrassment for not being able to do it right the first time, we decide it's better to not go back. Because we should have done it right the first time. Yes, it sucks.

If things aren't going well during your workout and you don't feel up to, no big deal. Take a short break and come back to it the next day. There is nothing that makes you feel more successful than accomplishing what you couldn't do yesterday.

Treat it Like a Game, Seriously.

You can't even imagine how much stress it takes off of my clients when we take the seriousness out of their training. Yes, you're training, but you're not training to be an olympic gold medalist. You're here to lose some body fat, gain some muscle, and get hella strong. Nothing wrong with that that.

Make your workout fun. Make it a challenge, try lifting heavier, or for more reps than you did before. Learn a new exercise or teach a friend what you already know and gain a workout partner. You might be surprised at how fun it can be if you treat it less like a horrible task you have to do and more of conquest of all the awesome things you're going to accomplish.

#habits #commitment