While one gym visit is a good place to start, regular exercise can help you stay healthy and happy while also helping you lose weight. Here are six fitness expert tips to help you develop the habit of exercising consistently.
Creating a daily exercise schedule and scheduling time for it are some of the first steps towards increasing your daily physical activity. It’s crucial to begin considering how to develop an exercise habit as soon as you’ve established a schedule and determined the best time and location for your workouts.
How long does it take to make exercise a habit?
It has long been accepted wisdom that forming a new habit takes 21 days. But the 21-day timeline is based on a misinterpretation and has little to no research to back it up. People have heard it said so many times that they have come to believe it to be true over time.
The 21-day mark may have originated with Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, who wrote in his 1960 book “Psycho-Cybernetics” that it took approximately 21 days for his surgical patients to let go of their pre-surgery mental image and accept their new appearance. How that observation was transformed and amplified is a bit of a mystery, but it is so widely stated and believed that researchers decided to put it to the test.
Machine learning was used in recently published research to track thousands of participants and determine the likelihood that a behavior change would become ingrained. The two behaviors they examined were handwashing at hospitals, which is a simpler habit, and going to the gym, which is an extremely complex behavior.
They discovered that while it took weeks to form the habit of washing one’s hands, it frequently took six months or longer for people to form the habit of going to the gym regularly.
These results support the notion that it will take longer for a complex behavior, like exercising, to form a habit. You would probably be setting yourself up for failure if you joined a gym with the idea that 21 days later you would be a dedicated, lifelong exerciser.
Whether you finish your daily workout regimen on any given day depends on a number of factors, including work and family obligations, illness, injuries, exhaustion, stress, and more. It can be quite difficult to consistently overcome those barriers, even after spending a considerable amount of time trying to develop the habit.
It’s easy to see that no two habits are the same when you compare that to something much simpler, like brushing your teeth before bed or washing your hands when you enter a hospital room. So why would the timelines be the same? It’s time to discard the myth of the 21-day habit from our comprehension of behavior.
Fitness Tips for Life
While it may be discouraging to hear that you aren’t likely to make exercise a habit in 21 days, there are some strategies you can use to become a committed exerciser.
1. Begin with small steps and engage in activities you enjoy.
A successful physical activity program needs to be realistic, safe, and integrated into your daily routine. Even though that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class in the morning might be beneficial, it might not be appropriate for your current level of fitness. Think about whether it’s realistic to anticipate arriving at the gym early for work.
The development of habits requires self-awareness. Give careful thought to what exercises are best for you and when you’re likely to visit the gym on a regular basis. Long-term adherence also heavily depends on enjoying your workouts, so your program needs to be something you enjoy doing every day and are proficient at. Exercise should be a way to decompress from your everyday worries, not a source of new ones.
2. Prioritize regular physical activity.
In order to make physical activity a priority, schedule time in your calendar. Putting your workouts on your calendar gives them importance and permanence, akin to a doctor’s appointment or a work assignment. Having workouts on your calendar also lets other people in your life, like family members or coworkers, know the value you place on your health and well-being.
3. Join a group or find a partner.
Making it more enjoyable can be achieved by finding a community-based exercise program, signing up for a group fitness class, or socializing with your workout partner. Furthermore, research suggests that social support can lessen stress and symptoms of depression, boost optimism and self-worth, and even increase the likelihood that you will complete the program. Having a workout partner or team sport to lean on can provide accountability for your exercise, which could help you show up to the gym on days when your motivation is flagging.
4. Set smart goals and track your progress.
You can make steady progress by setting both short- and long-term goals. When it comes to losing weight or improving their athletic performance, people frequently concentrate on long-term, outcome-focused goals; however, it’s equally critical to have short-term, process-oriented goals. A process-oriented goal might be something like, “I will attend a group fitness class this month on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
In this manner, you’ll have a regular, attainable goal that you can work toward. These modest milestones are easier to monitor your progress toward and can help you stay motivated. You can determine whether you’re accomplishing your goals by keeping a journal or downloading an activity-tracking app.
5. Align your plan with your values.
Even though you may have set a weight loss target, it’s crucial to consider why this is important to you. It’s common to call this “finding your why.”
Perhaps you want to get in shape so you can play with your grandchildren more easily. Or perhaps you just want to be able to play golf without having to deal with soreness for a few days afterwards. Any motivation you have for exercising is valid, and it will help you stay motivated to keep going.
6. Finally, stay positive and be patient.
It takes patience and self-compassion, along with time and steady effort, to form an exercise habit. You’re setting yourself up for frequent “failure” if you set rigid goals like “I will go to the gym every day after work” because you place too much emphasis on perfection. Rather, make that your personal goal, but accept that sometimes life just gets in the way. Long-term success depends on your ability to accept that you will face obstacles on your fitness journey; therefore, remember to remain optimistic and treat yourself with kindness at every turn.
Also read-Stronger Shoulders : Best Exercises for Stronger Shoulders For Good Health And Good Health
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Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor.
