5 Ways To Help Start An Exercise Habit

We all know that physical activity and movement are essential for our health and to help manage our weight. There are countless research studies showing how, performed properly, it gives us so many benefits such as helping us build a stronger body, toning our muscles, keeping our bones healthy, boosting our metabolism, raising our energy levels, helping us sleep better, improving our mood, boosting our immune system, reducing stress levels, balancing our hormones, keeping our joints healthy, managing our blood sugar levels, improving our cardiovascular health, and lowering our risk of early mortality.

Knowing about the benefits and actually doing it regularly are very different however!

How do we fit movement and physical activity into into our lives when we have so much going on? 

How do we get started and successfully create a movement habit  when we don’t feel motivated or when we associate it with pain, discomfort or embarrassment?

Today we want to share with you 5 ways to help you create a movement habit, so that movement becomes an enjoyable part of your life and so that you can get all the incredible health benefits from moving more.

Before we start, we want to remind you that physical activity and movement are a form of stress on the body, so it’s really important to consult with your medical practitioner before starting any movement program. 

1. Make Movement A Must

The first way to help start a movement habit is to make it a ‘must’ rather than a ‘should’ and to link it to what you value most in life.

If you’re not moving enough at the moment then it’s maybe because you don’t value it enough. In life we tend to spend our time and energy on the things that we value the most. So if you’re not moving enough now, it’s not that you have less time than anyone else in the day – we all have 24 hours. It’s how you’re choosing to spend that time. If your highest value is family then you’ll be putting your family first and family business will come before physical activity. If your highest value is your career then you’ll put work before movement. If your highest value is socialising and supporting your friends then you’ll probably put socialising before movement. 

So, the easy way to make movement happen is to link it in your mind to what you value most. For example, if your highest value is family, how will moving more help your family? If you write down at least 20 reasons why moving more will help your family then you’ll soon naturally want to start moving more. 

For example, one reason could be that it will give you the health and energy to be able to look after your family properly. You’ll live a longer life and be able to spend more time with them. You’ll be a role model of health for your family so they are more likely to be healthy and live longer. You’ll be in a better mood and so your interactions with your family will be better. 

As soon as you start linking movement to your highest values – you’ll realise that making it a regular habit is a MUST not a should.  So think about all the ways that moving more will help you in the areas of life that you value most. Write these down on a piece of paper and put it somewhere where you will see it often.

2. Make Movement Enjoyable

The second way to help start a movement habit is to make physical activity and movement enjoyable and to stop seeing it as a chore, something on your ‘to do list’ or as a way of making up for poor food and drink choices. 

People who are active regularly, and who sustain it, do it because they enjoy it. If you have a busy life then the only way that you’re going to stick to a particular activity program is if you make your physical activity and movement something that you really want to do. There are many ways to move your body but the best physical activity and movement program in the world is the one that you will actually do. 

Research shows that for a habit to be more likely to stick, it needs to be enjoyable. So if you don’t like the idea of going to the gym and pushing yourself hard with an intense workout or going running on the pavements and you see this as painful and punishment  - then the chances are that you will never make it happen consistently. The reality is that this type of workout may also give you poor results as well as you must balance your movement with your health and the amount of stress that you’re currently under.

So what are the options to make it enjoyable? Well really this is up to you but rather than looking at intense exercise (e.g. boot camps, running, intense gym classes, boxing circuits, intense bike rides or stair climbs)  you would probably get much better results by instead going for easier, gentler, enjoyable movement that energises you and puts you in a good mood and reduces your stress levels and appetite. 

Great options include:

• easy enjoyable walking;

• easy bike riding; 

• easy swimming or water aerobics;

• easy kayaking or rowing; 

• dancing;

• short individualised weight training / resistance training sessions;

• yoga, pilates, tai chi, and stretching; and

• light gardening. 

If you don’t like the gym or feel self-conscious about exercising in public then think about options that you’ll enjoy at home. There are so many online classes now, and you can also ask an experienced trainer to create a program for you that you can do at home.

So we invite you to let go of thinking about what you believe you ‘should’ be doing and start thinking about what you really want to do. Think about being active as simply moving your body in some way, rather than something that has specific rules or looks a certain way. 

3. Add Accountability

The third way to help start a movement habit is to become accountable and to find other people who will help keep you in check.

One of the best ways to make sure that you stick with a new habit is to make yourself accountable, and maybe to do it with a partner or in a group. Humans are social  animals and we like to do what the rest of the tribe or herd is doing. You're so much more likely to turn up and commit if you've arranged to meet someone because if you don't meet them then you'll be letting them down and this social pressure really works. The social element may also make the experience much more enjoyable for you too.

Find a group that you can move with where you have things in common with that group. E.g. If you're a new mum then find a pram fitness group where you can move with other mums. If you’re retired then find other retired people who are moving regularly - e.g. walking group, swimming group, fishing group or golf or bowls.

Owning (or borrowing!) a dog can be another great way to add some accountability to move more!

4. Use Progressive Overload

The next way to make a new movement habit stick is for you is to start being active at the level that is appropriate for you and then to use the concept of progressive overload.

So many people dislike ‘exercise’ because they start out way too hard and then struggle with aches and pains and injuries. When you use progressive overload, you set yourself free of these worries. Progressive overload means starting out at the right level for you and then consistently challenging yourself with very small and achievable steps. 

So start out with a bit of extra movement in your day – if you’ve been doing nothing then perhaps 30 minutes of walking is too much right from the start - perhaps a 10 minute walk around the block is more appropriate for you. 

Once you start out at the right level, progressive overload then means that you continue to do just a little bit more and a little bit better over time with your chosen activity. So say for example that you walk with a friend for 20 minutes on one week then on the next week rather than dramatically increasing this to a 40-minute jog, you both walk for 25 minutes or you walk for 20 minutes but at a slightly faster pace for the whole session or for part of the session. This will help you to sustain your new regime and minimise your risk of injury. It will also make it much more enjoyable.

5. Plan Your Movement

The final way to start a movement habit is to make sure that movement is part of your daily and weekly schedule.

Most people lead busy lives, and trying to find some extra time can be a challenge. This is why it is so, so important to plan your week in relation to the activity that you want to incorporate. This will make it much more likely to happen. So get out your diary or planner out each week and schedule movement in. 

Being active first thing in the morning before other commitments get in the way often works really well and will generally put you in a great state that flows into the rest of your day. 

If you’re really busy and really don’t think you have time for scheduled movement then look for opportunities to do incidental movement instead – if you’re at your desk then stand up and walk around when you’re on the phone, if you’re travelling to work then get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way, if you’re doing the shopping then park the car further away and walk for a few minutes to get there, if you have the choice of using a lift or taking the stairs then go for the stairs. 

Making the ‘trigger’ or ‘cue’ for your new habit really visible will also help start this new habit. Plan ahead and set a reminder on your phone at key times that will help prompt you, leave your exercise clothes on the floor of your bedroom when you go to bed so that you see them when you wake up and stick your list of reasons to move more on the fridge door so that you see it regularly.

Planning ahead and linking movement to another existing habit can also help. For example, every time you boil the kettle, do some squats. Every time you sit down to watch tv in the evening, do a simple stretch routine.

Final Words

We trust you found these tips useful. When you add physical activity and movement into your life, it really, really does give you some great benefits.

• It makes you feel good.
• It helps you reach your weight goals.
• It makes you live longer.
• It makes you happier.

So go out there and set yourself some small achievable goals!  And remember, as Lao Tzu once said, ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'!