More often than not, when you’ve begun a new exercise routine to get in shape, your intentions don’t often match your actions. You begin to realize there’s a big gap between having an intention of achieving something and actually doing the work to fulfil that intention. There’s no need to beat yourself about it. There’s always a way to bridge that gap. Let’s look at a few tricks that can help you make exercise a habit!
How to Make Exercise a Habit
- Set a Goal and Send a Reminder to Yourself: I wanted to exercise because I always wanted to stay fit like a soldier – this was my goal. I set a reminder on my phone for 5 AM as “Stay fit like a soldier “. This served as my morning alarm as well. Setting a goal where you remind yourself everyday will never let you sleep without ensuring that you exercised that day.
- Challenge a Friend: The day you plan to start exercising, challenge your friend. I texted my friend, “hey, in the next 30 days, I am going to increase my stamina from 6/10 to 10/10 “. Believe me, your friend will never let you forget that you need to exercise daily.
- Use the 21/90 Rule: This rule says that It takes 21 days to create a habit. It takes 90 days to create a lifestyle. You just don’t skip a day for 21 straight days. In these 3 weeks, exercise will become your habit. And once you are able to do it, you will continue doing it for another 90 days.
- Reward Yourself With 1 Rest Day: Keep 1 day as your ”rest day “. This is important for your muscle recovery too.
- Make It Pleasurable: The music of your choice will do the magic! You will love your exercise without getting bored. This is actually something I do and enjoy a lot.
- Take Baby Steps: Last but the most useful trick – When I started exercising, I had full “josh”, I forgot to count the sets and reps and just exercised with lots of energy. I had in mind, the more I will do, the sooner I will get the results. But the reverse happened. I had no energy for Day 2. So, this served as a lesson – doing too much, in the beginning, leads to burnout; which may lead to quitting the habit. So, the key is, start with light intensity exercises for 15-30 minutes in the beginning. Our only aim is to be regular. “One workout at a time. One day at a time. One meal at a time“ – Chalene Johnson.
Now that you’re aware of these simple tricks, let’s aim at making exercise a habit! Enjoy your exercise to enjoy the glow of good health.
If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. You can read more articles on motivation and fitness here. If you want to be consistent or begin working out, get the right guidance from an expert through a live, interactive, fun-fueled session on GOQii PRO. Book a class now through the GOQii App.
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Sunil says
“6 tricks to help you make excerise a habit”
A very good blog one should avail these tricks
Dr Priyanka says
Thanks Sunil ji .
five nights at freddy's says
When I have not read this article, I have applied the trick of inviting friends to do exercise together and found it very effective. We all have the same goal and great motivation, and practice becomes a lot of fun. Therefore, I was able to maintain training for 3 months. I will try the remainder tips. Thanks.
Adwaith says
Namaste Ma’am..
Adwaith Here it’s really damn helpful and will surely implement this in my routine Ma’am…..
Dr Priyanka Mangla says
thanks Adwaith
Dr.Ranjit Bhatta says
Yes I always do it , Thanks for ur valuable msg
Sachin says
Priyanka,
This is wonderful information.
21/90 Rule is quite impressive.
I will definitely try.
Dr Priyanka Mangla says
Thanks Sachin .
robbers alice says
I didn’t have any expectations concerning that title, but the more I was astonished. The author did a great job. I spent a few minutes reading and checking the facts. Everything is very clear and understandable. I like posts that fill in your knowledge gaps. This one is of the sort.
Dr Priyanka Mangla says
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave the feedback