5 SmartMoves to Make Exercise a Habit
The human brain is wired to be “lazy”, it’s likely a primitive survival mechanism to enable us to preserve energy by taking the path of least resistance in times when food was scarce and danger more likely. Now we live in a world that we have no need for energy preservation but also doesn’t allow us to get up and move without actively seeking it. Our brain hasn’t evolved as quickly as our environment!
Even the most fit and active people are inherently lazy, it’s just that these people have developed habits by making the seemingly difficult, easy.
Environment will always win
Any habit is easier if the environment that you are in is conducive to performing the desired task. For exercise, it is near impossible to be done in a living room or home office. Our mind associates this space with relaxing or work so there will always be a huge amount of resistance involved in starting or committing to an exercise program.
By physically separating your exercise to be done in another room, park, gym or wherever you have access to, your brain associates exercise and there is far less resistance. Also, by surrounding yourself with others who wanting to share an active lifestyle, it becomes culturally accepted. There are many ways to do this, recruiting friends/family or asking already habitual exercisers if you can join. Gyms, parks or beaches are full of activity, or you can even join online communities to help inspire change.
Label Yourself
We may label someone as being fit, strong, lazy, tired, stressed, angry, funny etc. These traits are really just a product of thousands if not millions of thoughts and actions that contribute to an overall state. They are capable of change in either direction at any time.
Someone who says they “have a gym membership” is less likely to see the gym than someone who believes that they are a “gym-goer”. By giving yourself a title of being a “runner”, “hiker”, “cyclist”, “swimmer” or what ever it is you may enjoy or aspire to, this becomes what you DO, rather than what you would like to do.
Use the morning
Evidence tells us that exercise in the morning is favourable. There are a number of reasons why. Your body produces the hormone cortisol in the morning which will result in a natural spike in energy and alertness. Also, the further the day goes on, the easier it is to put off exercising. It is difficult but very achievable to label yourself a “morning person” with some habit changes. Your brain will become less resistance to the thought of exercising first thing and it will set you up for the day ahead.
Start small and be patient
If you are looking at making big changes, small changes are required. There will be much more resistance to the thought of walking for an hour than the thought of walking around the block. Even just putting on your shoes is a start, it signals intent and primes your mind for habit change. James Clear in his book “Atomic Habits” suggests trying new things for 2 minutes. Your chances of starting the task will increase as its not overwhelming. There is a good chance that this 2 minutes may drag out longer when you realise it isn’t all that bad.
Also play the long game - you can’t expect to see any changes in a few weeks. Stick to the processes and the results will take care of themselves.
If you break a habit, don’t break for long
Missing a scheduled period of physical activity will have only a negligible affect on your health, but the mindset you adopt in response will have a massive effect. Life will get in the way at times and it’s important to not beat yourself about missing a session, the important thing is to not make this the standard. The idea of giving yourself a title such as “a walker”, as described earlier, can be the difference between consistency and inconsistency. You will say to yourself, “I missed today, but I will not miss tomorrow”
All these let tips can help trick your brain into being more comfortable with the uncomfortable and ultimately live a happier and healthier life.