How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit (with a May Challenge)

tai chi Recently my friend and fellow blogger Scott Young did a great post entitled, “New to exercise? Make workouts daily“. It was an excellent post, and perfectly timed as it mirrors my own recent efforts at making exercise a daily habit.

The problem with trying to make exercise a habit, and it’s something that we’ve all faced, is that you usually try to exercise 3 or 4 times a week … and that makes creating a new exercise habit difficult. The reason is that the more consistent an action is, the more likely it is to be a habit.

Therefore, as Scott points out, and it’s something I fully agree with, exercising every day is more likely to result in a habit — something that becomes almost automatic, and much easier, instead of a constant struggle.

I’ve been implementing this idea in my daily life recently, alternating every day between different exercises: running, swimming, biking and strength workouts, as a way of reaching my goal of completing an Olympic-distance triathlon this year. I’m going to continue this habit change into the month of May (read below for the Zen Habits May Challenge). I made daily running a habit last year, when I was training for my first marathon, but this year I stopped when I got sick, so I’m re-starting the habit formation.

If you’re going to make this a habit, do a 30-day Challenge, and by the end of the challenge your habit should be pretty well ingrained. Here are some practical suggestions I’ve learned along the way to help make exercise a daily habit:

Set a time. Decide whether you’re more likely to stick with it in the morning or lunchtime or evening, and stick with that time. I’ve set the time of 5:30 a.m. every day, and I’m trying my best not to vary from that time. If you don’t set a time, you’re more likely to put it off until you have more time or energy, and then put it off until the next day. Soon, it’s not a habit at all.
Send yourself a reminder. I use Memo to Me, but there are a number of ways to send yourself an email or text reminder, so you’ll never forget. Then, when you get the reminder, do it right away. Don’t brook any delays.
Start small. This is perhaps the most useful suggestion of all. When I start exercising, I always start with lots of energy, enthusiasm and ambition. I think I can do more than I can. However, doing too much in the beginning leads to burnout, which leads to quitting your habit. When you first try to make exercise a daily habit, chances are, your body won’t be used to that kind of stress. The key: only do 20 minutes in the beginning, and do it nice and easy. Nothing hard. Even 10-15 minutes is fine at first, if you’re just starting out. The key is to get out there, get your body slowly used to daily exercise, and form that habit.
Progress later. Once your body is used to daily exercise, you can slowly start to increase the amount and intensity of your exercise. Wait at least two weeks before starting to increase — that’s the minimum your body needs to adjust. Once it begins to feel way too easy, you can start increasing the length of your workouts, to 30 and then 40 minutes, and eventually up to an hour. Once you do that, you can gradually increase the intensity — running faster or harder, for example. Try not to increase both distance and intensity at the same time.
Make it pleasurable. If you associate a habit with pain, you will shy away from it. But if it’s fun, you’ll look forward to doing it. That’s why, in this beginning stage of my new habit, I’ve been focusing on pleasure. I go slowly, enjoying the scenery, the fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun rises, the quiet time of solitude and contemplation. It’s actually something I enjoy doing. An mp3 player with some great music helps.
Lay out your gear. The fewer obstacles and less friction there is in forming your new habit, the more likely you are to be successful. If you have to not only wake up early but get a bunch of gear together while half awake, you might just want to go back into bed. But if you lay out your workout clothes and shoes and watch and mp3 player, or whatever you need for your exercise, you’ll be ready to go with no friction at all.
Just head out the door. My rule is just to get my running shoes on and get out the door. I don’t worry about how long I have to go or how hard it will be. Just get out and get started. Once I’ve done that, it’s a piece of cake.
Mix it up. One thing I like about triathlon training is that daily exercise isn’t boring — instead of running every single day, now I’ve got a variety of sports to do, and that makes it much more interesting. But perhaps just as important is that with each sport, I’m using different muscles, especially with swimming. Sure, some of the same muscles are used, but they’re used differently with different stresses on them. What that means is that I’m not pounding the same muscles, every day. That gives them a chance to recover, because without recovery, you’re just breaking your muscles down over and over.
Have a relative rest day. Again, recovery is very important. Which is why you need to give your body a chance to rest. If you’re taking it easy, and only doing 20 minutes, you should be OK without rest days. But it’s still good to have one day of rest, where you’re not doing the same exercises as the other six days. You don’t want to skip the day completely, because then you’re not being consistent with your habit. That’s why I do one day of strength training, where I don’t use the same muscles as swimming, biking and running. If you need more rest, you could just do 20 minutes of walking, or even just a session of meditation. The key is to do something every day, preferably something that gets you moving (meditation isn’t the best example, but at least you’d be doing something) and keeps your habit formation going.
Don’t skip a day. It’s easy to say, “No problem, I’ve been doing it for five days … I’ll just skip today!” But that will make your habit formation harder. Consistency is key, so try not to skip a single day. If you do, don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge, don’t feel bad — everyone messes up sometimes, and habit formation is a skill that requires practice. Just start your 30-day challenge over again, and try to identify the obstacle that led to your skipping a day and prepare for it this time.

OK, so this habit of daily exercise is going to be my personal May Challenge. In the Zen Habits April Challenge, I challenged you all to repeat a mantra three times a day, as a way to establish a small habit (alternatively, April Challengers could have chosen another small habit to establish). It went very well for many of the April Challengers, and I think what helped is signing up for the daily check-in email.

So, here’s the Zen Habits May Challenge: choose a small daily habit to stick with for each day of May. Remember, it must be small! If you choose something hard, you are much less likely to be successful. Do something small — flossing your teeth, putting your clothes away when you take them off, walking for 20 minutes, anything really, as long as it isn’t that difficult. Choose something you know you will succeed at … and then you can build it up with a slightly more difficult habit next month.

I plan to continue my daily habit of saying the mantra three times a day, and add this habit of daily exercise. Next month, I’ll probably work on procrastination (I’ve made great headway here, but could use some improvement) … either that or my weakness — sweets.

Sign up for the May Challenge below, and please indicate whether it’s OK to add your name to the daily check-in email list – your email will be confidential, there are no advertisements, and the April Challengers all said that the daily email helped them stay on track. I highly suggest being on the email list. If you were on the April list, you’ll need to sign up again, as I don’t assume that you want to carry over to May.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit (with a May Challenge)

Set a time. Decide whether you’re more likely to stick with it in the morning or lunchtime or evening, and stick with that time. I’ve set the time of 5:30 a.m. every day, and I’m trying my best not to vary from that time. If you don’t set a time, you’re more likely to put it off until you have more time or energy, and then put it off until the next day. Soon, it’s not a habit at all.
Send yourself a reminder. I use Memo to Me, but there are a number of ways to send yourself an email or text reminder, so you’ll never forget. Then, when you get the reminder, do it right away. Don’t brook any delays.
Start small. This is perhaps the most useful suggestion of all. When I start exercising, I always start with lots of energy, enthusiasm and ambition. I think I can do more than I can. However, doing too much in the beginning leads to burnout, which leads to quitting your habit. When you first try to make exercise a daily habit, chances are, your body won’t be used to that kind of stress. The key: only do 20 minutes in the beginning, and do it nice and easy. Nothing hard. Even 10-15 minutes is fine at first, if you’re just starting out. The key is to get out there, get your body slowly used to daily exercise, and form that habit.
Progress later. Once your body is used to daily exercise, you can slowly start to increase the amount and intensity of your exercise. Wait at least two weeks before starting to increase — that’s the minimum your body needs to adjust. Once it begins to feel way too easy, you can start increasing the length of your workouts, to 30 and then 40 minutes, and eventually up to an hour. Once you do that, you can gradually increase the intensity — running faster or harder, for example. Try not to increase both distance and intensity at the same time.
Make it pleasurable. If you associate a habit with pain, you will shy away from it. But if it’s fun, you’ll look forward to doing it. That’s why, in this beginning stage of my new habit, I’ve been focusing on pleasure. I go slowly, enjoying the scenery, the fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun rises, the quiet time of solitude and contemplation. It’s actually something I enjoy doing. An mp3 player with some great music helps.
Lay out your gear. The fewer obstacles and less friction there is in forming your new habit, the more likely you are to be successful. If you have to not only wake up early but get a bunch of gear together while half awake, you might just want to go back into bed. But if you lay out your workout clothes and shoes and watch and mp3 player, or whatever you need for your exercise, you’ll be ready to go with no friction at all.
Just head out the door. My rule is just to get my running shoes on and get out the door. I don’t worry about how long I have to go or how hard it will be. Just get out and get started. Once I’ve done that, it’s a piece of cake.
Mix it up. One thing I like about triathlon training is that daily exercise isn’t boring — instead of running every single day, now I’ve got a variety of sports to do, and that makes it much more interesting. But perhaps just as important is that with each sport, I’m using different muscles, especially with swimming. Sure, some of the same muscles are used, but they’re used differently with different stresses on them. What that means is that I’m not pounding the same muscles, every day. That gives them a chance to recover, because without recovery, you’re just breaking your muscles down over and over.
Have a relative rest day. Again, recovery is very important. Which is why you need to give your body a chance to rest. If you’re taking it easy, and only doing 20 minutes, you should be OK without rest days. But it’s still good to have one day of rest, where you’re not doing the same exercises as the other six days. You don’t want to skip the day completely, because then you’re not being consistent with your habit. That’s why I do one day of strength training, where I don’t use the same muscles as swimming, biking and running. If you need more rest, you could just do 20 minutes of walking, or even just a session of meditation. The key is to do something every day, preferably something that gets you moving (meditation isn’t the best example, but at least you’d be doing something) and keeps your habit formation going.
Don’t skip a day. It’s easy to say, “No problem, I’ve been doing it for five days … I’ll just skip today!” But that will make your habit formation harder. Consistency is key, so try not to skip a single day. If you do, don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge, don’t feel bad — everyone messes up sometimes, and habit formation is a skill that requires practice. Just start your 30-day challenge over again, and try to identify the obstacle that led to your skipping a day and prepare for it this time.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it in del.icio.us. Thanks!

Spewed into the world on 30 April 2007 in Habits |
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Brilliant comments (153)

Michael Says:

April 30th, 2007, 6:05 am

I’ll signup.

Melanie Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:06 am

Me too!

Jennifer Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:13 am

I’m in. The timing is perfect. I’ve been telling myself I need to do this.

Balfour Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:28 am

Put me on the list!
Here’s my challenge for May:
I’m going to continue my April Challenge of changing my work arrival to 8 am. It’s been very difficult to accomplish this and I need some more time.

Christi Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:32 am

I’d like to participate in the May challenge. Thanks!

Christi Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:33 am

Oh, and it’s okay to add me to the daily email list.

Ruby Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:34 am

Sign me up for that list, too.
Daily practice, here I come!

Peter Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:38 am

Even 10-15 minutes is fine at first, if you’re just starting out.
I thought I should point out that you can get by even with 5 min if 10-15 min seam like a big challenge. The trick is to “slow speed” those 5 min. So start with few “slow speed” push-ups, few “slow speed” squats and maybe few normal crunches. It is more than enough for a beginner.
Here is a video by Stin for you to see what this “Slow Speed” method is: Slow Speed Exercises for Home or Hotel

Ann M. Says:

April 30th, 2007, 7:45 am

I’ll continue.

Jennifer Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:00 am

Oh, oops - yes, please add me to the list as well. Thank you for doing this! :)

Margaret Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:02 am

I accept your May Challenge to make exercise a daily habit. I would also love to receive the reminder emails.

Thanks for your blog — it’s great!

Becca Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:24 am

Sign me up for the May challenge! This is just what I need to help make exercise a daily habit as well–20 minutes of exercise a day!

Joel Scott Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:29 am

I’m in! Please sign me up for the May Challenge and the email reminder as well.

Thanks for the blog!

Ganesh Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:31 am

Please sign me up for the May Challenge. I would like to receive email reminders. I would like to get up at 5am daily

Thanks very much.

Betsey Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:44 am

Yes, count me in on the daily email. I too want to start exercising daily.

Morten Says:

April 30th, 2007, 8:54 am

Ok, lets go!

David Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:10 am

Sign me up pls.

Brother John Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:13 am

Ok, I am in too. I will make exercising a daily habit again, so I can eventually start jogging the way I used to six years ago. and yes please add my email to the reminders

Deb Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:14 am

I’m in too - emails as well. Daily walks will by my May challenge. Thanks for continuing the challenges

Thomas Soereensen Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:16 am

I’ll sign up as well. This could be the kick start I need to start my marathon training.

Sarah Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:22 am

I’m in … and I’m usually not much of a joiner. But, I need to start walking or doing sun salutations (preferably both! One in the morning and one in the evening, but I’ll start with just one a day) daily and I think a reminder might be helpful.

Jose Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:26 am

Yep. I’m in for the May challenge. Add me.

John P Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:34 am

please sign me up for the challenge and emails
I’ve started many times but never contin…

john

Kim Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:36 am

Add me to the list. Email me, please. I’m going to do a daily walk. I’ve had a hard time being consistent. “I’ll do it tomorrow, really!”

Teknitis Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:39 am

I’m down. Sign me up!!!

Amy Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:41 am

This is the month I get back on track! Please sign me up for the email and I look forward to joining this challenge. I pledge a minimum of 15 minutes (hopefully 30) of some sort of exercise daily!

Rob Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:57 am

It’s time. Let’s do it!!

Scott Young Says:

April 30th, 2007, 9:59 am

Thanks for the linkup Leo, great suggestions.

Curt Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:18 am

Please sign me up for the emails.

Pril Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:19 am

I would like to sign up for e-mails and this challenge!
After doing a “Test run” for my backpacking trip at the end of may I need more strength and endurance and cardio. I was in a decent habit of doing this.
i gave my e-mail in this form !!!

My daily habit starting tomorrow will be getting up at 6:30am every morning M-F to work out ! I will use the stretch first 5 minutes use the stepper for the next 5 minutes ( normally i do 15) 1 time a week but i would rather build a habit!
then dance for two songs that will be my m-f work out then on the weekend i would like to RUN/walk/powerwalk/hike for at least 1-2 miles on the weekend!

Ryan R. Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:21 am

I am in; I have been trying for 15 min of exercise/day for a while now. Tonight I am going to map out my exercise time for next month. This will help to make it as easy as possible to just go and do it as possible. I won’t have to think about what I am going to try to accomplish each morning. I now a gimp foot but I will do my best until I fully recover.

Shannon Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:46 am

I’m in! Please add me to the challenge and the email list. My pledge is 40+ minutes of exercise daily.

Yossi Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:48 am

Here here!
I’ll exercise every morning before work/uni
Add me to that daily mail thingy.

Darren Says:

April 30th, 2007, 10:59 am

Sign me up for the email please!

My challenge will be slightly different but i think just as important, to drink 2 litres of water every day. I’m notoriously bad at looking after myself in this way.

Brad Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:09 am

Sign me up for the challenge and the email list!

Claire Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:15 am

I’m in too! I’ll also go for the exercise challenge, I’m a semi-beginner (I’m pretty active in the day, not being desk-bound, and cycle a couple of miles to and from work everyday, but I’m not really doing any structured exercise and I’d like to). For me, exercise will be a one of running, cycling, walking, rowing, cycling, or circuits, depending on how busy I am that day - I think I’ll say 20 minutes as a minimum though. Oh, and please sign me up for the reminder emails!

jenny Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:17 am

please sign me up

Anneli Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:33 am

Sign me up for email and challenge! Cycling and walking every morning in May.

Ally Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:36 am

Sign me up - e-mails and everything

Megan Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:38 am

Please sign me up for the daily email…thanks!

Insomnius Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:42 am

Okay, this is a great opportunity to start working on that exercise habit I need so badly. The email list sounds like an excellent idea!

mickeyckm Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:47 am

Count me in. ;)

Cecily T Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:53 am

I’m in. I’m doing great w/ my 20+ minutes of cardio already (at least until my midwife says I need to stop or I feel too pregnant), so my goal is to make a habit of stretching for 10 minutes a day after my cardio. I’m in for the email reminders as well.

Ethan Says:

April 30th, 2007, 11:59 am

Sign me up! My goal is to wake up at 4:45 every morning, be asleep by 9, and stretch daily.

Abdul Rahman Says:

April 30th, 2007, 12:26 pm

I’m in. Sign me up! I want to consistently wake up at 4.00 AM (which is quite norm, though not in daily basis) to do some strength and stamina building workout.

Skylar Says:

April 30th, 2007, 13:09 pm

Please sign me up! My goal is 2 sun salutations cycles each morning!

Jay Says:

April 30th, 2007, 13:13 pm

Count me in; maybe this will make me get up early and exercise!

MaryBeth Says:

April 30th, 2007, 13:31 pm

I’m in! Please add me to the e-mail list as well.

I plan on upping my exercise. Right now I’m walking Monday-Thursday mornings before work, but I’d like to do something every day and perhaps scale up my walking to running over time.

I’m looking forward to this one.

Amy Says:

April 30th, 2007, 13:41 pm

I’m in and it couldn’t come at a better time!

S. McTavish Says:

April 30th, 2007, 13:46 pm

Okay. (furrowing brow, looking nervous) I’ll commit to this, too. The weather here in Canada is just starting to become lovely so some kind of exercise shouldn’t be as much of a strain as it might have been a few months ago. I have a high profile, black tie event on June 2nd and this will help me feel like less of a blob for that.

Please don’t email me, though…

Alja Says:

April 30th, 2007, 14:08 pm

Ahh yes, daily exercise probably would be better than getting only the recommended 3 days/week of 30 minute cardio, which later becomes, 1 day/week, which trails off into “Well, at least I can still fit into my clothes, so I can’t be that out of shape.”

Good luck to all! Or should I say, persevere!

Megan Says:

April 30th, 2007, 14:34 pm

Sign me up, please, for both the challenge and the email list!

Jordan S Says:

April 30th, 2007, 14:57 pm

I’m also in email and all, Daily morning run here I come.

Nicole Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:00 pm

Sign me up for the email list, please. My challenge is to do my back exercises twice a day: before leaving the house in the morning and before going to bed at night.

Leo Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:24 pm

Wow, what a great response! I’m overwhelmed. You will all be added to the email list today, and the first challenge email will come out tomorrow. I’m excited about this! We can all help each other be successful in May.

One reminder: if you’re not used to daily exercise (even if you already do it 3-4 times a week) I recommend limiting yourself to 20 minutes, at least at first (for the first 2 weeks). It’s very stressful on your body to exercise too much every day, and you’ll be setting yourself up for failure. If you’re not doing exercise as your May Challenge, be sure that it’s a small and easily accomplishable goal!

Also, please Digg and Delicious this article! It’ll help me out.

Karen Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:28 pm

Sign me up for the challenge and the email list, please! I’ve been telling myself I need to exercise regularly, but I’ve also been procrastinating on it. I think I’ll have to sign up for the procrastinating challenge when that comes up, too. ;) Haha! One thing at a time. My challenge is to exercise at least 6 days a week.

nickseek Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:28 pm

hi, sign me up please. my challenge will be to meditate every morning. i hope i can make it and i really look forward to it!

nickseek Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:33 pm

and email too, please..

mandarine Says:

April 30th, 2007, 15:57 pm

let’s do it! sign me in!
yes, and an email or two would be nice as well.

ganges Says:

April 30th, 2007, 16:49 pm

Sign me up please.
My goal is to practice my daily yoga at early morning instead of different time at day.

Thank You for Your blog.

Heather Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:21 pm

My goal is to get up at 6:30 am and do my yoga practice (that would be two challenges right there) and walk to work (which I do most of the time anyway, so that one isn’t that challenge at all, but nice to put in writing).

barbara trumpinski-roberts Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:22 pm

I will sign up. My goal is to exercise 20 minutes or more daily from May 1-May 31, 2007. And feel free to send me an email.

hugs,

kitten

Heather Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:22 pm

oh, and yes to the email!

Rolf Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:42 pm

josie Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:43 pm

could you sign me up, please?

thanks!

Rolf Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:46 pm

Lol obviously fancy ASCII art plays havoc with blogs
so Ill keep it plain… please add me to the list.
My short term exercise goal is similar to yours “Complete an olympic distance tri in October this year”
woo hoo! If only I could swim…

Thanks for the excellent blog Leo.

karen Says:

April 30th, 2007, 17:51 pm

Please sign me up - thanks. I was going to do this anyway but anything that reminds me and reinforces the habit has to help!

Leo Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:10 pm

Cool, Rolf! I’ve got a fellow triathlete-in-training to share experiences with. Btw, I didn’t know how to swim very well either, and was taking swim lessons from a swim coach at my local pool. Form is very important in swimming, as you probably know, so the lessons were helpful. In fact, I plan to take some more lessons soon.

garg Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:37 pm

Sign me up :) I’ll be doing light exercise every day.

Jenny Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:38 pm

Please sign me up for the May challenge and e-mails! Thanks!

Tara Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:42 pm

sign me up! and yes you can use my name.
thanks! tara

Judy Says:

April 30th, 2007, 19:48 pm

Please sign me up for the May Challenge and emails—Judy

Will Says:

April 30th, 2007, 20:07 pm

Sounds good - sign me up.

Laura Says:

April 30th, 2007, 20:08 pm

Sign me up!

violette Says:

April 30th, 2007, 20:25 pm

hi i would like to sign up for the 20 minutes excercise a day challenge in may and also put away my clothes every time I take them off please send me email reminder I would really appereciate it

Leland Says:

April 30th, 2007, 20:59 pm

May Challenge to exercise daily? Count me in. And can you add me to the email list too? Thanks.

PS: I’ve been reading for a while; thanks for the great stuff!

Lisa Says:

April 30th, 2007, 21:04 pm

Great idea to start easy–I can definitely do 15 minutes of exercise a day. Please add my name to the email list. Thank you!

Ross Says:

April 30th, 2007, 22:45 pm

I’m in for the May Challenge. 30 minutes of exercise daily (already do) PLUS walk 4 times per week.

Please add me to the email list.

martha Says:

April 30th, 2007, 23:05 pm

yes!!! sign me up for 20 minutes of exercise daily, and for drinking my water everyday!!!
e-mail me please…

Bonnie L. Says:

April 30th, 2007, 23:07 pm

Wow… what a divine motivation and I’ve made it with the perfect timing! Please add me to the daily email list!
As a mom of 5 - I need the exercise!

aladavi Says:

April 30th, 2007, 23:53 pm

Count me in and, please, send me the daily email.

Wallet Rehab - Ways to save money Says:

May 1st, 2007, 0:23 am

Sign me up, I just started making exercise a daily habit a month ago, so this will just help re-inforce it. I use http://www.physicsdiet.com to measure my weight each day, using a scale that also measures body fat %. This keeps me accountable, and also motivates me each morning. At the beginning, I hated weighing myself, but now, it’s my favorite part of the morning. I wake up, go to the bathroom, weigh myself, am inspired by the progress over the last day, and then go exercise. It’s a great system! :D

boggit Says:

May 1st, 2007, 1:16 am

I would like to try this and please add me to the email list!

Dustin Brewer Says:

May 1st, 2007, 1:17 am

Sounds awesome, I will do the May challenge also and would like to be included in the email list.

David Hollingworth Says:

May 1st, 2007, 2:01 am

Sign me up please Leo.

Thanks

Byron Jourdan Says:

May 1st, 2007, 2:17 am

Sign me up and I’d like to be on the email list. Thanks!

Scott Stawarz Says:

May 1st, 2007, 3:02 am

I say you can’t change what you don’t measure. A goal must be measurable, and Exercise daily is a great simple small goal that I will have to do.

One thing that has really helped me with my eating and exercise habits is using an online weight management tool.

You can include me on your email list. I will undertake the exercise daily goal for the month of May. Although, I am started a 30 day challenge in mid-April, track all the food I eat. So, I might be breaking the rules by doing more than one habit.

Caro Says:

May 1st, 2007, 5:07 am

yes please, sign me up!!
:)

Hilda Says:

May 1st, 2007, 6:44 am

Thanks for this great challenge. Please sign me up for the daily reminders.

Tom Says:

May 1st, 2007, 7:08 am

Please sign me up and put me on the list.

Cheryl Says:

May 1st, 2007, 7:35 am

Great idea. I could use the push. Please sign me up for the daily reminders.

Kim Roach Says:

May 1st, 2007, 8:24 am

Thanks for the great tips. Being a runner myself, I have discovered that daily exercise is one of the best ways to get your day started. A run always helps me to clear my head and get the endorphins running. It’s strange how something like running can be so relaxing.

Not to mention, it’s a great productivity booster…

Mollie Says:

May 1st, 2007, 8:33 am

I’m in! Please send me the emails!

NicPicPic from Quebec Says:

May 1st, 2007, 8:41 am

OK !! I’m in. I discovered ZenHabits last month and began implementing a couple of new positive habits in my life. It works ! It feels great. I’m ready for the May challenge. Thanks for everything man.

Jewell Says:

May 1st, 2007, 9:04 am

I’m in!

Annie Says:

May 1st, 2007, 10:27 am

I’ve been am ironman triathlete in the past and can’t seem to get back into a regular routine of working out! Send me the daily email to get my ass in gear!

Theresa Says:

May 1st, 2007, 10:53 am

I will sign up. My goal is to exercise 20 minutes or more daily from May 1-May 31, 2007. Put me on the email list.

Kara Says:

May 1st, 2007, 12:32 pm

I’m in! I think I’ll be doing the same challenge as you are. Working out every day. I’m going to go through a program called 3 weeks to a 30-minute running habit that I found on about.com. It has a workout about 5 days a week, and I’ll do strength training on my off days. Then I’ll be able to run for 30-minutes straight again, along with forming a great workout habit. Can’t wait!

Kara Says:

May 1st, 2007, 12:32 pm

And I didn’t specifically mention this in my last post, but please send me the emails. :)

Hannelie Says:

May 1st, 2007, 13:55 pm

Yes I would like to join in on the May challange. Thanks!

Sean Says:

May 1st, 2007, 14:11 pm

Count me in.

Jim Says:

May 1st, 2007, 14:26 pm

I’m in for the daily emails. Thanks!

Scott Randolph Says:

May 1st, 2007, 16:37 pm

Leo - wrote you up on my Triathlon site - I’m in on this one. Just when I needed it yet again…you rock.

Btw - if you’d ever like to guest blog over at my place, just let me know.

eva Says:

May 1st, 2007, 18:56 pm

hi. i’d like to join your may challenge and exercise mon-sat resting on sunday. am already off to a good start this month. =) great job with the blog!!! i love it. CONGRATS!

Bob Stocking Says:

May 1st, 2007, 19:47 pm

Please add me to the daily email list.

Kim Says:

May 1st, 2007, 20:43 pm

Did an email go out today? I didn’t get one. If there was one already, can you check and make sure I got added to the list, like requested?

If one hasn’t gone out yet, I look forward to it. I don’t know what you send out but I guess a little reminder and encouragement could help. I didn’t have an easy time doing ANYTHING today. :)

Kim

Fran Says:

May 1st, 2007, 22:52 pm

Sign me up, please! Thanks!

Molky Says:

May 2nd, 2007, 12:04 pm

Sounds cool, lets sign me up!

Terry Says:

May 2nd, 2007, 14:12 pm

Cool…sign me up, too!

Greg Says:

May 2nd, 2007, 22:29 pm

I am in - sign me up!

Heather Says:

May 3rd, 2007, 14:15 pm

I’d love to sign up if I still can!

Scott Hill Says:

May 4th, 2007, 13:56 pm

Sign me up, please! Thank You

Sandi Says:

May 5th, 2007, 17:04 pm

Great blog! Sign me up for the daily reminder. I’ll be focusing on my meditation practice, starting with 5-10 minutes each morning.

Dan Says:

May 6th, 2007, 0:57 am

awesome post. if its still possible to sign up for the emails, i’d love to.

Alisa Says:

May 6th, 2007, 1:42 am

Please sign me up if it is still possible :) My goal is running for 20 min at 6am every morning!

Knoobs Says:

May 6th, 2007, 2:37 am

I don’t know if its too late, but please sign me up! I’m going to start running every day again, but this time, I’ll stay committed :)

Rahul Says:

May 6th, 2007, 6:50 am

Though a little late in reading the post, i will try to keep up with the daily habit. Im 22, just started working and have to be in the front of computer atleast 8 Hours a day. In Addition have been on my notebook Pc at home the rest of the time. Will be taking this healthy step. Thanks for inspiring all of us, Leo. If possible now, kindly add me to the mailing list.

Bea Says:

May 7th, 2007, 0:53 am

Sign me up! I have been working on this for a while but still need some work to make my exercise a true habit. Thank you.

Celesta Krantz Says:

May 7th, 2007, 23:17 pm

Please sign me up, including the reminder! Thank you!

Silvia Says:

May 8th, 2007, 4:30 am

Please sign me up for daily e-mails! I love this website!

Stephen Cooper Says:

May 10th, 2007, 23:53 pm

Great idea, please add me to your email list. Thanks.

Nestor Portillo Says:

May 27th, 2007, 12:23 pm

Please sign me up for the May Challenge. I would like to receive email reminders.

Amy Says:

May 28th, 2007, 18:36 pm

Please sign me up too and I would like to receive the email reminders as well.
Thanks

Dr. George R. Marshall Says:

May 29th, 2007, 5:18 am

Please sign me up for the May Challenge. I would like to receive email reminders. George

Christopher Humphries Says:

June 2nd, 2007, 12:08 pm

I’m starting today, a month late, yet a good habit a month :)

Chris Says:

September 5th, 2007, 15:51 pm

sign me up to.

Akash Chorpa Says:

September 27th, 2007, 15:46 pm

Sign me up!

kate Says:

September 28th, 2007, 21:04 pm

I know it’s a little late, but, sign me up?

Ana Says:

November 11th, 2007, 0:34 am

Pls sign me in too!

Q Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 10:05 am

I am in!

Jonah Lisa Says:

February 18th, 2008, 11:17 am

Coming out of lurkdom to get on board with this one. Have been reading for a while but came looking for some exercise related stuff today for a blog post and you didn’t disappoint.

Thanks again for distilling the info I needed and giving me the kick in the pants I needed.

Abdul WAhab Says:

April 5th, 2008, 6:20 am

Nice Programme, please add me in the list

Pou Says:

April 14th, 2008, 23:17 pm

Man I started working in a office about 8 months ago after being a carpet layer for 3 years. I cant believe how unfit I am! I am really looking forward to challenging myself. Please sign me up and send me reminders. Thank you

nona Says:

April 27th, 2008, 6:43 am

please,sign me up for the May Challenge.

Kristin Says:

May 6th, 2008, 21:06 pm

A little late, but sign me up for the challenge.

Dan Says:

May 13th, 2008, 9:14 am

It’s a little late, but for the rest of the month I want to exercise daily

Mike Says:

May 20th, 2008, 11:40 am

I’m up for the challenge!!!

Ron McCarty Says:

June 28th, 2008, 18:00 pm

I have a question. I have been using a rowing machine for a year and a half. I am up to 1 hour (a bit over 12k meters) each session, one session a day, though I am probably averaging every other day over a month. My question: which would be better - to do one one hour session each day or two 1/2 hour sessions (one in the morning, one in the evening), or doesn’t it really matter. Thanks

Wee Says:

September 23rd, 2008, 5:38 am

Good!

Arkar Says:

December 7th, 2008, 3:05 am

ok. How about Jan 09 Challenge? If there is still an event like this, i’d very much like to join. Thanks Leo.

Leanne Says:

January 28th, 2009, 16:32 pm

I am in!!! Thank you for your website.

Jett Brenner Says:

February 12th, 2009, 1:27 am

Workout for sixth months straight. This is the magic time period where studies show that exercise becomes permanent. Get to the six month milestone and you will have an internal “need” to exercis.

tolga Says:

March 24th, 2009, 15:34 pm

goood ,Thank you for the summary we are going some oto kiralama for some one its really good…

tolga Says:

March 26th, 2009, 7:00 am

It is really great. I also used same technic in my web site and it works.

njsa Says:

April 23rd, 2009, 2:36 am

sign me up for daily walk for 20 minutes.Really great!!!!

Kelly Says:

April 30th, 2009, 13:44 pm

I would like to wake up everyday at 4:45 am to do 20 minutes of excersise.
Please add me to the email.

Christine Says:

May 11th, 2009, 20:34 pm

Please sign me up.
I would also have the daily email.
I need all the help I can get!

Cortney Says:

May 12th, 2009, 21:29 pm

I would love to sign up & it is okay to add me to the list!

Alicia Says:

May 20th, 2009, 14:40 pm

Please send me daily reminders/updates!

Emily Says:

May 29th, 2009, 5:28 am

Go ahead and add me to the list, hopefully I can be motivated to do this! I need to loose some extra pounds and I definatly need to start making good habits during my day!

Emily Says:

May 29th, 2009, 5:29 am

Oh snap it’s the end of May. hahaha. sorry, I’m tired. I’m sure what you have in store for June will be just as good. (:

JAYCE Says:

June 5th, 2009, 22:56 pm

This is exactly the sort of thing i need in my life as im undisciplined and lack structure add me please

Remeeka Harris Says:

June 15th, 2009, 23:29 pm

Please sign me up, I wanna have a change! I wanna be stronger to protect my gf, because she always said that I was too thin to protect her.

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