7 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit

Every Friday is Health Tip Day at Zen Habits.

This is a guest post from Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. If you enjoy this post, check out his site.

Leo did a great job with his article How To Make Exercise a Daily Habit. I’ve been strength training for 10 years, and I thought: let’s give the people of Zen Habits my method for building the exercise habit.

You’ve probably tried it several times. You’re fed up with your skinny look or overweight body. You decide to finally do something about it. So you take a gym membership. Some friends decide to join you. After a few weeks however, your friends don’t show up anymore. Then you end up alone. And eventually you quit.

Yeah I know, this happens all the time. I’ve seen it over and over again. I know what you’re thinking. How come some people can stick with it and others not? What is their secret?

I’ll first tell you what it is not: it’s not discipline, it’s not willpower. Discipline and willpower only work in the short-term.

What works in the long-term is making exercise a habit. That’s their secret. And that’s what this post is about — 7 ways to build the exercise habit.

1. Set your Goal. What do you want to achieve?

Bigger muscles?
Less fat?
More strength?
More speed?

Exercising can be used for several means. Before you take a gym membership, start by setting a definite goal. What is it that you want?

Don’t try to achieve more than 1 thing at a time. Start with one goal. Once you have attained it, you can work towards a second goal.

2. Set a Deadline. Set a date by which you will reach your goal. Write your goal and deadline on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you can see it multiple times a day.

A good place would be on your nightstand. Look at it on waking up and before going to bed. This will act as a constant reminder of your goal.

3. Make a Plan. Once you have set your goal, you must back it up with a plan.

Which exercises will you perform?
How many sets and reps will you do?
How many times a week will you go the gym?

Your time is precious. Any minute in the gym must bring you closer towards the achievement of your goal. So choose a solid training program. If you’re a total beginner to strength training, read Starting Strength. It’s the best place to start.

4. Exercise First Thing in the Morning. When you’ve just had a tough day at work, it can be hard to train for another hour at the gym. A solution is to exercise first thing in the morning:

Wake up early
Eat breakfast
Prepare the stuff you need for work
Go to the gym

One hour later, you’re another step closer towards the achievement of your goal. And you have your whole day to do whatever you need to do.

5. Stick to your Plan. This is something I experienced on numerous occasions. The days you don’t feel like exercising, are often your best days. Maybe it’s the mind-body connection: the body says no, but the mind says go. Thus the body eventually says go too. I don’t know.

Whatever it is, when it’s the day to train, it’s the day to train. Make no excuses, go the gym. If you don’t feel 100% healthy, still go the gym, but train at a lower intensity. The fact that you’ve been there, is more important than the quality of your training. And as I wrote above, sometimes it can turn out into one of your most productive workouts.

The more you exercise, the more you build the habit. Stick to your plan.

6. Train With Someone Who Has The Exercise Habit. If you’re training partner quits, you’ll probably end up quitting too. But if your training partner hangs on, you’ll take it as a challenge.

Next time you go the gym, look around you. Look at the people who exercise. Find someone who is serious with his training. Take the initiative: ask him if you can train with him. If you choose the right person, he’ll accept your request. Most people know that getting into exercising is not easy, they know because they’ve been there.

A good training partner will motivate you & help you achieve your goal. If not, keep on looking.

7. Be confident. You can achieve whatever you want, if you believe that you can do it. Having a clear goal and a plan will already arm you with self-confidence.

Know that it will take 30 days to build the exercise habit. During the first 30 days you’ll need to push yourself to the gym. After 30 days it will become easier: the habits starts to take over, pushing you the gym.

Write this next to your goal and deadline: “If they can do it, I can do it”

Mehdi is author of StrongLifts.com, a blog about strength training, nutrition, lifestyle & attitude. Join him at StrongLifts.com for the fascinating journey towards more strength, bigger muscles, low body fat & a better health.

Also see:

7 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit

Every Friday is Health Tip Day at Zen Habits.

This is a guest post from Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. If you enjoy this post, check out his site.

Yeah I know, this happens all the time. I’ve seen it over and over again. I know what you’re thinking. How come some people can stick with it and others not? What is their secret?

I’ll first tell you what it is not: it’s not discipline, it’s not willpower. Discipline and willpower only work in the short-term.

What works in the long-term is making exercise a habit. That’s their secret. And that’s what this post is about — 7 ways to build the exercise habit.

1. Set your Goal. What do you want to achieve?

Bigger muscles?
Less fat?
More strength?
More speed?

Exercising can be used for several means. Before you take a gym membership, start by setting a definite goal. What is it that you want?

Don’t try to achieve more than 1 thing at a time. Start with one goal. Once you have attained it, you can work towards a second goal.

2. Set a Deadline. Set a date by which you will reach your goal. Write your goal and deadline on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you can see it multiple times a day.

A good place would be on your nightstand. Look at it on waking up and before going to bed. This will act as a constant reminder of your goal.

3. Make a Plan. Once you have set your goal, you must back it up with a plan.

Which exercises will you perform?
How many sets and reps will you do?
How many times a week will you go the gym?

4. Exercise First Thing in the Morning. When you’ve just had a tough day at work, it can be hard to train for another hour at the gym. A solution is to exercise first thing in the morning:

Wake up early
Eat breakfast
Prepare the stuff you need for work
Go to the gym

One hour later, you’re another step closer towards the achievement of your goal. And you have your whole day to do whatever you need to do.

The more you exercise, the more you build the habit. Stick to your plan.

A good training partner will motivate you & help you achieve your goal. If not, keep on looking.

7. Be confident. You can achieve whatever you want, if you believe that you can do it. Having a clear goal and a plan will already arm you with self-confidence.

Write this next to your goal and deadline: “If they can do it, I can do it”

Also see:

Posted on 26 May 2007 in Fitness, Health Tip Day |
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Comments (27)

Mike Says:

May 26th, 2007, 7:19 am

Great article. It would definately worth me taking this to heart and getting into an exercise habit, could do with some muscle!

Mehdi Says:

May 26th, 2007, 8:37 am

Glad to read you like the article Mike. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Many thanks to Leo for letting my guestblog on Zen Habits.

Wallet Rehab - Ways to save money Says:

May 26th, 2007, 9:20 am

Great article. Exercising first thing in the morning is a guaranteed way for me to start the day right. I also like having running partners from time to time.

Mehdi Says:

May 26th, 2007, 9:33 am

Chris,

Same thing here. I love exercising in the early morning. If you lift weights, just wait for an hour after wake up. Beter for the spine : it needs time to wake up too.

karenlim Says:

May 26th, 2007, 10:11 am

Hi
Great post.

In fact, my hubby has wanted to make exercising a part of his life but failed several times till he finally redefine his success.

He shared his personal experience at our blog dedicated to Law of Attraction:
http://secretofunlimitedprosperity.com/24/the-secret-practicing-success/

Cheers
Karen

Pierrot Says:

May 26th, 2007, 10:54 am

Great article!

Especially tip number 7, without confidence we can not achieve our goals

Ciao

Chris Says:

May 26th, 2007, 18:42 pm

I’ve raced endurance sports for some 11 years now, and I think it’s important to point out the gym is only a tool for fitness. There are many athletes that would use the gym only 10% or less for their training. So, to put this in context with the article, when defining your goals recognize that there are folks in the gym to get “shape” and their are folks in gym to get “fit” and the two are not necessarily related.

Mehdi Says:

May 27th, 2007, 6:08 am

Chris,

The gym is indeed a tool for fitness. What is fitness? For you it’s endurance. For me it’s strength/power/speed. For some it can be bigger muscles or losing fat.

We all have desires. Whatever we want, it’s important to define it from the start.

Thanks for your input.

Jason Says:

May 27th, 2007, 7:22 am

A couple of other things that have helped me:

1. Don’t make it a chore.
Spending too much time in the Gym is a mistake. You really shouldn’t have to invest more than an hour, an in most cases, I’m in and out in 45 minites or less. If I’m pressed for time, I’ll just go do 20 minutes of cardio (stair climber is my choice). Make it something that doesn’t consume a huge chunk of your day. The only reason to spend more than an hour in the Gym is if you are into some pretty serious training (competition). Other than that, you are either chatting too much, or over-training.

2. Make it a long term commitment.
People often start getting in shape with the idea that once they achieve their goal, things in their life will change for the better. A better perspective to start out with, is to change your life for the better in order to achieve your goals. Once you make the commitment, and start doing the right things, observe your progress, and always strive for more. Don’t make the “goal” the ultimate measure of your success. You will slowly notice your body change as you move towards your goal, and that should be the motivation necessary to persevere.

3. Get back on the wagon!
It is extremely difficult to stay with a program you aren’t used to if you think about your goals and ability to achieve them from the wrong perspective. You CAN achieve your goals. The only thing that can stop you, is YOU. If you fall off for a few days, or even a week or so, Don’t Give Up! Start right back with your routine. Continue to change your life for the better, and you WILL achieve your goals.

4. Nutrition.
Why would you work so hard in the gym to make the right changes in your life, only you counteract your efforts with a crappy diet? There are many many resources on the web now that will give you everything you need to know about how to get the right nutrition to help augment your training and progress. The right nutrition can make a huge difference in the energy you have for workouts, and your overall mood in general. Do you have trouble getting going in the morning? Chances are, your diet is the problem.

What are you waiting for?

Ivan Minic Says:

May 27th, 2007, 7:41 am

Great stuff as usual :)
Zen habits is really worth reading :)

mat Says:

May 27th, 2007, 7:50 am

30mins excercise a day is all ya need

Jerad Says:

May 27th, 2007, 7:51 am

One thing that helped me when I had a gym membership is that I told myself that every weekday I’d go and change into my gym clothes.. if I didn’t want to do anything after that I could change back and go home 19 out of 20 times I’d get there, change, and talk myself into going through wit the rest of it. It really helped to eliminate the major excuses, but I always knew I still had the out if I wanted it, so it wasn’t really a chore.

Jenny Says:

May 27th, 2007, 8:00 am

excellent article.

Mehdi Says:

May 27th, 2007, 8:35 am

Jason,

Spending too much time is the gym is a common beginner mistake. 45 minutes of weight training should be enough for beginners & intermediates.

I particularly agree with the change of lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle consists of exercising & eating eating healthy.

The only thing that blocks you in achieving success is often yourself. If others have done it, you can do it.

Great insight! Thanks for sharing.

Mehdi Says:

May 27th, 2007, 8:39 am

Jerad,

I’d go even further and force yourself to go to the gym. Even if you don’t feel like it, go to the gym. Such days often turn out to be the best.

Your mind can sometimes play games with your body. A heavy workout after only 3 hours sleep is possible (but not ideal), I’ve done it before: you just need to push yourself.

When the mind says yes, the body will say yes too.

Great tip!

Mehdi Says:

May 27th, 2007, 8:39 am

Thanks Jenny!

earl veale Says:

May 27th, 2007, 11:53 am

A friend of mine shared this thought with me. I’d like to share it with you.
“Rarely, after exercising, do you ever say ‘I wish I hadn’t done that’.”

The toughest part is starting, but you never regret it. “Just do it” actually turns out to be a pretty good mantra.

Gold Says:

May 27th, 2007, 13:11 pm

I workout twice a day, run 3 miles at 6 in the morning and do weights after work.

I have a little handwritten piece of paper on top of my alarmclock.

It says: “Win or lose”.

Mark001 Says:

May 27th, 2007, 14:16 pm

very interesting article ;)

Mehdi Says:

May 27th, 2007, 15:45 pm

Earle Veale & Gold: “Just do it” & “win or lose” are very good attitudes. I’d add: Mind over Matter.

Mark001: glad to read you like it.

Harry Chittenden Says:

May 30th, 2007, 9:38 am

Nice work, Mehdi.

I would take issue with your step #1, Setting Your Goal. I once did a study about why people with an exercise habit continue to exercise. The overwhelming majority of long-term exercisers said they did it because of the way it makes them feel. Only a few said that it was because of the way it made them look. Even the most vain said that they liked the way it made them feel first and the way it made them look second.

So in setting goals, people would be wise to consider what keeps
the successful long-termers going back. They’re like feeling good.