Make Exercise A Habit
Ask anyone who has ever used exercise to make a drastic change to their life and they will likely tell you that consistency is the foundation to long-term success. Yes, we all know that behaviours like regular physical activity and proper nutrition are an essential component of long-term health, but in the hustle and bustle of modern life it can be difficult to make the necessary changes to adopt new lifestyle habits.
When it comes to exercise at Core Fitness In Chalfont St Peter, focusing on the positive aspects of changing a behaviour can make it a more pleasurable experience. The brain rewards pleasurable experiences by increasing levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Learning how to enjoy the process of exercise could elevate levels of these transmitters so that exercise becomes a positive and rewarding experience. The result is that the more you exercise, the better you will feel, which could lead to long-term behaviour change and a healthier life.
Use the following six steps to help shift your focus so that you approach exercise as a means to a healthier life, which is essential for making it a daily habit.
- Treat yourself. Give yourself a small nonfood-related reward after completing a workout, doing all of the workouts you scheduled for yourself in a week or when you hit a goal.
- Schedule your workouts. Take the time to plan your schedule and include time for exercise, it is more likely to become a regular habit. Take a few minutes over the weekend to plan when and where you will exercise and put it in your schedule.
- Set a learning goal. There are two primary types of goals: outcome and learning. Outcome goals focus on the end result of performing a task, such as completing a marathon. Learning goals, however, focus on the process or steps required to achieve an outcome, such as learning how to exercise with a kettlebell.
- Change your mindset. Refocus your outcome goals to focus on quality of life rather than trying to achieve some media-defined appearance. Instead of focusing on using exercise to change how you look, think of exercise as a means for improving your health and enhancing your quality of life.
- Develop a journaling practice. Use a journal to track your progress and record how you feel after you exercise. This doesn’t require lugging a journal with you to the gym for every workout—you could simply use the notes app on your phone to record a few brief statements about how the workout made you feel.
- Join a group class. Taking the steps to initiate behaviour change by yourself can be tough, so by joining a group class could help make the process a little easier.
If you would like to try one of our many classes including our Power Hours, Pilates, Small Group PT, Junior or Senior Classes all in Chalfont St Peter, please book a FREE INTRO CALL today and we will be in touch to discuss how we can help.
