It’s widely known that exercise positively impacts not just physical health but also mental health but it can be tricky to successfully start a regular exercise routine. Here I will share a few tips that have greatly helped myself and others get the ball rolling on making exercise a daily habit.
- Know your why. The more we can connect exercise to our values the easier it is to get started. Being aware of exactly how we may benefit from exercise (i.e. improved mood, specific health goals, stress management, etc.) the more likely we are to get started. It’s also nice to notice that our goal does not have to be short term we may want to age gracefully or cut down on future risk of medical concerns that interfere with our dream retirement plans.
- Start early in the day. The longer we put something off the more likely we are to skip it. Starting the day with exercise tends to lead to greater success with follow through.
- Habit stack. This has been a theme discussed in some of the more recent books like Atomic Habits where the idea is to pair this new habit with something that’s already in daily routine. For example, you may decide to go for a walk before or after breakfast if you already have a consistent habit of eating at the same time each morning.
- Savor the moment afterwards really connecting with the sense of accomplishment. Our mind does a great job of being aware and getting stuck in things that aren’t going well but sometimes needs an extra push to pay attention to what is going well. Taking the time to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment can build more balance in our thoughts and keep our motivation going moving forward with this goal.
- Be mindful of gains. Noticing that we can walk farther or get less winded when exercising as our practice deepens helps us stay on track moving forward.
I wish everyone success moving forward with their exercise goals and encourage you to check with your PCP before starting any new exercise routine to make sure you are aware of any recommendations/limitations they suggest related to current health conditions.