Can Working Out Really Become A Habit

Ask anyone at Prime Fitness in Totowa, New Jersey about the benefits of making working out a habit and you’ll get similar responses. It’s extremely important to do that. It puts exercise on that automatic track, like having a cup of coffee or brushing your teeth in the morning. When it’s a habit, you feel like you’re missing something if you don’t do it and feel more compelled to do it.

Schedule your workout at the same time every day.

Make your workout a standing appointment. Put it in your planner or on your phone. It’s the only way to ensure you’ve carved out that block of time. Even if you’re tempted to reschedule your workout, unless it’s a super emergency at work or at home, don’t do it. You’ll be amazed at how people can find another time to fit you in their schedule. It’s a far better way to do it than trying to find time during a busy day. It also builds consistency.

While you might workout at the gym three or four times a week, exercise on your off days, too.

You don’t have to go to the gym every day. In fact, hard workouts every day aren’t recommended. Exercise can be as simple as taking a walk, riding a bike or doing stretches. You already have the time scheduled, so use it for something active. It could be something as useful as doing tough chores like washing windows, scrubbing the tub or even changing bedding. If you love dancing, turn up the music and enjoy. Just being active every day is important, even if you’re not going to the gym.

Be prepared every day.

Whether you have your clothing packed in your gym bag or lay them out, ready for you to put on in the morning, getting dressed is half the battle. No matter what time of day you workout, preparing the night before can ensure you’ll be ready if find yourself rushed. Once you’re ready for working out, don’t overthink it. Just do it. Whether you’re driving to the gym after work or taking a run the first thing in the morning, procrastination can be a killer to a workout program.

• Start slowly and build after a few weeks. If you go no holds barred the first day, you definitely won’t feel like working out the second day. Instead, start slowly, focus on form and slowly increase weight, reps and intensity.
• Enjoy your workout. Maybe you aren’t excited about doing bodyweight exercises, but love the kettlebell workouts. Add kettlebells to your workout schedule. There are so many ways to exercise, you don’t have to stick with something you hate to get fit.
• Give yourself a challenge of working out every day at the same time for a week, then extend it to two and finally, six weeks. It takes anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to develop a habit, and six weeks might be enough for you. Each day you workout the same time, builds that habit.
• Workout with a friend. A workout buddy holds you accountable and you’ll be more prone to workout. Bring a friend with you to Prime Performance and sign up for a group class. It will get you started right on the path to fitness.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness NJ