Why Habits Matter

Ever since I can remember, exercise in some way, shape or form, has been part of my daily “routine”.  When I wasn’t playing an organized sport I was always headed somewhere to workout, whether it was a gym to lift weights, a park to play basketball, a club to play tennis or golf or finding some sort of outdoor activity where I knew I was going to get moving.  Some days I would even go so far as to schedule my activities around my workouts, even to the point of making my parents and friends crazy because I would pester them to make sure they could give me a ride to where I needed to go.  The days when I don’t get to exercise are pretty few and far between given my profession, but when that routine gets thrown into a tailspin, everything feels off — my body, my head, my metabolism, my energy level, even my attention span, which truly doesn’t need to get any shorter.  Exercise, for me, is a daily habit, and I know that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I have the tools, knowledge and environment to satisfy that habit, and that’s a good feeling.

I’ve been a trainer now for almost 5 years. One of the things I’ve noticed is how hard it is for people to get into the routine, or habit, of exercise and healthy living.  Most people seem to know that exercise is a good thing.  Most people also seem to know that sitting on a couch for hours on end, drinking soda and munching on cookies, is not.  That’s mainly clear.  The difference for most is that sitting on a couch and munching on cookies is simply a habit, as is stopping at McDonald’s for a snack after work, taking the elevator when the stairs are just as accessible, or going to the gym at the same time, every day, to work out.  Bad habits are very hard to break and good habits are very hard to create, but here are a few things that I’ve tried, seen, heard or read about that should help:

• It’s Not About Willpower, It’s About Planning Ahead.  If you have trouble getting to the gym every day, have you ever tried laying out your gym clothes before you go to bed?  If you are headed to the gym the next morning, how about actually wearing your gym clothes to bed?  What about writing a note to yourself on the bathroom mirror that says GYM, so it’s the first thing you see in the morning?  Little triggers can provide big motivation, and a friendly reminder as well.
• Figure Out The Cue.  Charles Duhigg, author of the fantastic book, The Power of Habit, did a personal experiment to figure out why he craved a cookie every day at work around 3:30 in the afternoon.  He discovered that it wasn’t the cookie he craved, but actually the opportunity to head to the cafeteria and socialize with friends.  If you crave an afternoon snack at work, are you really hungry or is it something else?  Conduct your own experiment to see what’s really bugging you when that craving comes on.
• Ask For Help.  Do you have an accountability partner? Someone to look out for you and keep you honest when you slack off or eat and drink just a little too much?  Your friends and family members can be your biggest allies and partners in your quest to lose weight, eat healthier, etc.  My most successful clients are those that exercise regularly with friends, attend classes in groups and engage themselves socially at the gym.  Why?  Because they are motivated and accountable.  If someone from the group doesn’t show up, the others want to know why and they’ll ask the other person why they weren’t there.  Also, there is bound to be one member of the group who is more fit than the others, providing extra motivation for the group as a whole.  I’ve seen this in action, and it works.
• What’s Your Reward?  For me, the reward of exercise is the feeling I get when I’m done.  I feel good, energized, awake, alert … sometimes enthusiastic, although that depends on the day.  I have a craving for that feeling, and if I don’t get it at least once a day I don’t feel right.  I have clients who exercise because they want to fit into a bikini in a few months, or impress a significant other, or win a contest at work, or because they are going to a happy hour later in the day and want to justify having a few drinks.  As long as you know your reward, you can figure out how to execute the routine to achieve it.  Rewards are powerful and important because not everyone has the will power to motivate themselves without them.  And that’s ok.
• You Have to Believe It to Achieve It.  Super corny, right?  Well, Duhigg writes about how huge belief is when you are trying to change a habit or achieve a goal.  I preach to my clients the importance of baby steps, practice, and taking it one-day-at-a-time, all things that we were taught by our coaches or parents when we were young, but which still apply today.  If you want to learn how to balance on one foot for 30 seconds, bench press your body weight, or lose 20 pounds, you have to believe that you can do it, otherwise, why even try?  Every once in a while I’ll see someone do a wacky exercise and think to myself, there is no way I can ever do that.  But then I give it a shot, and sometimes it’s just not so bad.  But I’ll never know until I try.

Exercising and eating right, in and of themselves, aren’t hard.  Most of us can freely take a walk, order a salad, or take 5 minutes in the morning to stretch our arms and legs.  The hardest part is creating and cultivating those good habits and making them part of your daily routine.  Hopefully with the aid of some of the tips from above, it’ll be a little easier to make those good habits a reality.