A Guide for Building Sustainable Fitness Habits

Key Takeaways

• Find your true motivation beyond surface-level goals.
• Prioritize consistent effort over extreme intensity for long-term results.
• Treat fitness as an act of self-care, not punishment.

Who doesn’t want a healthy or healthier lifestyle? It’s a familiar resolution every year when that big, dazzling ball drops in New York City, and it’s something millions of people, if not more, commit thousands upon thousands of dollars to every year, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The problem is that too many people have unrealistic expectations or go into full-throttle overdrive when they are new to fitness routines. Those expectations and all-in mentality are admirable but counter to building sustainable fitness habits.

Sustainable fitness habits are based on commitment, not perfection. Fallibility is just a part of the process, especially when learning and building something for the long haul. So, to start your fitness journey on the “right” foot, you must build a solid, motivational foundation, one built on a deeply rooted question: “Why is fitness important to me?”

Finding Your “Real” Why

Recently, there was a moving story that came out of Westborough, MA. A man, David McGrath, walked 200 miles through Ireland, raising money for cancer research along the way. He is a brain cancer survivor. While this seemingly unrelated tale is moving, it goes to the heart of fitness goals and uncovering your “real” why or motivation.

David survived brain cancer as a teenager. He developed a new perspective after going through that journey: the people in your life are all that matter; everything else is a distraction. This view has likely driven his life, but more than that, the experience created a deep-rooted motivation to experience life in all its exposed glory and raise money for a community that he’s a part of.

Fitness habits depend on your own deep-rooted motivation. Losing weight or looking sexier for Mr. or Ms. Hot Stuff are all respectable goals, but they probably aren’t the critical driver for your fitness journey, the thing that keeps you going every day.

Learning Consistency Is More Important Than Intensity

That’s right, consistency is more important than intensity. Too many people harp on the idea that if you aren’t dripping gallons of sweat or hurling into a bucket, you can’t possibly be making significant gains. This just isn’t true.

If you can incorporate even a moderate level of regular physical activity into your day, it can extend your life by up to 2.5 years. Crazy, right? If you want to step it up a notch, committing to four or more healthy habits can add up to seven years.

High-intensity training can have a place in your fitness routine, but it shouldn’t be its sole focus. Moderation is the key to sustainability, especially for those starting to build a habit. If you come out of the gate with deadlifts, burpees, fast-paced mountain climbers, plank arm raises, and more, you’re only setting yourself up for failure. Too much, too soon, is what leads to injuries and habit implosion.

Understanding That Fitness Isn’t About Punishment

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Fitness isn’t about punishment. You should never feel bad or guilty about a gym performance or, for that matter, missing a scheduled training day. Again, fallibility is a part of the process. It’s important to get out of the praise/punishment mindset.

Think of it this way: you don’t go to your kid’s far-too-long elementary school play to earn their love or buy a family member a present to buy their respect. You do these things to show your support, to let them know they are loved. When you exercise, you’re showing up for your body; you’re letting it (subconsciously you) know that you deserve to be healthy.

Starting on a fitness journey with an earn-reward or transactional mindset is the wrong way to go about it. Instead, you want to emphasize self-compassion. Learn to build a routine without the guilt, and know that habitual commitment takes time – realistically, it can take two to five months or longer to build a sustainable fitness habit.

Creating Space for Fitness Outside the Gym

Fitness doesn’t have to conform to a rigid routine or environment. While working out at a gym with a personal trainer is an excellent way to establish a routine and develop realistic goals, you can find a place for fitness outside of the gym.

If you really want to build a sustainable fitness habit, you need to find your happy place. The place where you enjoy exerting effort, maybe sweating a little. For some people, that is the gym, but for others, it’s a bike ride out in the country or playing basketball with the kiddos. Whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it because enjoyment makes commitment easier.

You don’t have to spend an hour every day at the gym. Realistically, daily gym workouts might be too much for a beginner. Instead, find daily activities that you enjoy in between gym days, or possibly in place of them. A regular walk, bike ride, or basketball session can do wonders for your health, especially if it occurs at routine intervals.

Taking something you love and using it as a fitness habit makes repetition and commitment easier. Really, that’s what fitness habits are all about: finding positive ways to incorporate healthy behaviors into daily life.

Tracking Your “Real” Wins

So, how do you know when your new habit is working? Well, that’s where tracking comes into play, and it’s something that so many people dread because they have the wrong idea about it. Tracking shouldn’t only be about the scale. Yes, for some people, seeing results on the scale should be a part of tracking, but it’s still not the be-all-end-all number that matters.

To judge whether a fitness habit is effective, focus on the “real” factors, the ones that matter to your daily life. For example, by doing this fitness activity (i.e., walking, playing basketball, going to the gym), are you getting better sleep? Do you notice a difference in your energy levels throughout the day? What about your mood?

The success or failure of your fitness habit can’t live and die by the scale alone. It needs to branch off into other places because fitness is about whole-body improvement: mind, body, and soul (if you want to get philosophical). Basically, building the habit is about being kind to yourself and finding your “real” motivation. The habit will usually and naturally follow.