Being a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast myself, I get asked questions from time to time. They typically revolve around workout, nutrition to an interesting topic:
How do I build and stick to a habit?
I’ve rounded up a few questions that get asked most often :
“How do you wake up early, workout, before going to work?”
“How do you make running a consistent routine? I’d want to schedule running as part of my routine, though I usually end up not doing it.”
“How do you hold yourself accountable?”
If you have been meaning or looking to ask someone around with similar questions above, you are in for a treat. Read further.
#1 Start small.
“Make it so easy you can’t say no.” – Leo Babauta
Looking for ways to increase physical activity? Eager to run a 5/10k or even a half marathon?
The challenge for a lot of us is that when we go about our lives, we interact with so many “big” things and we forget or don’t even know how they originally started.
Great things start small. Oftentimes I look into my own life, I notice some of the most important achievements and habits I’ve made started as tiny things. Running itself is a great example – I started a year ago with a 15-min jog, 3 times a week to a 30-min run, 3 times a week now. At times, I walk for 15 mins up to an hour while listening to podcast shows. Something is better than nothing, yeah?
Increasing physical activities doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym daily. What’s the smallest meaningful step you can take today to make progress? Go for a 10 or 15-min walk after work. Take that flight of stairs in train stations, do it. Squeeze in tiny little ways to be active.
In my opinion, while there’s nothing wrong with thinking big, when it comes to taking action, making progress, and creating long-term habits, starting small is the key.
#2 Small improvements daily.
“If you add only a little to a little and do this often, soon that little will become great.” – Ancient Greek poet Hesiod
Strive to get 1% better every day – heard of this?
10-min walk, feel good? Try 5 mins jog, 5 mins walk. Repeat.
Hitting the gym 2 -3 times a week and looking to increase physical activity? Add in 1 or 2 days of activities – again, tiny little improvements; it can be sports you enjoy playing, or just a quick 30-min group class around your neighbourhood. Work schedule does not allow an additional day of activities? Add in a 15-min walk, run after hitting the gym. This is also known as habit stacking, one I currently practice – identify a habit you currently do, and stack a practice on top of it.
Improving by just 1% isn’t notable in the beginning, but as time goes on, these small improvements add up.
#3 Pace yourself and be patient.
Patience is key, do things you can sustain. Once you’ve built a new habit, stay consistent and continue with small improvements.
“I skipped my workout yesterday.”
Some days, I skip running or working out – it happens to us, at times. My action plan : schedule a run in my phone calendar and do it the following day. Otherwise, I would book a fitness class and show up.
It is all okay. Research has shown that missing your habit once, no matter when it occurs, has no measurable impact on your long-term progress. Rather than trying to be perfect, abandon your all-or-nothing mentality.
Identify what are the things that are likely to get in your way? How can you plan to work around these issues and bounce back quickly to get back on track?”
Again, having patience is powerful.
Once you’ve built a new habit, stay consistent and continue with small improvements.
