How do you become an exercise machine? I’m not talking about turning yourself into a treadmill or a rowing machine. For many people, trying to get into the habit of exercising is one of the most difficult things to do. You may be excited to start it off and see some quick results but quickly the novelty wears off an it soon becomes a chore… lets face it who actually wants to pop their trainers on at 5 am in the morning and go for a run??
I have managed to make exercise an unbreakable habit… so much so that my wife works plans the weekends around it 😂. If I don’t get my daily dose, I’m pretty grumpy. I’m deflated and unfocused. I love the way it makes me feel. It’s also a challenge for me when all i want to do is sit. If I can pull myself together and get on with it I always feel 100 times better for doing so… sometimes pulling on my cycling shorts is the most difficult part!
Here are the 6 things that I have done to make exercise an unbreakable habit in my life
Find something that you enjoy
This is the single most important thing that you can do on your journey to become and exercise machine.
We don’t all like the same things. Some people find excercise as a chance to get away from the real world and want to do it on their own… others cannot bear the thought of this and thrive on team sports. What ever the sort of person you are it is important to find something that you can enjoy. If you don’t, then your trainers will become lead weights as you pound the pavement of bordom. You’ll be thinking about all the other things you could be doing. Before you know it, those trainers will be sitting in the hall way gathering dust!
in the beginning, try out different activities. Take a walk in the countryside, revelling in the beauty. Try a short run around your local area. Or get on your bike and relish the freedom . If indoors is more your thing, try different classes, go to the gym or have a refreshing swim at the pool.
Finding a partner can help to keep you accountable as well as make it a more sociable activity. Or, you could join a club and be part of a community of like minded individuals
Take your time to find the activity that gives you the most joy and satisfaction. There is no harm in having more than one or mixing it up a little from time to time. The possibilities are endless and there is no excuse for not being able to find something you like!
Make it easy for yourself
This is second on my list. Finding something that you enjoy is great, but its not so great if you need to travel 20 miles a day to do.
I used to love doing a bit of climbing. Where I used to live there was a brilliant indoor climbing centre 10 minutes from my house. When I moved, this was one of the things i lost. The nearest one now is 45 minutes away. I’ve not climbed since.
There are loads of ways to make things easy. You could buy equipment to have in the house. Or, finding centres that are close by or incorporating it into your day. The easiest thing that you can do is buy yourself a pair of trainers and go for a walk or a run!
For me, I always have my bike set up on a turbo trainer in a room in my house. I only need to pull on a pair of shorts, open my iPad and I’m good to go .
Make it a priority in the day
Most people find it difficult to make excercise a priority in the day. I set aside time in the day to do it, everything else revolves around that. If I don’t do it, I know my day falls apart and I am distracted and less focused on my work.
I have to admit, I do have the luxury of working for myself so I can arrange my day around it. But, I’ve worked a 9-5 And yes it is difficult, but far from impossible. You have to work out when is the best time for you to do it. I used to ride my bike before I went to work or go for a run. In my mind, if i could get it out the way before I started work then I didnt have to think about it later on when I‘m exhausted. Better still, if i could incorporate it into my day then it saved me time.
The point is that you need to find the right time when you are able to get excercise and protect that time with your life. If you can incorporate it into your day then that’s even better. Can you ride or run to work? Can you go to the gym or a swim at lunchtime?
Set reasonable expectations and targets. Start small
Remember, to become an exercise machine doesn’t happen overnight. One of the biggest causes of failure is to set yourself too big a target. If you are new to excercise, its unlikely that you will be running 10k a day from the start. And if you do it is going to HURT!!!
You need to ease yourself in. Go too hard and you will soon run out of puff. Not to mention you may not be able to run for a few days!
Set a target to aim for and start small. Couch to 5k challenge is a great example of this. There are people that have done this and gone on to run half and full marathons. Be reasonable with your self and what you can achieve in the early days.
If you need some help setting your goals check out this post I wrote about goal setting.
Enter events, have something to work towards
Nothing is more encouraging than having something to work towards. I don’t particularly like running, its not my favourite thing. But, If I entered the ballot for the London Marathon and got a place I would train for it.
Each year I enter various cycling events… they may range from 100 mile rides in the UK (in a day), trips to the Alps or this year riding 262km in a day… these are not events that you can rock up in your lycra and do. You have to train. Its important for me to train to do the best that I can. Having something to focus on helps me to maintain momentum with training. It provides focus.
Follow a plan to become an exercise machine
Whether you do it your self, get yourself a personal trainer or follow an online plan, it helps to follow a plan. I like to know what I am doing on a day to day basis, it save me a load of time.
It keeps things interesting. If you are working towards something specific it, design it to help you achieve these goals.
And Keep on Trying!
The path to become an exercise machine is long, so it’s important to make things easy on yourself. Test and know yourself to make this an unbreakable habit. If you don’t succeed the first time, reflect on what you didn’t like about it and make some changes. Not liking exercise is not the reason. It’s likely that you don’t like the activity or its’ not the right time of day or its too difficult to get to. What ever it is, it is a trial and error process… there is something for everyone. Don’t give up!