How to Finally Succeed at Working Out Consistently
No will power or motivation required
Every New Year, millions of human beings participate in a ritual known as setting New Year’s resolutions. ‘New year, new me’ we declare. ‘This is my year and nothing can stop me’, we cry out. Hope is at its highest and optimism is at its peak.
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is losing weight and getting fit.
We get excited about finally getting into shape, get a gym membership, buy some fancy gear (always pink and matchy, preferably Nike), workout a bit then we give up.
Most New Years' resolutions die by February.
We realize that it’s not as easy as we thought it would be, that exercise is tiring and life gets in the way, a lot. Our fitness dreams are tucked away quietly only to be pulled out again the next year. Then the cycle begins again.
This was me for many years. I would start a workout program, struggle with it for a few months and then give up. The surprising result of this yoyo exercising was that instead of losing weight, I actually put on a lot of weight.
At the beginning of 2019, I had given up. I felt like a failure and I was seriously considering getting a tummy tuck if only I could afford it.
Then I read James Clear’s book Atomic Habits and I decided to apply his ideas to my exercise problem.
What happened next is a miracle.
I have been working out consistently for over a year now. I have worked out when it was raining cats and dogs. I have worked out using a flashlight during blackouts. Just yesterday I still worked out after a very embarrassing fall on the way to the gym (minor bodily injuries but I suffered a broken ego).
This is how I did it.
This is how you can do it too.
1. Make it easy
In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about making habits as easy as possible. For me, I chose a gym right outside my house, it is literally a five-minute walk. Even if I am ten minutes late I can still join the class. My gym clothes are always laid out in the morning and my gym bag is always next to the door.
Making your workout as easy as possible helps you automate the habit and reduces friction. This is what will help you become consistent. If your gym is on the opposite side of your commute home it probably won’t work.
Choose a gym that is either close to your office or your home. Somewhere you can get to in ten minutes. If you are working out from home, choose workouts that do not require complicate equipment or preparation rituals.
This simplicity has helped me distill my workout goal to one thing: showing up. My only job is to show up and I make showing up as easy as possible.
2. Have an accountability partner
Last week, I didn’t go to the gym for three days in a row because I was away visiting family. On the third day, my instructor called me to find out if I was okay and why I had not been attending classes. She has also created a Whatsapp group where she posts motivational quotes and encourages us to go to the gym.
In short, she’s always up in my face. In a good way. This way, working out is always at the top of my mind and I know that my absence will always be noticed.
If you go to the gym you can get some friends and ask them to keep you accountable. If you work out from home, there are hundreds of local workout groups that you can join on Facebook where members post their daily workouts for accountability purposes.
3. Schedule it
“Give your habits a time and space to live in the world.”
Picture two people. Person A has a hazy goal of working out, sometimes. Person B has a clear goal; they work out at 7 pm on weekdays at the gym. Who do you think is going to be consistent in the long run? Definitely Person B.
Person B is more likely to succeed because they use implementation intentions. Clearly defining where, when and how your workout will happen will give you clarity and eliminate the need for motivation. Everything has already been pre-defined: All you have to do is follow the plan.
Decide where and when you are going to work out. Go a step further and choose the workout that you will do is it yoga, weightlifting, jogging or resistance training? How long are you going to work out? How many reps? Protect this time block with your life!
4. Make it an identity
“True behavior change is identity change.”
For a long time, I worked out only because I wanted to lose weight. I didn’t care about fitness, improved sleep or better concentration. This made it easy for me to give up easily if I didn’t see results instantly.
Yoyo exercising ensued. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. The net effect is that I gained more weight during my stops than I lost during my starts.
Until I read about identity-based habits. These are habits that reflect who we are and what we believe in. We do them not because of the outcomes that they offer but because it is who we are.
I decided to become someone who works out regularly. When I feel sluggish after a long day, I remind myself that I am someone who goes to the gym. When I start feeling like I’m not achieving my goals as fast as I hoped, I remind myself that I am someone who works out.
This is the most important aspect of making working out a habit. Make it your identity. Be someone who works out. Do the things that people who take care of their bodies do. Ask yourself, what would someone who works out do?
5. Make it work for you
I have failed at jogging more times than I can count. It was always a painful activity for me and honestly, I just didn’t like it. Turns out, I have arthritis and therefore all high impact exercises are very painful. It was never going to work.
When I joined my current gym, I told my instructor about my health issues and she gladly accommodates me. I don’t run on the treadmill, I don’t do exercises that put a lot of pressure on my knees and ankles. I always modify.
If you don’t like jogging, don’t do it. If you think dance classes are goofy (they are not!), don’t do them. If you have health issues, consult your doctor and ensure that all your workouts are safe for you.
Of course, working out is physically demanding but some workouts might be easier than others for you. Start with those ones.
6. Don’t miss twice
Life will get in the way. It might be busy season at work, you might get sick or simply slack off. When this happens, get back on track as soon as possible. The simple way to do this is to adopt the ‘don’t miss twice rule’. Never miss two workouts in a row.
I’ve missed workouts because I was sick, because I had gone on vacation or because I had too much work to do. The most important thing is that I get back to my schedule immediately. Sometimes I look for ways to compensate for missed days, other times I just let it go.
My goal is to work out more than three times a week. Consistency and habit change are like democracies. They are not dictatorships. All you need is a majority vote. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss one day, just get back to your program as soon as possible.
7. Pat yourself on the back
Tracking your workouts will motivate you and give you a visual representation of your progress. You can use the good old Seinfeld method where you put check marks on a calendar or you can use habit tracking applications. You’ll get a kick out of putting a checkmark on the days you work out.
Reward yourself when you maintain a streak so as to reinforce the habit. Be careful with rewards though, ensure that they align with your new identity of a healthy person who works out. Don’t eat junk food as a reward for working out (I know I did), try something like buying yourself a book or new workout gear.
Bonus tip: Don’t think about it
I have found that exercise can be brutal and thinking about it constantly can cause emotional suffering. So I try not to think about my workouts and how tiring or taxing they will be. I only think about how I am going to get to the gym. Once I leave I don’t think about it again. I pat myself on the back and then forget about it.
The Takeaway
The only way to create a consistent exercise habit is by creating a system that works and focusing on identity change. Sure, will power and motivation work, but they are fickle friends. Here is a recap of seven ways to create a consistent exercise habit:
- Make it easy
- Have an accountability partner
- Schedule it
- Make it an identity
- Make it work for you
- Don’t miss twice
- Pat yourself on the back
- Don’t think about it
Go on and be fit!
