Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays. This week we are talking about how to go from not exercising at all to exercising consistently. You may see people who workout all the time and think, “There’s no way I could exercise that hard, that long, and that frequently,” and you don’t have to. But, if you are not exercising on a consistent basis, there are some simple habits that you can start developing right now that will help you start to build the discipline of exercising consistently.
1) Incorporate More Movement Throughout Your Day
The first thing you can try to build the habit of exercising consistently is to incorporate more movement throughout your day. You may not even think of this movement as exercise, but rather just general physical activity such as walking around the grocery store or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Our recommendation is to move for at least five minutes every 30 to 50 minutes.
Action Step: Set your phone timer for 30 to 60 minutes and when it goes off, stand up and walk around for five minutes. Building in more low-intensity physical activity throughout your day can help you create the habit of being active on a consistent basis.
Related: 5 Simple Steps To Create Lifelong Health Through Exercise
2) Schedule Your Exercise
Our second tip to help you build the habit of exercising consistently is to schedule your exercise. One of the most common traits of people who exercise on a regular basis is they put it into their schedule and they don’t schedule anything overtop of it. Waiting until you “have time” to exercise is never going to happen. People who exercise consistently make the time by scheduling it on a regular basis, and you should too!
Action Step: Take out your calendar or daily planner and write down when you are going to exercise this week. Put at least two times down when you will spend at least 20 minutes working out. Even if it feels like you cannot fit it into your schedule, put it in there. This is a huge step to actually exercising and making sure you do so on a regular basis.
Related: Personal Training at MAS
3) Find Someone To Hold You Accountable
Our third tip to help you build the habit of exercising consistently is to find some way or someone to hold you accountable. This step can feel scary because you are no longer having to report to just yourself, but it can be one of the most powerful steps, as well. Whether it is a workout buddy, a running group, or hiring a personal trainer, having somebody or something else to report to can make all the difference in ensuring that you get your exercise in.
Action Step: Utilize online resources, such as MeetUp.com, to find groups in your area that you can workout with. And if you are interested in learning more about how we work with our clients at Muscle Activation Schaumburg, you can schedule a consultation with us online here.
