Building a Habit

I end up speaking a lot about HABIT when I discuss consistency and the deep necessity of using constant workouts to build healthy, sound, and fit lifestyles.

Everyone who wants to be fit and healthy can start down that path, but even reaching the 'middle' distance of it takes a repetition and constant action.

For some of us, luckily I am included here, consistency is not so difficult to achieve and requires little from us but doing and almost no thinking.

But for others, it takes, demands, a strategy. Below are a few actions to help you turn a desire into a habit. Though I concern myself with running, these techniques are usable for other areas of interest.

Now, turning a desire into a ritual requires willpower. As I have said for some this is no problem, but here are some ways to supplement your willpower.

Use these steps to optimize your routine:

Start slowly: Go to bed and wake up fifteen minutes earlier for a few days until this new schedule seems doable.

Monitor your energy: Building a new habit takes effort, so take care of yourself while you’re trying. Eat right, eat enough, and surround yourself with supportive people who want to see you succeed.

Choose one new habit at a time to introduce: If you want to run, pray, and write in a journal, choose one of these and make it a habit before adding another.

Chart your progress: Habits take weeks to establish, so keep track of how you’re doing for at least thirty days. Once skipping a session feels like you forgot something—like forgetting to brush your teeth—you can take your ritual up a notch.

Feel free to use bribery: Eventually habits produce their own motivation, but until then, external motivations like promising yourself concert tickets can keep you moving forward. And keep in mind that your morning rituals shouldn’t be of the self-flagellation variety. Choose things you enjoy: your before-breakfast ritual has the potential to become your favorite part of the day.

 

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Consistency Rules

1. Keep Perspective: We need to expect that it will be difficult. It takes 21 days for something to become a habit and longer to become a lifestyle. Reminding yourself that or running regularly is not easy and expecting that it will be difficult can help keep things in perspective.

2. Know the Benefits: Focus on the benefits you will get out of running regularly. On average, active people live four years longer than inactive people, largely because they put off developing heart disease —the nation’s leading killer. Regular exercise can also lead to improved health, a decrease in symptoms related to an illness, an increase in energy, and improved brain functioning. Thinking about these benefits can get you out the door.

3. Start Small: Sometimes we jump right into something in a manner we can’t sustain. Instead, think about building up over the long term. Maybe you start today by walking a mile. Then, repeat that two more times this week. You can add to that next week by walking a mile and a half three times a week. When you feel ready, start running for 30 seconds and then walking for 30 seconds and continuing this progress.

4. Make Time: The number one barrier people report for not exercising is time. They say that don’t have the time to exercise or run. We all just need to make time. You may have to wake up at 5 a.m. or skip your favorite TV show at night. These sacrifices will be worth it — you will feel better both physically and psychologically.

5. Set a Goal: Write it down on paper and then break it into smaller, incremental goals to help you stay motivated. Post your goals somewhere you can see it often. Many people also find it easier to run regularly when they have registered for a race or event. There are many local races this summer and fall you could train for.

6. Share Goals: Tell others your goals. When we share our goals, we are more likely to accomplish them. Tell your family and friends about your commitment to start running. Facebook can be a very powerful tool to keep you going. Post that you plan to start and then periodically post your progress. Facebook allows you to get instant support and encouragement from your friends, which will help when times get tough.

7. Ask for Help: After telling your friends or family about your goals, ask for their help. Perhaps they could run with you, or hold you accountable each day by asking about your workout.

8. Focus on Progress: Forget about what you look like. Another barrier that holds people back from exercising is their concern about how they look. Keep the focus on you and your progress. Runners come in all shapes and sizes — watch any organized race and you will see what I mean. You might inspire others like you to be more active.

 

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No Excuses!

Don’t allow bad weather, busy schedules, or a dead iPod, keep you from getting in your run. We make time for the things that are important to us

 

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Slowing the Ravages

The wisdom is simple and brutal: if you wanted to reverse your age-induced decline in performance you have to (A) run more, (B) lose weight, and (C) run a lot more. Research shows that slowing the ravages of time is possible, but only with intense effort. You have to cover a lot of miles, and leave a lot of yourself behind as you run down the road or trail.

 

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Why Consistency?

Running can be a risky and debilitating activity due to the impact it puts on the body and the lack of understanding and implementation of smart running plan. Running haphazardly is detrimental and can lead to serious long-term injury.

Building a Habit, or Getting a Backmonkey

I end up speaking a lot about HABIT when I discuss consistency and the deep necessity of using constant workouts to build healthy, sound, and fit lifestyles.

Everyone who wants to be fit and healthy can start down that path, but even reaching the 'middle' distance of it takes a repetition and constant action.

 

For some of us, luckily I am included here, consistency is not so difficult to achieve and requires little from us but doing and almost no thinking.

 

But for others, it takes, demands, a strategy. Below are a few actions to help you turn a desire into a habit. Though I concern myself with running, these techniques are usable for other areas of interest. The below steps I will reference my own life, which has a running-based habit.

 

Now, turning a desire into a ritual requires willpower. As I have said for some this is no problem, but here are some ways to supplement your willpower.

 

Use these steps to optimize your routine:

 

Start slowly: Go to bed and wake up fifteen minutes earlier for a few days until this new schedule seems doable. (It's easier to get a running habit started in the morning. You start your day with an accomplishment, and feel good endorphins.)

 

Monitor your energy: Building a new habit takes effort, so take care of yourself while you’re trying. Eat right, eat enough, and surround yourself with supportive people who want to see you succeed. (Plenty of rest is necessary when building a running habit.)

 

Choose one new habit at a time to introduce: If you want to run, pray, and write in a journal, choose one of these and make it a habit before adding another. (Concentrate on running and not running plus another sport or sports.)

 

Chart your progress: Habits take weeks to establish, so keep track of how you’re doing for at least thirty days. Once skipping a session feels like you forgot something—like forgetting to brush your teeth—you can take your ritual up a notch. (A running journal, be it a paper journal or an online one, is essential to creating a consistent running schedule.)

 

Feel free to use bribery: Eventually habits produce their own motivation, but until then, external motivations like promising yourself a brownie or ice cream can keep you moving forward. (I reward myself with food: brownies or burgers.)

Earndit

For some of us, working out is its own reward. For the rest, there's Earndit. Earndit promises just that: it’s not a fitness tracker itself, but it’ll suck down data from a number of other sites, aggregating it and assigning you points based on your activity level. Rack up enough points, and you can spend them on a slew of rewards: everything from clothing gift cards to dietary supplements. You can even give them to charity. If you’re out there putting in the miles, why not?

 

Fitocracy

Fitocracy, a comparatively new player in the fitness tracker market created by a motley crew of fitness nerds, gamers, and assorted geeks. It’s by far the most outwardly “gamey” of the tracker welb sites, assigning you points for every activity you complete, handing out achievements, level-ups, and quest-like workout goals, then showing you how your progress matches up to your friends.

Maintaining motivation can be one of the biggest challenges in making a new health regimen stick — perhaps Fitocracy’s approach has what it takes to get your competitive side into the game.

 

Getting a Monkey on your Back

Or... How to Form a Running Habit

 

Human beings are creatures of habits. I am. You are. We all are. Turning your vision of a fit and healthy you into a reality requires discipline and consistency. In short, you need a habit.

 

So here are some guidelines:

 

• Exercise in the morning

According to many studies, the best time of the day to go for a workout is in the early morning when the rest of the world is still asleep. Also, in my experience, it's a great way to meet the day, with some accomplished under your belt.

 

• Commit For 30-Days

The best approach for forming a new habit is by committing to doing the new activity for at least 4 consecutive weeks, non-stop. I usually explain to new runners that they should look to a 6 week approach to habit-forming.

 

• Make your exercise enjoyable

If your exercise is enjoyable and fun, then you’ll be looking forward to doing it. For some of us, running IS fun and enjoyable all on its own. For others, not so much.

 

Nevertheless, not all workouts can be fun, especially if you like to up the ante and push your body to your next level. If you are running a recovery run in fatigue, you will feel less than motivated. But going out of your comfort zone is essential for growing and improving your fitness level. So you need to put some fun into those runs:

 

- Vary your training programs. Instead of sticking to the same routine, try different regimes and break out of the boredom mold.

- Listen to your favorite music and keep updating your playlist with upbeat and inspiring tracks.

- Reward yourself for the hard efforts. Just make sure that the rewards are non-food based.

- Keep track of your progress by taking measurements, before/after pictures, and soliciting appraisements and compliments from your family members for progress.

 

Consistency, as I have written here often, is key to your development as a runner. And forming a habit is essential to gaining that consistency. The above are just ideas and guidelines, you can add or drop or use none of them. But you must form a habit.

 

 

 

 

Motivating Consistency

I simply get my iPod out because I know when I am unmotivated, music is my answer to override having to hear my every step early on. If you're married, then go out with your spouse. Or how about joining a team? It can be as easy as remembering WHY you run: for that summer bikini or because your doctor told you to. It doesn't matter why you run every day or every other day...it is that you DO run. What you are looking for is consistent running. This is something I cannot stress enough. Consistency is so important. It's the mother's milk of running. I tell every runner and non runner, be they youngsters or oldsters, to get out there and follow a schedule! Run and run often!

My new motivator is: music.

 

Running with music, especially early on, can make a 10-minute run feel much easier and help your body in producing endorphins that will make longer runs feel much shorter than they actually are. Even for those more experienced, music can cut down and fatigue and make those long runs easier. And this is something that I do often lately. I've stepped up my running to encompass a lot of pain and fatigue. I was once a detractor of music but I have found its place in my runs. If it can't help me stay consistent, then plug me in!

 

Find what motivates you and use it. Use it over and over. Consistency must be your number one priority. Young or old. Beginner or pro. Constant running makes a good runner.