How long before...

atragicfate
atragicfate Posts: 57
in Fitness and Exercise
I exercise everyday for 50 minutes. How many days do I have to do it before it becomes a habit?
At the moment I am forcing myself to do it (I'm not really a fan of exercise).

Replies

  • cassiekc27
    cassiekc27 Posts: 4 Member
    They say 21 days to make a habit stick with it :)
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    The 21 days straight to form a habit is a pretty standard thing. But that tends to be related more to the memory response of your body remembering to do it or get used to whatever the new habit is.

    With exercise, if you aren't enjoying what you're doing, it will still be hard to make yourself go do it each day. So if you're forcing yourself there now, you'll still be forcing yourself there on day 22 or day 92. Just because you get in the habit of working out, doesn't mean you'll enjoy the workout.

    What workout I'm doing on a given day definitely effects me doing that workout. I love races, but I hate running. But to do races, I need to run. So every day that's a run day, I have to drag myself to the treadmill or the trail. On cross cardio days I enjoy choosing which cardio I'll be doing and get to follow my mood for the day to see if I'll be doing elliptical, ARC trainer, stair mill, or something else. And I always look forward to strength days because I know I'll feel all powerful and awesome after and for the following day.

    After my next race, I have no more races until March of next year, so I'll probably only run maybe once a week, just to keep my body used tot he feeling. So I am basically counting down the days until I'm on that schedule instead of my current one.

    So, find what kind of workout/exercise you actually enjoy doing and it will be a lot easier to get yourself to do it each night, whether you do it 21 days in a row or not. :)
  • Kittyvicious1
    Kittyvicious1 Posts: 190 Member
    Five weeks. Good Luck!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    Ok...lift heavy things, but it isn't more fun than cardio. I enjoy my cardio much more than the lifting of heavy objects.
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
    Not sure it does become a habit. A habit seems like something you do without thinking about. I have to plan when I'm going to exercise. I can tell you that I am inherently lazy, but after as long as I've been doing this, there are times when I actually crave an exercise session, even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood.
  • DrNerdy
    DrNerdy Posts: 168 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    ^This... I find lifting to be a lot more fun than an hour long cardio sweat session. That stuff gets boring quick.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    I exercise everyday for 50 minutes. How many days do I have to do it before it becomes a habit?
    At the moment I am forcing myself to do it (I'm not really a fan of exercise).


    You are not a fan of exercise ... than find something that isn't exercise really and do it.
    Dance (Zumba), ride a bike, swimming, whatever.

    Find someone to workout with ... it does help.

    I believe you need to do a combination of both cardio and lifting weights.

    You really need to have a change of heart and mind attitude; find what you like to do, do it and soon you'll be finding you enjoy the time you spend working out.

    Best of luck!
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    I agree.

    Essentially you need to find something you enjoy, it's hard to make anything a lasting habit if the thought of doing it fills you with dread.

    Once you start seeing progress in terms of fitness/strength you may feel more motivated to keep going to continue to better yourself.
  • HealthyVitamins
    HealthyVitamins Posts: 432 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    In your opinion.

    In my opinion there is nothing more exhilarating than a long run just as the sun is setting :flowerforyou:
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
    no idea. it just happens when it happens. also.. remember to have a rest day.
  • traceyjj
    traceyjj Posts: 406 Member
    It took me just over a month to get in the habit. The first couple of days were yey, go me... then came muscle ache and I reluctantly went to the gym cos I knew I had more than 100lb to lose. I got bored with the cardio machines, so I tried swimming. I love that. Then I saw an aqua class running, where all the ladies were laughing pretty much the whole session as they were falling off the floats, so I joined that... Then a small group set of lessons for mixing cardio / weights / HIIT was announced and I loved it. Now almost a year later I'm working on lifting heavy stuff, as well as doing the swim, aqua, cardio/weight/HIIT mix, and I never have to force myself to get to the gym
    I guess what I am trying to say is if your gym has classes try them until you find some you like... if your gym has access to a free session with a trainer, use it to discuss your likes, and what bores you, and get them to set you up a routine for a few weeks. Try everything your gym has to offer :)
    Good luck with your goals.
    T:smile:
  • filicia1025
    filicia1025 Posts: 23 Member
    I've been there, it's difficult to drag your feet just so you can run every morning. But I realize that the only way I can do cardio effectively is through jogging and the only time I have is in the morning. Think of your goals when you exercise rather than thinking of it as an obligation. If there's one thing I learned from here is that there's no easy way to losing all these extra lbs.
  • oDDnySS
    oDDnySS Posts: 69 Member
    It's a bit difficult, but you have to find a way to be active AND do something you enjoy- i like to play volleyball, swim and ride my bike, so sometimes I'll forego the gym and do that- but 21 days is spot on with forming a habit
  • atragicfate
    atragicfate Posts: 57
    Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it.
    I'm going to try out a range of different activities until I find one that I like!
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    I exercise everyday for 50 minutes. How many days do I have to do it before it becomes a habit?
    At the moment I am forcing myself to do it (I'm not really a fan of exercise).

    I don't think there are set days. The main way to ensure you continue is to do the activities that you enjoy, that way it does not become a chore.

    I love cardio :heart:
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    ^This... I find lifting to be a lot more fun than an hour long cardio sweat session. That stuff gets boring quick.

    See, I find the same in reverse.

    It all depends on the person concerned.
  • TreddersPT
    TreddersPT Posts: 24 Member
    Lift heavy things, it's much more fun than cardio

    Not for me! I love a good cardio class at my gym, jumping around to music is much more fun than lifting to me, I lift as a chore... it's pretty boring to me!
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    Try something that scares you too! What I mean is to try soemthing that peaks your interest but you've always felt embarrassed to try because you're afraid you wouldn't be good at it. You might surprise yourself! I did my first obstacle race because it seemed really interesting but I was scared out of my mind, and then I found that I truly love it. AND if you do something that you normally wouldn't do the sense of accomplishment, even if you fail miserably, is awesome because hey, you tried something new!

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