Creating the habit of exercise?

tomatoey wrote: »

EvgeniZyntx wrote: »

SideSteel wrote: »

The two things that come to mind are making the exercise as convenient as possible and making the exercise as rewarding or enjoyable as possible.

For the enjoyment factor I attempt to foster this in clients by helping them become good at certain movements and getting them on a structured program that gets them stronger and we track that metric so that they can see the improvement taking place (weight on the bar goes up --> client feels empowered --> client wants to keep improving).

I think you're asking the right question. Also in for discussion because this is a great topic that extends beyond exercise compliance as well.

It does - the underlying question is really about behavior change - if you notice - the people answering this thread are already all partakers of exercise and have a habit. Underneath all the "how did this come about?" is "how can this be actively applied to modify how we behave in other areas?"

For example - here is a simplistic one - I keep chocolate in the cupboard - I love it and can easily eat all of it, but I now practice moderation - I was very much before: open cupboard: see the chocolate (cue) eat the chocolate (routine) mouthgasm (reward). I broke that by simply moving the chocolate to a less travelled cupboard. Other people might be more radical in how they break habit (tossing out food, etc...)

Understanding how habit functions and if it can be manipulated as we want is a an interesting area of discussion.

I think tweaks like this, that set the stage for action by reducing the energy required to either start a desirable activity or inhibit an undesirable one, are great. Willpower is overrated.

On both of these, substitution has long been a way to short change a less desirable trait along with willpower. I believe willpower is the starting place followed by self discipline then self motivation, for me personally. I find when my willpower starts to falter is when I have more issues.

I don't run because it's my favorite thing to do. Honestly I'd rather sit at home and play XBox or watch a movie. What I did find is that sacrificing part of my morning and working out makes me less likely to eat like crap during the day. I'm not about to throw out my progress that morning and waste my effort (that I disliked) on crap I won't care for 15 minutes later.

Eventually, that has gotten to be a habit. I don't always WANT to go do it but the resistance to going out and running in the morning is pretty minimal. I just make it part of my routine. I have a weekly schedule of what I'm doing on what day of the week and I just do it. Don't give yourself any wiggle room. The only valid excuse I give myself is thunderstorms. Other than that I just do what I decided to do in the morning no matter what.

For me it is a form of distressing and I honestly check in at times with a few others but mostly work out alone both for strength training and cardio. I am a little odd I zone out easily with repetitive movements so cardio can be boring like a treadmill (which is safer than running outside if you zone out and unaware of surroundings) I am just in the movement and totally unaware of time.
I love the natural rewards of being healthy and fit

Personally, I subscribed to the "reward" method of building a habit.

Backstory: early 30s, completely sedentary, completely lazy, religious WoW player (and gamer in general), you name it. 300lbs+. Couldn't walk up a set of stairs without being winded. Not an athletic bone in my body, always terrible at sports even as a kid, always very overweight even starting in high school. No real support from family which was also overweight and no one did any purposeful exercise.

So, with the need to get something going, I did in fact set up an actual reward system. It was simple: beer. I am an avid craft beer guy (part of the reason for my ridiculous weight) and drank 1-2 new brews every day. In order to drink those beers, I started requiring myself to earn them. No 500 calories burned? No beer. Period. And since I loved beer so much, I never missed a workout.

As time passed, I found something I liked (powerlifting) and it became ingrained as a habit. Eventually I found myself drinking less and less beer and not associating it with exercise at all. In fact I almost never drink beer on days I workout, funnily enough. But it got the ball rolling. Now it's just part of my day. Even if I don't want to do it, it's a chore that must be completed. In the morning I don't leave the house until I've showered and brushed my teeth. At night, I do not go to bed unless I've hit the gym. I don't care if it's 1AM and I haven't even started my workout yet. I'm still doing it. I don't care if I'm sick, I still shower and brush my teeth when I'm sick and I still work out at night. It's a habit and it's part of my daily routine.

Of course, associating myself with like-minded people online and IRL has been a contributor, as has my consistent work and home life. That made it easier to form the habit and easier to maintain it, but hopefully at this point it is solid (it's been around 3 years). Time will tell.

I started exercising 2 years ago as a result of obligation and fear - my kids pressured me to start a "60 days to change" program at our Tkd studio. And my father had recently died of cancer - and his illness and treatments were made much harder by diabetes which I am at high risk for due to PCOS. So I started attending a HIIT style class at the studio. I (like dope) had never been athletic or good at sports. And, to be frank, I am still no natural athlete. But, over time, I learned to like the camaraderie among the class attendees and staff. I learned that I could get better - more flexible, more agile, better coordination, more strength. And I started enjoying the sense of accomplishment as well as successfully losing weight for the first time in a decade or more.
I also discovered that exercising several times a week was the key to being able to go off the antidepressants I ended up on after my dad's death.
After being sidelined by work crap and a sprained MCL this past fall, I know how easy it is to lose the habits again. But, I hired a trainer to teach me to lift with good form (which makes me show up) and I'm starting back at TKD. And I've been reminded that I feel accomplished and physically/emotionally better when I get regular exercise. Building the habits is definitely a process but feeling better about myself is a huge motivator and reward