A lot of people struggle to stay motivated to exercise regularly. If you are one of those people, this article will help you. First, I want you to know nothing is wrong with you. It is NORMAL to lose motivation. The more we do anything, the less motivated we are.
Willpower Beats Motivation
Motivation is great for one-time actions, like signing up for a gym membership, purchasing a home gym, or signing up for personal training sessions, but it isn’t a sustainable basis for action. Our starting strategy will depend on willpower instead of motivation because, unlike motivation, willpower is developed through repetition and not diluted by it.
To help make exercise something you want to do, we will make it as enjoyable and unintimidating as possible. This will help you get over the psychological barriers to starting. I want you to avoid the BIG mistake that most people make when they attempt to develop an exercise routine.
Start Small and Focus Your Efforts
The primary reason that most people fail to follow through with their New Year’s resolutions is that they usually lack focus and start with big commitments. Instead of focusing on developing a single habit, like daily exercise, they try to stop smoking, eat clean, stop using their credit cards, and go to the gym five days a week for an hour or more.
When people initiate a new habit, they get fooled into thinking they can start with large commitments because they can do it for a couple of weeks. We’ve all experienced the Honeymoon Phase. Like a new relationship, we begin our journey of self-improvement full of excitement and motivation. The new habit feels effortless, and for a while, it is. Then, reality sets in, and we question whether it is worth the effort. When this starts to happen you have just entered the critical Fight Thru Phase, where most new habits die.
Start small and make exercise as enjoyable as possible so that you will win every Fight Thru. Winning these daily battles is how you develop a new habit. Think of your fledgling habit as a seed. You plant and nurture the seed each day, and it will grow organically, just like your habit will. You don’t have to force it, and research on what produces lasting behavior change says we shouldn’t.
I recommend you start your exercise habit with a 5-minute commitment so you always have enough time and willpower to do it. Five minutes might not seem to make a difference, but it will. Short, intense workouts done consistently have been proven to be very effective at improving people’s health and fitness. Don’t fall for the more-is-better trap.
Make Exercise as Enjoyable As Possible to Improve Consistency
I will suggest some exercise routines to get you started, but you must choose something you will enjoy and spend most of your time doing that. You need strength and cardio training for peak health, but don’t let good be the enemy of great. Any amount of exercise is better than none at all.
To make exercise a habit, you must make it as enjoyable as possible. Ask yourself what would make training more enjoyable. Perhaps it is creating an energizing playlist, listening to audiobooks, installing fans in your workout space, getting some new workout clothing or athletic shoes, or sipping on low-calorie flavored water during your training sessions. Whatever it is, do it because it will make you more consistent.
I made some minor adjustments to make riding my spin bike more comfortable and convenient. I found the seat uncomfortable, so I swapped it out. I found wearing shoes inconvenient, so I replaced the steel pedals with rubber exercise bike pedals. Now I can ride it wearing socks. To avoid saddle soreness, I get off the bike occasionally to perform calisthenics or kettlebell movements.
Nurture You Habit and It Will Grow Organically
My morning priming sessions started with me performing five-minute workouts on my spin bike listening to energizing music, using my Tabata Timer app. to take me through eight 20-second sprints. Then my sessions grew to 10 minutes, 12 minutes, and now they typically lasts 15 minutes. Remember, once your new habit takes root, it will grow naturally you don’t have to force it.
When you push yourself, five minutes is enough to improve your mood, enhance your focus, and elevate your metabolism for hours, so I suggest you start with a small time commitment. If you are trying to lose weight, diet is the primary mechanism, so don’t get obsessed with the calorie count on the elliptical machine. If you want to learn how to lose fat and transform your body, read or listen to 3-Month Body Transformation Plan: Step-by-Step Guide.
The realization that excessive exercise isn’t going to produce concomitant reductions in body weight can be discouraging, but it doesn’t have to be. Every day, it seems like another study has been published that demonstrates the efficacy of short, intense workouts in producing enormous health benefits. When it comes to exercise, more is more, but it isn’t necessarily better. Knowing we can shorten our workouts and still reap great results if we are willing to push ourselves should be welcome news to anyone with a hectic schedule.
If you don’t have any equipment, you can start by downloading the scientifically designed  Seven Minute Workout, which will take you through calisthenics circuits. If you are willing to invest approximately $130 in home gym equipment, you can start by performing 5 minutes each day of my minimalist training program, eventually working up to the full program.Â
Minimalist Cutting ProgramÂ
Minimalist Home Gym
- Lebert Fitness Style Dip Bar Stand ~ $75
- It allows you to perform inverted rows for your back and biceps and dips for the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Doorway Pull-up Bar ~ $25
- Resistance Bands ~ $30
- Resistance bands can be used for a wide variety of exercises. I like using them to add resistance to push-ups and dips.
Don’t fall for the perfectionist trap, skipping a day because you can’t complete the full program. When it comes to fitness, consistency trumps intensity. Performing a little exercise reaps superior results than herclean efforts.
Focus on developing the exercise habit, so it develops into a craving. When New Mexico researchers asked 266 individuals who exercised at least three times a week what their primary motivation was, 92% said it was because it made them “feel good.”
Conclusion
Starting small and making your exercise routine as enjoyable as possible are the keys to developing this life-changing habit. Exercise is considered one of the most potent habits to develop because it improves mood, cognitive ability, and self-control.
Most experts believe exercise is the most important keystone habit because it triggers widespread improvements. When people exercise regularly, they become more productive, watch less T.V., eat better, drink less alcohol, and report feeling less stressed. For me, exercise was the one thing that changed EVERYTHING. 
If I can help you, please email me at LeanByHabit@gmail.com.
Best wishes and best health!
Jeff
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My second book, Lean by Habit: A Bulletproof Plan for Body Transformation, is now available on Kindle and Paperback. Audible will be available in mid-October 2024. SAMPLE THE FIRST HOUR FOR FREE: leanbyhabit.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LEAN-BY-HABIT-Better-1.m4a
Small Changes, Fantastic Results
If you are looking for a simple, common-sense approach to weight loss that creates a strong-firm body for life, Lean by Habit is it! It contains everything you need to get in great shape. You’ll have eight free downloadable training programs to choose from based on your goals, a flexible diet, a habit tracker scorecard, and other execution-focused materials to help you succeed.
Lean by Habit combines the best behavioral and exercise science to produce outstanding results through short-daily bouts of exercise. Fifteen minutes is all you need to start getting leaner, fitter, and stronger.
If you are motivated to improve how you look and feel, the time to act is NOW! Don’t give your motivation a chance to wane and your excuses time to talk you out of it. When it comes to improving your life, there is no place better to start than with your habits, and there is no better program than this one to help you do it.
Click HERE to get it delivered to your device and start taking those small steps that produce tremendous results. Act now before the book increases to its normal price of $9.99.
This book contains:
- The Three-Step Process for Behavior Change
- The Four Elements of Execution
- Eight Programs (with downloadable training logs)
- A Habit Tracker Weight Loss Scorecard
- A Flexible Diet
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