How to ensure you stick to a workout routine
How many times have you felt this exquisite excitement of hitting the gym for the first time in weeks, months, or years, telling yourself that this time you’ll stick to it and get the beach body everyone around you envies?
How often have you skipped a session, thinking: No big deal, I’ll make up for it tomorrow, to find yourself two weeks later, having abandoned all the habits you promised yourself you would keep?
“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” (James Clear).
If you want to achieve anything significant, you must trust that what you pursue today will pay off in the long run.
Setting a new goal will motivate you, and feeling motivated will get you moving. When motivation inevitably fades away, you need to have a system. Otherwise, you’ll end up quitting again.
This article will break down the mechanics of a habit, which is how this system works. For each component, I’ll provide strategies and examples of procedures to make sure you can implement and adapt a reliable method for yourself.
Mechanics of a habit
Think of it that way; if you haven’t been able to start a new habit no matter how many times you’ve tried, it’s useless to blame your self-discipline. You can’t expect a different outcome by doing the same things.
You need a better system. The idea is to modify it until you can stick to your word.
Here’s how the system of habit-forming works (1):
Cue
Something triggers a craving.
Craving
Every craving is related to an internal desire to change your state, wanting the reward.
Response
Actual behavior, obtaining the reward.
Reward
Satisfy your craving. The brain associates the reward with the cue. When the cue presents itself next time, the craving will be triggered.
I realize this is very abstract and hard to grasp. Here are a couple of examples of this process:
Cue → Craving → Response → Reward
Feeling bored → Wanting to feel entertained → Using social media → Feeling entertained
Smelling good food → Craving that food → Eating it → Satisfying the craving
Seeing your running shoes → Wanting to feel healthy → Going for a run → Feeling healthy
Remember, you want to tweak the system until it works for you, until you don’t need the motivation to get you moving.
To do just that, you want to:
Make the cue more obvious
Make the craving more attractive
Make the response easier
Make the reward more satisfying
By the way, it works exactly the opposite way with habits you want to get rid of:
Make the cue more invisible
Make the craving more unattractive
Make the response more difficult
Make the reward more unsatisfying
Make the cue more obvious.
A cue can be manifested in many different forms: a smell, a sound, a sight, a feeling, a person, an event, a location…
The goal here is to make yourself subject to as many cues as possible, making you think of keeping the habit of working out.
To do just that, you can implement your intentions by using the following formula:
I will (behavior) at (time) in (location)
e.g., I will work out from 7:00 to 7:30 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in my living room.
Set up an alarm at first, this will be your cue, and with time it will become a thought.
A second way is to use habit stacking. Use a habit you already have and make this a cue to trigger the habit you want to adopt. Here’s the formula for this one:
After (current habit), I will (new habit)
e.g., After brushing my teeth, I will do ten push-ups.
It’s essential to use a cue that is already well established. When a habit is successfully stacked on another, keep stacking!
Visual cues are very effective. For example, you could decide to put your workout clothes on your night table at night to make sure you see them the following morning. You could always keep dumbbells out in your living room. You could follow working out channels on social media.
Make the craving more attractive.
The cue triggers the thought of working out.
The goal is to increase the level of dopamine released when contemplating the idea of working out. Dopamine is a hormone responsible for motivating us humans to act. The more dopamine released, the more significant probability you will take action.
You can pair an action you want to do with the one you need to do. Listening to music while working out is a good example. You could decide to listen to an episode of your favorite show right before every training. Whatever helps you looking forward to it.
Also, reframing your mindset around the desired behavior is an excellent exercise. Highlight the benefits, not the detriments.
Working out will allow me to be healthier and stronger, think more clearly, enjoy life more, and be physically attractive.
If you make it a habit to have these thoughts in your head, it’ll be way more tempting to work out than thinking: I’m already tired, and training is tiring. Missing once is no big deal.
Joining a culture where your desired behavior is normal is another excellent way to reframe your mind and make working out more attractive. If you want to become fit, surround yourself with people that are already fit. Having a workout partner is very powerful in making you stick to it.
Make the response easier.
As you repeat an activity, your brain changes to become more efficient at doing it. Keep in mind that it literally will become easier and easier to get you going as you settle into the habit.
Here your goal is to reduce friction, to decrease the number of steps between you and working out.
If your gym is on your way home, you increase the probability that you’ll decide to work out just because it’s more convenient. Having your bag ready by the door is another great way to reduce friction.
If it’s an occurrence for you to abandon a workout midway through because you get caught in social media, a rule to impose yourself could be not to touch your cellphone during workouts.
An excellent tip when first settling into a habit is to use the two minutes rule.
Bear with me here; it’ll all make sense.
If you choose to bail on your engagement, maybe it’s because the thought of completing a workout is too much for you to handle at the moment.
Let’s say you work out at a gym and must drive to get there. Start with holding yourself accountable for the habit of walking to your car. If you do that as a minimum, you’ve completed the habit and can be proud of yourself.
How can you be proud of yourself for that simple action? Because you know that sticking to that today is part of your system, it’s part of progressing toward your goal.
Once you have that mastered, progress, and make yourself accountable for at least driving to the gym, you’ll find that getting the ball rolling is often enough to complete the whole thing.
There is no use in torturing yourself for not having the motivation to do more than what you currently are capable of. It’s way easier said than done, but it’s the truth.
Make the reward more satisfying.
You did it!
The workout is completed. Now let’s display strategies you can apply to increase the odds that you will repeat that behavior.
“What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.” (James Clear)
A way to feel more satisfied is to reward yourself when you complete your task. You know you, what makes you feel good? It could be having a conversation with a loved one, sending them a picture of you at the gym, or eating food you like.
You could also write down your goals and make it a ritual to read them right after every workout.
Another tool is a habit tracker. Being able to cross the date on a calendar will make you feel proud and successful. It’ll help you acknowledge your contribution toward your goal.
Keeping the streak alive will sometimes be enough to keep going. After you’ve respected your engagement for nine straight days, it’ll feel good to reach ten!
Of course, unexpected events can occur. Therefore, a good rule would be never to miss twice a row. You miss once, no big deal; your streak is still alive. You miss twice; you just started a new habit of not sticking to your desired behavior. That means it’s time to reevaluate your habit rituals.
Conclusion
Now that we have deconstructed the different components of a habit and studied strategies to exploit them, you have many tools to work with. Experiment with each. Find the bottlenecks and optimize your method.
If your habit is hard to remember, make it more obvious.
If you don’t feel like doing it, make it more attractive.
If it feels too difficult, make it easier.
If you don’t feel like sticking to it, make it more satisfying.
By relying on this system instead of only your goal, you make sure you don’t have to depend on short-lived motivation. You increase your confidence that the results will follow every action you take, contributing significantly to the likelihood of sticking with it in the long run.
Most people focus on the desired outcome; you must focus on your identity.
Setting a goal to lose 10kg isn’t enough; you must start seeing yourself as a slim and healthy person. Setting a goal to gain 5kg of muscle mass isn’t enough; you must begin seeing yourself as a strong and muscular person.
The structure and tips provided in this article were extracted from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I can’t recommend it enough. I can’t imagine anyone not getting great value from investing the time to read it.