Exercise is one of the most important aspects of positive well-being. A study in Harvard found that moving your body around and staying active reduces the risk of depression. It also protects you against chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t exercise as much because we find it difficult to incorporate into our daily lives. That’s why I think it’s important to take you through a step by step process on how to add a little bit of exercise every day that will help reach your health goals!
1 | Do it in the morning
This might come as a surprise for many, but I don’t do any exercise in the afternoon. I learned that “life gets in the way” pretty easily and you’re more likely to skip on a workout when it’s not done right away.
Science also shows that your body is more alert and ready to exert itself in the morning. Working out in the morning, especially when you haven’t eaten anything, includes a strong rush of endorphins to start your day too. Win 😉
2 | Develop a ritual
To build a habit, it’s incredibly important to make it part of your ritual or routine. Every morning, I go to my front yard and spend an hour doing yoga and a barre class. I exercise right before anything else in my day and it’s helped me immensely stay consistent.
Start by picking a time to exercise and a place to do it. Developing rituals are much easier when the settings are the same – this helps your brain associate activity in a place or room. It also makes showing up a lot easier!
3 | Stack on existing exercise habits
The best way to build a habit is to build on an existing one. If you’ve never exercised before, start by waking up early in the morning. Then wear your yoga pants (or leggings) after. Slowly but surely start small habits which later lead you to exercising.
Most people think that starting off with a strong fitness regimen is a must to build a daily habit. That’s usually not the case. Instead, you’ll reach burn out faster. Start incredibly small and pile it up gradually to create a lasting habit change.
4 | Give yourself a reward after exercising
I give myself a cookie or treat after every work out. Most of the time, it happens to be almond butter on top of toast and really good coffee 😉
This helps motivate me into exercising more regularly as it helps to look forward to something. Often, when I’m on a gut cleanse, I try to incorporate a lovely savory meal after an intense workout too. I end up being excited to start my day and feel great afterwards.
It doesn’t always have to be food. You can start a new book or have longer time to play with your dog instead.
5 | Choose an exercise that is fun and makes you happy!
I know it sounds super cliche… But the saying rings true! To truly build a habit, you have to enjoy doing it. Don’t focus so much on weight loss or getting those abs. Instead, I highly recommend focusing on the journey itself and whether it’s something which feels sustainable for you in the long-term.
Leave a Reply