If you surveyed new exercisers and asked them what the bigger challenge was: getting started on a program, or sticking with it, I suspect most would say the latter rather than the former. Of course, taking that initial first step to fitness is vital and important; you can’t finish a journey that you don’t start. But the real work, and the corresponding real results, comes in grinding it out day after day. Putting in the effort. We call this practice ‘adherence.’ And it can be elusive for some, for reasons that are easily understood. After all, novelty wears off. Muscles get sore and ache. Life happens. The prospect of getting a few more minutes of sleep, or of meeting up for happy hour after work, can be a lot more appealing than exercise. I get it. So how do we stay motivated when there are so many reasons to do something else? Here are three simple tips to keep in mind if you find yourself struggling with adherence:
- Make Exercise a Habit. This strikes a lot of people as an ‘easy for you to say’ sort of proposition. But it’s not as burdensome as you might think. The prevailing wisdom regarding habits and behavior tells us that habits can be formed in as little as three weeks. That’s not long. And in two-to-three months those things that once seemed so arduous, like waking up early to exercise, have now become fixed behaviors that you do automatically. In short, if exercise is made to be part of your routine, the same as something like brushing your teeth when you wake up, then it is much easier to adhere to. You no longer wring your hands about it; you just do it because it is a part of who you are.
- Set Reasonable and Realistic Goals. Few things are more frustrating than setting a goal and failing to reach it. It is dispiriting and makes you question whether the effort you put into the endeavor was worth it. This is especially true when it comes to fitness. And the reason makes sense. We are saturated in media. It is almost impossible to avoid. We want what we see in advertisements and movies and consequently, we tend to bite off more than we can chew with our goals. This is a recipe for disappointment. Because when you get too ambitious or aggressive with your goals, you are setting yourself up to fall short. And when that happens, adherence suffers. For this reason, I am a big proponent of the SMART model and employ it with all my clients. This means setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. It is a great formula for staying focused. Not only that, but once you start setting — and attaining — reasonable goals, you build confidence. And the more confidence you have in your fitness progress, the more likely you are to keep at it.
- Give Yourself a Pat on the Back. This is important. Take the time to recognize that you are working to improve yourself, and there is value in that. Rather than get in a rut because, for instance, pounds aren’t coming off as fast as you’d like them to, give yourself some credit instead. If you have begun an exercise program, you are already one step ahead of most people. You have started to take charge of your life. And if you keep at it, results will follow. Similarly, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a workout. As we said before, life happens. Missing workouts will happen. But one or two missed workouts will not erase all the good you’ve done if you have otherwise stayed faithful to your program. So keep your head up and get back at it the next day.
Poor adherence has derailed the fitness goals of countless people. But it doesn’t have to derail yours. By following these simple tips, you can help keep your motivation levels up and your goals on track.