Episode 52: How to exercise daily – The characteristics of successful habits.

Fitness Reloaded proudly introduces the “How to exercise daily” series! The purpose of this series is to learn how to make daily exercise an almost…effortless habit. To do that we first need to understand:

1. The characteristics of successful habits: What is the definition of a successful habit?
2. The secrets of successful habits: Why are some habits like brushing our teeth so successful with most people, while other habits like exercising fail?
3. How you can apply those secrets in your own lives to introduce new successful habits.

In this first Episode, we are going to explore the elements or characteristics that make habits successful. Really, what defines the behaviors that we keep doing vs. the behaviors that we do just a few times? What makes a habit…a habit?

Ok, I won’t keep you waiting.

The key elements of successful habits are:

1. Lastingness: Performing the behavior for a loooong time.

Lastingness: Continuing or remaining for a long time; enduring

Compare brushing our teeth (doing it since we were little) vs. exercising (most people quit after the first 6 months of exercise). Who wins?

2. Consistency: Doing the same thing every time, without skipping sessions.

Consistency: Conformity with previous attitudes, behaviour, practice, etc.

Again, compare brushing our teeth (we brush every day without skipping a day) vs. exercise (we love skipping workouts!). Ahhh, brushing our teeth wins once again.

3. Involuntariness: Performing the behavior without really thinking about it; the behavior just comes out naturally.

Involuntariness: Acting or done without one’s will.

For example, I don’t spend time in the morning wondering whether I should brush my teeth or not. Worse, I don’t have internal dialogues such as:

– I don’t want to brush my teeth.

– But you have to.

– But I don’t feel like doing it…Please don’t make me do this!

I just naturally, find myself in the bathroom brushing my teeth. It’s on the autopilot. Almost no conscious intervention needed from me. I am too sleepy for conscious intervention anyway 😉

However, such a dialogue is extremely common between people who want to exercise. If only exercising just…came naturally, and we just found ourselves doing it! 😀

Seriously…

Why are some habits such as brushing our teeth so successful with most people, while other habits like exercising repeatedly fail?

This is exactly what we are going to explore in the second episode of this series, devoted on the secrets of successful habits. Stay tuned to make sure you don’t miss it!