7 Ways To Make Exercise A Habit

For many of us, the new year is a time when we make resolutions about being healthy and exercising regularly. 

If that’s the case for you, starting a new workout routine and sticking with it can be a challenge — and your willpower may be tested along the way! 

But success with creating healthy habits won’t come by just hoping for it, you actually need to have a plan to make it happen!

Creating a healthy routine is easier than you think

There are lots of ways to make working out part of your weekly schedule. 

Whether you’re just starting out or already on your fitness journey and need to boost your routine, there are steps you can take to help make exercise a regular habit.  

Set goals

Goal setting is one way to help you stay on track with exercise. 

I use goal setting as part of my fitness routine, and I always make my goals specific. Rather than saying “I want to get fit”, my advice is to set a more quantified goal. For instance, aim to do 10 push ups on your toes, without stopping. 

Once you reach a goal, make a new one! Your new goal can be an extension of the progress you’ve already made — doing this regularly will help to maintain your fitness motivation.  

Track your fitness progress

Once you’ve set goals, you can use them to track your fitness progress. In fact, the two go hand-in-hand!

Reaching goals is a reliable indicator of how far you’ve come, and can help you stay focused — but to do this, you need to keep a record. You can do this by keeping a journal that records your progress against your goals, testing your strength or getting regular health checks with your doctor. 

Tracking your progress can show what you’ve already achieved, which is worth celebrating! When you feel good about your health and fitness journey, you’re more likely to stick with it, especially if you already know how rewarding it can be to hit your goals.

Tapping into that feeling of success can help you to build habits and keep working hard towards future progress, even when you feel like giving up!

Find a routine you like

Pushing yourself through a workout style that you hate is not the way to form a healthy relationship with exercise. 

I strongly believe you should find an activity that you enjoy doing — because that means you’re more likely to stick to it. Exercise should be enjoyable to you, not a form of punishment! 

If you’re using the Sweat app, use your LISS (low-intensity steady state) cardio sessions to do a form of exercise you like — go on a hike, ride a bike or go swimming!  

Fitness is not a one-size-fits-all solution. A routine that feels fun for you can help keep your interest and make it easier to keep going.

Get a workout buddy

Having a personal supporter, or someone who will help keep you accountable is a great way to make working out a habit. 

If you have a workout buddy waiting for you at the gym, you’re less likely to leave them hanging! You can also encourage each other to maintain healthy habits on the days when motivation is in short supply!

If you’re a mum, you could also try exercising with your kids to stay active as a family, and making it a part of your weekly routine.

Make a killer workout playlist 

Music is such a HUGE part of my workouts. 

I need to have a playlist of high-intensity workout songs ready to go when I’m in the gym — it matches my high-intensity workouts! 

The right music can benefit your workouts too. A good song can make you feel motivated, help you keep pace with exercises and boost your mood!

Create your own playlist of feelgood, high-energy music to soundtrack your next workout!

Be ready for setbacks

After starting a new fitness routine, it’s really common to face obstacles. 

Maybe you aren’t seeing the results you’d hoped for, or you might have suffered an injury. 

It’s easy to feel disheartened when you hit a roadblock. But rather than dwelling on the negative, focus on the positives of your new routine. You might have found you have more energy, or maybe you’ve discovered how good you feel after a workout.

Working on having a strong and positive mindset will help boost your outlook even when you’re facing challenges.

Make every step count

Are you tracking your steps and activity? It’s amazing how quickly they add up! 

Tracking your steps can also make you more aware of how much incidental exercise you’re doing during the day, and prompt you to make small changes, such as taking the stairs, to keep your step count up. 

If you have a fitness tracker, you can sync it with SWEAT app. Tap the sweat drop in the top left-hand corner of your screen, and track your steps under your “Daily Goals”.

Health and fitness is a journey, not a destination!

Building healthy habits can take time. 

Don’t feel you need to nail every part of your fitness routine all at once — getting started is the MOST important step! 

Take time to recognise the changes you’ve made to your mindset and celebrate every win as part of your health and fitness journey.

You can also share your experiences with the Sweat Community — we’re all here to support each other!