6 Essential Habits to ‘Bullet Proofing’ your new Training Routine
For many new year training routines start with a burst of motivation. Our intention for a leaner, fitter, happier or more energetic version of ourself helps us get out of bed at 6am, hit our active 10,000 steps daily or head to the gym three times a week.
However, a common story by the start of February is that life seems to get in the way. Our training routine is challenged with a busy week or the kdis going back to school and we start reverting back to old habits. Weeks later we wonder what happened to our intentions and why we can’t establish an ongoing routine to give us the results we desire in the new year.
The good news is it doesn't have to be like that and you can easily armour yourself with techniques that will assist you in creating the habit of regular training long term. For many years we have been helping clients establish and continue new training routines with our 6 habits that will 'bullet proof' your new training routine. Check out these 6 essential habits below.
Marc & the LAT team
6 Essential Habits
1. Create the vision of who you are becoming & review daily
One of the most important steps to changing your habits is creating the vision of the person you want to be become.
The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
The goal is not to lose 5 kilos, the goal is to become healthier and more energetic.
The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
Create the values you wish to live by and the vision for your future self. Create a written description, review it daily and re-write weekly.
2. Diarise your training sessions for the week & review your razor edge habits
Training sessions should be diarised as appointments and they should be our most important appointments for the week. If they are diarised they will be prioritised. If we have a more specific plan and intention for when & where they will perform a new habit we are more likely to follow through.
3. Have an accountability training buddy or community
Having an accountability buddy can be extremely effective to maintaining your new training routine. You can schedule meeting times with friends each week or have an appointment with a coach.
The environment and community you have around you greatly impacts the choices you make. If you want to lose weight or increase your fitness, hang out with athletic people. Meeting with friends to train also has additional social and mental health benefits.
4. Track your training sessions
Seeing progress is a great motivator. It celebrates the small wins and the votes you are collecting for the new you that you are becoming. There are many great electronic exercise tracking options on your smart phone or watch. Alternatively you may wish to use a physical planner that can be on display for you to mark off each day.
5. Reward yourself
We are more likely to continue a new habit when we receive pleasure from completing it. Rewarding yourself is an important part of creating new habits, particularly at the beginning of a new routine when we don’t see short term physical benefits. You may incentivise yourself with a massage or a nice dinner out every fortnight if you stick to your new weekly exercise plan.
6. Don’t break the chain
A phrase I love is ‘don't break the chain’. No one is perfect and we are all going to miss a day here and there when life gets busy. The big difference between people that create long term training habits and those that are constantly stopping and starting again is they don’t break the chain. If they don’t feel like training or running one day, they still get up to do an easier walk or if they miss a scheduled training session, they make up for it the following day. Miss one training session and you are still on track. Miss two sessions in a row and you have created a new negative habit.
Remember the focus should not be on what you want to achieve but rather the process and habits that will bullet proof your new training routine.
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