v7)how to start a sustainable fitness routine

How to Start a Sustainable Fitness Routine

Sticking to a fitness routine can feel like an uphill battle. You start strong, but motivation wanes, and before you know it, your gym membership is collecting dust and you're feeling a little crappy about giving up on your fitness goals. But what if there was an approach to creating a fitness plan that would keep you engaged for the long haul?

Let's dive into the science behind building a comprehensive fitness routine you'll actually enjoy. We'll explore SMART goal setting, the power of quantifiable progress tracking, and the psychology of habit formation, all backed by research to maximize your chances for success. We'll also unpack strategies to overcome setbacks and keep your workouts fresh and exciting. Our hope is that by the end of this article, you'll be equipped with the tools and knowledge to craft a personalized fitness plan that unlocks your full potential.

The Power of SMART Fitness Objectives.

Sticking to a fitness routine requires a clear roadmap. Enter SMART goals – a powerful framework for setting achievable and motivating objectives. SMART is an acronym that stands for:

Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Instead of a vague goal like "get healthy" aim for "I want to lift weights three times a week and go for a 30 minute walk daily." Being healthy means different things to different people, so try to be specific about the details.

Measurable: Quantify your goal so you can track progress. Numbers make success feel more tangible, allowing you to see the progress you have made towards your goal. Without being able to look back on our progress, we can often feel like we have made none, become discouraged, and give up.

Attainable: Be realistic. Consider your current fitness level and set a goal that challenges you without being discouraging. We recommend setting smaller goals at first, as setting goals that you struggle to keep up with often causes us to feel discouraged or become burnt out. If your goal is to go to the gym three times a week and you end up going four times a week when you have the energy and room in your schedule, you're going to feel much better about yourself and your progress than if you had set the goal of going to the gym five times a week and then were only able to make it four days a week consistently.

Relevant: Ensure your goal aligns with your overall fitness aspirations. Do you want to build muscle, improve endurance, lose weight, increase strength, or boost overall health? If your goal is to build muscle and strength, focus on things like increasing weight lifted, incorporating compound exercises, or achieving specific rep counts for strength training exercises (e.g- "I want to do 10 pull ups). If you want to improve your endurance, tailor your goals around running distance, race completion times, or VO2 max improvement through dedicated cardio training. For weight loss, we might set goals around calorie intake or decreasing body fat percentage. 

Time-bound: Set a deadline to create urgency and a sense of accomplishment. This timeframe should be ambitious yet achievable based on your other SMART criteria. While many of us set goals for the year, it may be wise to break those goals down into smaller goals, and then put those goals into smaller time frames, like 3-4 months. Setting goals for an entire year can feel overwhelming, and the long timeframe makes it difficult to maintain focus and motivation. Additionally, it often takes longer to see progress on big goals, and seeing our progress is an important element in reinforcing our new habits/behaviours. 

Smart goals are a dynamic tool. Re-evaluate them periodically to ensure they remain relevant and achievable as your fitness evolves. Don't be afraid to adjust your goals based on progress or setbacks. The key is to maintain a growth mindset and celebrate every step forward on your fitness journey!

The Science of Sticking With It: Habit Formation and Your Exercise Routine.

Ever wonder why that morning coffee feels automatic, while that new workout routine feels like a constant battle? The answer lies in the fascinating science of habit formation, which can be harnessed to turn exercise into a natural part of your life. At its core, habit formation involves creating a neurological loop. Here's how it applies to your exercise routine:

The Cue: This is the trigger that initiates the habit. It could be seeing your workout clothes laid out, a specific day or time on your calendar, or even a workout buddy calling you. We want to make this as obvious as possible. Maybe this means scheduling in your workouts, or maybe it means leaving your running shoes by the door. 

The Craving: Your brain begins to associate the cue (workout) with a positive feeling of accomplishment or the release of endorphins. This creates a craving to experience that feeling again. This is what people often refer to as motivation, and it isn't always there when you need it! We'll talk about how to be consistent when motivation wanes a little bit further down. 

The Response: This is you performing the habit. Consistency is key here! By regularly performing the desired action (exercise), you strengthen the neural pathway. When you first start a new exercise routine, it often requires significant effort and focus to stay on track. You might get lost, feel discouraged, or simply decide to take a detour. However, with consistent exercise, something remarkable happens. Each time you complete your workout, you're reinforcing that neural pathway. We'll talk more further down about how to handle waning motivation!

The Reward: Following your workout, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. This positive reinforcement strengthens the desire to repeat the entire cycle (cue-craving-response-reward) in the future. When we're building new habits, we want to make the reward as strong as possible to reinforce our behaviour. In addition to these feel good chemicals that get naturally released when we exercise, we recommend keeping a habit tracker or marking your habit off a list, having an accountability partner that will encourage you, or enjoying your favourite flavour protein shake or smoothie as a reward for your hard work. 

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