You’re not alone if you struggle to be consistent in your exercise habits. It’s so easy to talk about habits and have good intentions. But putting those habits into action and your life is a whole other story. But you can stick to your exercise habits, and I’ll share 5 simple ways to help you exercise consistently.

Most women think they are the problem and lack willpower or call themselves weak for not being consistent with their workout programs. But, ladies, it’s not you. It’s the systems you don’t have in place to help you develop a consistent habit.

 Simple ways to make your exercise habit consistent

There are 5 simple ways to make your exercise habit stick, and I will show you which ones and how to implement them.

“We often talk about good vs. bad habits” I have this bad habit of taking a nap during the day,” or “I was really good today because I added 5 extra minutes of cardio”.

I believe there are no good or bad habits; instead, we choose based on what is more critical for us at that time. Using our example: If you took a nap and labeled it as bad but on the other hand, it helped you get through your afternoon schlump, and now you feel refreshed. It was the right thing to do!

If you add those extra 5 minutes of cardio, you feel you had the extra time to exercise without feeling guilty. Because most times, you finish quickly because of that guilt.

So you see, neither is a good or bad habit; it’s a choice.

How do habits work?

We always hope it’ll be easy to establish good habits and eliminate our bad ones. However, if we have a bad habit that we have developed for over 30 years, it is tough to break that habit. Sometimes that pattern becomes part of our daily routine, and we no longer see it as good or bad.

Instead, I talk about healthy habits and those that don’t serve our fitness and health goals.

What is a healthy habit?

Healthy habits promote health and wellness in your life — like exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep, and socializing with friends. But, of course, essential habits don’t always have to do with your physical health.

Each time we want to exercise, we have to make a choice. That choice influences whether or not we take a specific action, and the steps that lead to going to exercise are influenced by what happens before we take action to exercise. There are 5 simple ways to make your exercise habits consistent.

Resource: 5 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Exercise and Lose Weight

Why do habits not stick?

The three most common reasons people don’t stick to a habit:

1. The habit is too difficult. (you can make it barely through class)

2. You don’t enjoy doing it. (you do it because your friend said it would be fun)

3. Too many habits at once (doing too many days in a row)

Resource: 5 Small Healthy Habits That You Can Stick With In 2022

Where to start with your habits? If you don’t know where to start. 

In his book Atomic Habits, the author James Cleary explains the 4 Stages of Habit: Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward.

1. The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. Make it obvious.
2. Cravings are the second step of the habit loop and are the motivation behind every habit. Make it attractive.
3. The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action. Make it easy.
4. Rewards are the end goal of every habit. Make it satisfying.

“These 4 steps take us from a problem:” I can’t make exercise stick” problem to the solution:” I feel strong and have lots of energy after I exercise!”

1. Cue. You put out your exercise clothes.
2. Cravings. You want to feel stronger and healthier.
3. Response. You are doing the exercise.
4. Reward. You satisfied your cravings (feeling stronger and healthier). Now exercise is associated with that feeling.

5 Simple Ways That Help You To Exercise Consistently

1. Make a habit visible.

If your goal to start exercising stays in your head, there is little chance that you’ll be consistently successful. This is because we often don’t tell anyone about our health goals and changes until we reach our goals.

Instead, make your habit goal visible by writing down your goals instead of keeping them in your head. Put up a sticky note, create a time to exercise alarm on your phone, add it to your daytimer, and plan the rest of your day around it. Instead of the other way around.

Imagine what that would feel and look like when you reached your goal and habit of consistently exercising.

What steps do you have to take to make that habit change successful? 

1. Set the alarm on your phone so that you can exercise before work.
2. Put out your gym bag or exercise clothes so you are ready to go. This step takes away the decision fatigue that might set in. For example, I’m unsure what outfit to wear, what clothes to pack for work, or what shoes I need for my workout.
3. Plan enough time for a shower or a drive to the gym and still get in the time you want to exercise without feeling stressed and rushed.

Resist the temptation to “just get this done before I exercise” because that task will take longer, and you might not get the planned exercise time. This habit ties in with making it obvious!”

2. Create a dedicated workout space

If you’re working out from home, have a space (it doesn’t have to be big) dedicated to your exercises. Have a mat out, weights stacked, and bands nearby, and if you’re streaming your workouts, have your tablet set up.

Knowing where you’ll work out is a game-changer. This space is special because that’s where you get healthier and stronger, and your emotions are associated with that. So this step aligns, making it obvious!

3. Create a plan. 

You are creating a plan that you can follow and hold you accountable for your actions. You want to feel accomplished, and following a plan can be very rewarding. This step shows you what you achieved and where you fell short.

Creating a plan is a way to set concrete steps and actions.

Goal: You want to exercise 5 days per week for 1 entire month.

• What type of exercises do you want to do?
• How long should each session be?
• When can I do the workout?
• Do you have a space for your workout?
• Do you need to buy equipment?

Based on your answers, you know what your starting point is and what steps you need to aim for to create consistency successfully.

4. Track your progress

You don’t know if you are getting closer to your goals if you don’t track them. For example, we often get started with exercise but have not put a way of measuring our success in place, not knowing if what we are doing produces the results we want.

Goal: You want to exercise 5 days per week for 1 entire month.

Either get a printable workout calendar or mark your planner; whatever you do, use a bright red pen and draw a big “X” on that date to signify that you exercised that day.

By the end of the month, you will see how successful you were at sticking to your workout routine. So high 5 if you hit your goal, and if not, keep going and stay consistent until you reach your 5 days per week for an entire month.

5. Make it fun

Choose the activities that make you happy. If you like to walk, walk more. If you like to play games, do that more. Exercise doesn’t have to happen in the gym or inside. There are so many forms of exercise that you can do. Things like playing soccer or other active games, hiking, and gardening are all forms of exercise.

As many of you know, I love Pilates. Pilates is low impact, builds stronger bones and muscles, creates better posture and flexibility, and a stronger core that we need for all activities. Pilates is especially attractive for women over 50, 60, and beyond because of the low-impact nature of Pilates.

So, whatever exercise you choose, make sure it puts a smile on your face.

Resource: 7 Effortless Ways To Sneak In Exercise During The Holidays

So there you have the 5 simple habits that will help you exercise consistently!

Living a fit and healthy lifestyle has its rewards. For instance, better sleep habits will lead to less stress and fewer colds and illnesses. It’s a common misunderstanding that you, unfortunately, lose that time when you invest in yourself by forming healthy habits. The opposite is true. You’re giving yourself more energy when you start healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise habits.

More energy means more time and the drive to do the things you love.