Making it stick

[TheWater]

I am completely all or nothing. How do you establish a good exercise habit and make it last for more than a few weeks?

You have to find a way to make it fit into your life and routines without it being a huge effort. It also helps if you at least half enjoy the exercise you’re doing.

People are different and what works for one won’t necessarily for another but I found that when I started running I had to force myself out the door but I always wanted to be good at running and so I made myself do it. As I started to see improvements it motivated me to keep going.

Now it’s just what I do and I actually love it. It’s become a big social thing in my life and I couldn’t imagine not doing it. The being able to eat pretty much what I like and not gain weight is also a plus! 😂. But don’t think that a 5k a couple of times a week means you can do that, I did that for a couple of years and though I got better at running unless I was dieting my weight wouldn’t change. I now run between 30 and 40 miles on an average week plus several strength sessions! I actually have to remember to eat enough or I lose weight and I love how fit I feel. That’s pretty motivating to keep going.

For me, it was getting a Garmin watch because it has an online dashboard, not just an app, so you can track data more obsessively. Sometimes I feed data into AI for more detailed feedback. Otherwise I'd never notice the subtle progress I'm making from one week to the next. It's very motivating!

Oh, edited to add: This is also how I learned that I have a slightly odd recovery pattern. My body for some reason treats rhythmic movement, such as running or elliptical, as more relaxing than sitting still. It's become my training superpower! We're all wired up to enjoy different types of activity, so it was a useful discovery for me to make.

I joined a gym, DL, and then I discovered classes, which you can book 8 days in advance. So today I can book classes for a week on Monday.
For some reason I don't find myself looking forward to a class but I absolutely love doing classes and feel terrific afterwards. The
instructors are very supportive and encouraging, and so are most of the other members. I start every day there, if I'm at home, 7 days a week. I really recommend it.

Like @Beachtastic with her Garmin watch - I got my first fitbit about 12 years ago now. I loved the 'dashboard' that showed all the stats and it really motivated me to get my steps in - as I got fitter and walked faster and further I decided to incorporate other forms of exercise, from pilates to Zumba and then weights and bootcamp classes. 12 years later I fit my week around my exercise sessions rather than fitting exercise sessions into my week!

Does all or nothing mean you overdo it & burn out or injure yourself?

What do you end up doing with your time instead, OP?
Does it need doing (housework, paid work, childcare, repairs)?
Is it useful to your mental health instead (socialising, rest, meditating)?
Or is it maybe fun but mindless and frittering (scrolling on MNet?)

Maybe try to plan your whole week around getting exercise & the necessary done.

Make it convenient - put gym clothes out the night before, join a gym near home or work, keep kit in boot of car etc
Don't wait to be motivated, you don’t need motivation to clean your teeth, it’s a non-negotiable, treat exercise the same way
Find something that’s fun and/or social - if you are more motivated by not letting others down (read Gretchen Rubin on the 4 tendencies to discover if that’s you, she also has great fitness tips if you are motivated differently depending on your personality type)
basically, work out what the incentives to exercise are, and the barriers (for you) and then what can you do to increase/enhance the incentives and reduce or eliminate the barriers

if you like reading, Atomic Habits is also worth a look

I used to run but can no longer due to recurring injury. There’s nothing I enjoy as much. I have a static bike but it isn’t good for my lower back. I do cold dips now to replace my running buzz.
I’m all or nothing in that I’ll do every day (static bike and core workout, also yoga) for a few weeks and feel great, but then if I miss one day for whatever reason I find it very difficult to get back into it, it’ll turn into weeks and months of nothing. I do have an active job, but I don’t see it as exercising and I feel better when I work out properly.
I do try and plan often but I struggle to stick to it and then get upset with myself which makes me less motivated.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will seek out the Gretchen Rubin book.
I’ve read atomic habits and it didn’t sort me out unfortunately. I love reading but I’m crap at consistently implementing the advice.

If you do youtube videos, hyperlink them into a calendar entry on your phone with an alert, then you can cast them on to the TV. The faffing is done in advance then.