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Four Habit-Forming Tips to Help You Exercise for Life

  • Posted by Covent Garden Physio
  • On 16th January 2019
  • 0 Comments
  • exercise, Exercise Tips, Habit-forming, Habits

A habit is a behaviour which is performed automatically in response to environmental cues. Brushing your teeth is a good example, you (hopefully) do it when you wake up and before you go to sleep without having to think about it.

At some point, brushing your teeth wouldn’t have been a habit, and it was only through repeatedly performing the action at set times that the behaviour became automatic. The goal with my patients is for exercise or other healthy changes to be as set in stone in their routine as brushing their teeth is.

How long it takes for an action to become a habit depends on the person, the action and how meaningful said action is to them. If something that you’re doing feels like a nagging task or a responsibility rather than something you do automatically, it hasn’t become a habit yet.

The most commonly cited study puts the average time for a habit to form at 66 days, but the range amongst participants was between 18 and 300. This means that you shouldn’t become discouraged if you hit 66 days and still struggle to exercise consistently.

As long as you don’t simply hate the exercise routine you’re attempting (in which case I’d recommend finding a different exercise or activity), the following tips will help you turn a fitness resolution into habits that can last a lifetime.

 

Add your new behaviour to an existing habit

Going back to brushing your teeth: you don’t brush them every time you go into the bathroom, so that can’t be the only cue. The habit is part of a chain of habits: your alarm goes off, you get out of bed, use the bathroom, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed etc.

Habits form more successfully if they are inserted into part of an existing chain. Think of how many individual habits form your complete morning routine. Interestingly, where you place the new habit in the chain also plays a part in its success.

One study compared two groups who were both trying to introduce flossing into their routine. One group flossed before brushing their teeth and the other flossed after.

The group that flossed afterwards were much better at maintaining their new habit. It’s believed that the existing habit of brushing their teeth formed the cue for the new habit, and thus made it easier to adopt, while the other group had to remind themselves without a cue to help them.

In the case of exercise, you should try to insert it into either your morning or post-work routine as there are existing habits to use as cues. Weekend exercise, in my experience, is far less consistent, as there is no set schedule to build upon.

 

Have both short and long term goals and record your progress

Working towards meaningful goals will help you maintain a positive attitude towards your exercise and reward you with a sense of achievement. You should have a combination of short and long term goals so that you are regularly ticking off smaller achievements on the way towards a larger objective.

I encourage my patients to keep a record of their exercise, including how they feel after working out and how they feel if they don’t. Diarising your experience allows you to track your progress, while recording your feelings reinforces your emotional connection to the exercise.

Typically, when reviewing their diaries, my patients find they struggled early on both physically and emotionally but, after a few weeks, the exercise leaves them feeling invigorated while missing a day makes them feel bad.

 

Reward yourself immediately after exercise

Simple conditioning goes a long way to reinforcing a habit. Rewarding yourself on completing your exercise or for achieving your goals will form an association between exercise and pleasure which will help to motivate you through the inevitable struggles.

Research has shown that rewards are most effective when given immediately after the task rather than at the end of the week or the month when the reward is so abstract that it doesn’t motivate you in the moment.

They should also only be possible following the action. For example, if I reward my exercise with a slice of cake when I get home it’s less effective because there’s nothing stopping me from having that cake whenever I want. However, if I buy the cake from the bakery on the way back from the gym, I have to go to the gym in order to be able to receive the reward.

 

Exercise with friends or a personal trainer

It’s much more difficult to maintain the discipline necessary to form a habit when you only have yourself to hold you accountable. Exercising with a friend or hiring a personal trainer adds a social element to your routine and a layer of accountability.

This can be a reward in its own right. If you have a busy schedule, a visit to the gym can provide a rare opportunity to meet equally busy friends. You can also encourage and reward each other, while the fear of letting the other person down can be a powerful motivator.

Good personal trainers combine this social element with expertise on how to stay motivated or adjust routines when you’re struggling. Hiring a trainer also provides a financial incentive to succeed as you don’t want to waste your money.

 

Physiotherapists help our clients form habits every day

Successful physiotherapy involves more than just resolving a current injury but also using the time as an opportunity to encourage our patients to make healthy changes in their life which will prevent future injuries from occurring.

But you don’t need to be injured for us to help you. If you’re struggling to keep up with your exercise routine, feel yourself in a unsatisfying plateau or don’t know where to start, we can help you make meaningful, lasting change to your health and fitness.

Get in touch with us now by emailing at info@coventgardenphysio.com, call 0207 497 8974, or book online.

Scott Branny

Physiotherapist

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An excellent experience. Both Kevin and Anthony are superb, I can't recommend them enough.
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Highly recommend Anthony. Great service - understanding and knowledgable.
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Kevin Kong at Covent Garden Physio is outstanding ! I have seen a lot of physios in my time but Kevin is by far and away the best ! He has taken me from long term back problems which were casuing me huge issues to fully functional again and sorted my knees out too. Don't waste your time and money on random physios.... go see Kevin and get great results !read more
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05:35 26 Aug 20
I recently found myself suffering from a lower back and leg injury that brought with it very bad pain, numbness in my leg and also weakness. Seeing as I have a history of having herniated discs in my lower back, I just assumed that I was having another issue related to the discs in my back and I began to get concerned. Not sure what to do, I spoke to my GP who recommended trying Physiotherapy first to see if that would alleviate my issues and I did an online search and came across Covent Garden Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic. Not only were they conveniently located to where I live, but their reviews were wonderful so I decided to give them a call. My first point of contact was Victoria, the office manager and she was so incredibly kind, helpful and accomodating. She got me in for an initial visit right away and she recommended that I see Scott Branny for my Physiotherapy needs. Scott was so incredibly knowledgeable, kind, attentive and helpful and from my first visit with him up until my last visit, he always knew just how to help me feel better and get me on the road to recovery. Every exercise that he showed me worked magnificently and before I knew it, I was no longer experiencing any pain or weakeness and I was back to myself! I am so thankful and grateful to Scott, Victoria and everyone at Covent Garden Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic for providing such an excellent service and for being so kind and compassionate! I highly reccommend them to anyone in need of Physiotherapy! :)read more
Jay Owens
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13:41 03 Dec 19
Cannot recommend highly enough. Physio Anthony Vidis is genuinely a wizard, and has often managed to set me right in a single session. This makes Covent Garden Physio way more cost-effective than other places that might have you coming back week after week - and I have recommended him to many friends. Booking online is easy and convenient, they often have appointments available before/after work - and practice manager Victoria is helpful with bookings short notice. Don't go anywhere else.read more
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Geoff Y
Geoff Y
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My shoulders and neck are broken, well not broken but in a bad way. On a suggestion from a colleague, I went to try this out. I saw Anthony Vidis and within a few minutes he'd already started on a plan. He seemed skilled and knowledgeable, asking a lot of questions before he started any manipulation. The first session left me with a lot more movement and the second session even more so. Less pain and more flexibility has definitely provided a better life experience.read more
Dan Redfearn
Dan Redfearn
19:39 24 Sep 19
I was referred to Scott Branney due to a shoulder injury. This was my first physio experience and I have been very satisfied with the treatment I have received from Scott. Scott is very knowledgable, has set a really thorough exercise routine to compliment the treatment. On top of everything he's a really nice guy! Very happy to recommend him.read more
PB Creative
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I've been receiving treatment from Scott for the last 8 months following shoulder surgery and have been very happy with everything throughout. Scott has done a great job in successfully rehabilitated my shoulder back to pretty much full health and has been very supportive and proactive in prescribing and monitoring my progress through bi-weekly checkups and home exercise programmes. In general, I have found Covent Garden Physiotherapy to be a friendly, welcoming and highly effective place to receive treatment and would highly recommend them.read more
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20:53 31 May 19
I went to Covent Garden Physio with a groin injury three weeks ahead of the Edinburgh Marathon. My physiotherapist, Scott, was extremely helpful and as well as clearly explaining and quickly sorting the problem, gave me good advice for avoiding future injuries. Highly recommended!read more
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Had a very good experience. The team was very quick to book me in and answer my questions. I was visited by Anthony who was very friendly and helpful, he really helped me to fix my issue, explaining what had happened by my back and the pain was gone in 24h! Very good price for excellent service.read more
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