Creating a lasting exercise habit takes time; see six steps to get started now Estadão

The new year is here and with it the resolutions to practice more. Google searches for gyms generally increase in January, as do signups.

While many people start an exercise routine this week, the hard part will be sticking with it. Creating a lasting exercise habit takes time, experts say.

“We were made to want instant gratification rather than delayed gratification,” said Katy Milkman, a Wharton School professor and author of How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. You Want To Be “And most good habits consist of delaying gratification in order to do something that is good for you.”

Motivation to exercise can come in many different forms. Here’s some expert advice on how to build sustainable change.

set specific goals

Having a determination to practice is just the beginning. Ideally, you will have specific goals and then create an actionable plan.

“Be specific about when you’re going to do it, where you’re going to do it, how you’re going to get there,” Katy Milkman said. “Research shows that making our goals really specific and small is more effective.”

New Year’s resolutions are often ambitious but not specific enough to convince someone to change their behavior, said Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business : Why We Do What We Do in life and business).

“What’s really effective is having a plan,” he said. “And a plan has to be specific. It should have a specific goal, like “I’m going to run a marathon in November.” And that means I’m going to start a training calendar, which I’ve already downloaded, starting in February.”

Find your “why”

Michelle Segar, a researcher and health coach at the University of Michigan, believes the first thing people need to do is think about their exercise history and determine if their approach is working.

She challenges her clients to “find out your why.” Although people often start exercising to lose weight or become healthier, this approach is often not enough to “motivate them to continue exercising,” says the researcher.

Instead, try to find a more meaningful “why,” such as by focusing on the positive feelings you experience while doing an activity, explains the author of The Joy Choice: How to Finally Make Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise: How to finally achieved lasting changes in diet and exercise).

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Michelle suggests that those who want to exercise try to reframe the practice as something that can “instantly help you feel better and take better care of the people and projects that matter most to you.”

Don’t think “all or nothing”

Rigidity and perfectionism are often the enemies of practice habit building.

In Katy Milkman’s research on flexible versus more rigid habits and routines, she found that individuals who were more flexible in their exercise schedule were more likely to continue going to the gym than the rigid group.

“Basically, we’ve found that rigid habits are a problem,” she said. The reason for this is that these people often don’t have backup plans. Those who, on the other hand, allow “more variability in their routine” are more likely to develop the habit of exercising, she said. “If they hit a bump, they still go to the gym.”

Michelle Segar finds that “all or nothing” thinking gets in the way of people achieving their goals.

“Someone might say, ‘Damn, I just can’t go to the gym, but I can walk around the block,'” she said. “The formula for helping more people lead physically active lives is to give them permission to be flexible about what they do and choose a menu of different activities that they do can do.”

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Rigidity and perfectionism are often the enemies of building an exercise habit, experts say. Photo: Minna Hamalainen/Unsplash

Combine your training with some fun

Exercise can and should be fun, and people tend to repeat things they enjoy. You can make practicing more enjoyable by using a technique Katy Milkman calls “temptation wrapping.” Combine sports with activities that you enjoy. For example, watch a TV show while using the treadmill at the gym.

The researcher also recommends exercising with a friend. Studies have shown that people enjoy exercising when they exercise with friends and feel responsible for someone else.

“What motivates us is that we enjoy the experience,” said Katy Milkman. “So when we think about habits, we repeat things we like best. Perseverance is how you build a habit. The more you do it, the more automatic it becomes, the longer you keep it. So it’s a good reinforcement loop.”

Be patient. Habits take time

It often takes months to form a habit in the gym. So remember, you’re trying to build a lifelong fitness practice.

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“There are many differences between people, but on average it doesn’t happen overnight or in a few weeks,” explains Katy Milkman.

People should also take comfort in the fact that habits become internalized over time, even though things don’t seem like they’re going to get any easier, Duhigg said.

“Eventually it will feel automatic,” he said. “And actually, once it becomes a habit, you probably won’t even realize it’s a habit.”

If you’re having trouble sticking to an exercise habit or routine, take it easy. Your struggle may be because exercise feels more like punishment than anything motivating.

Practicing selfcompassion — which means being kind to yourself — can really help you achieve your goals.

“We know from research that the main reason people don’t have selfcompassion is because they fear it will undermine their motivation,” said Kristin Neff, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

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But that thinking is wrong, he says. A review study found that teaching college athletes more selfcompassion improved their athletic performance, said the professor, author of Fierce SelfCompassion.

“Creating change through encouragement and kindness is far more effective than bringing about change through criticism,” he says.

To practice selfcompassion, think about how you would motivate a friend to help you achieve a goal. “What would you say to let her know that you believe in her and that you are there for her?” he said. “Then say something similar to yourself.”

And if you miss a few days or even a week or a month of exercise, don’t beat yourself up.

“When you get out of hand, which many do, that’s how goals work, we often don’t achieve them,” said Katy Milkman. “It’s part of setting goals. There are other new beginnings just around the corner. So don’t give up completely.”/Contributed by Tara ParkerPope