The power of small fitness habits

There’s a famous quote: ”Beginning is half-done”

But I would argue that it’s more than half.

We all miss workouts.

But not very often do we quit in the middle of a workout.

Getting started is the hardest part.

A few seconds into the workout, we start to think, “Hey, this isn’t so bad,” and then a few minutes later, “It’s actually starting to feel pretty good.”

A few years ago, I read a book called Tiny Habits. I enjoyed it so much that I signed up to become a certified Tiny Habits coach. PhD BJ Fogg used his research team at Standford created a system for positive behavior change.

The main idea is to make the habit small, easy, and predictable to make it almost impossible to fail.

But this doesn’t mean our long-term goals have to be small.

Quite the opposite.

The bigger the better.

Aiming to be in the top 1% fitness level is ideal.

Because even if you come up short, you’ll still make it to the top 5 or 10%.

But big dreams start with the small things you do today.

Behavior change doesn’t have to be hard.

By scaling back the effort needed to complete the habit we make it a lot more likely that we’ll stick with it.

He created a formula to overcome the resistance of getting started. Here’s the template for creating a new habit:

After I (action already in your routine), I will (new habit).

For example, “After I finish my morning coffee, I will put on my walking shoes”

Even if you decide to take off your shoes and not go for a walk it’s still a win.

The only outcome you need to care about accomplishing is that first tiny step.

Because more than 50% of the time, you end up going for that walk.

After you've been walking for a minute, the movement starts to feel effortless.

So if you’ve ever found yourself frustrated that you can’t get your new fitness habit to stick, try focusing only on taking that first step (and make it predictable by tying it to something already in your routine).

“After I brush my teeth, I will…

-Drive to the gym
-Stretch for 1 minute
-Put on workout clothes
-Do one exercise in my basement
-Try 30 seconds of conscious breathing

The resistance is removed and momentum is building.

Adopt habits that hit all the right notes: sleep, walking, exercise, real food, and fun.

9 month routine to upgrade your fitness level:

8 hours of sleep with same wake up time
7 days of morning sun exposure
6 minutes of daily stretching
5 minute dynamic warm-up
4 x per week lift weights
3 meals with real food
2 walks every day
1 sport per week

Hope this helps,

Tyler Van Acker, Doctor of PT

PS

Getting started is the hardest part.

What’s the smallest action you can take towards your goal?

Do that tiny first step at the same time 7 days a week.

Getting started is more than 50% of the work.