Many people want to develop the good habit of exercising, but they all face one problem: they only plan to work out three or four times a week. This alone is enough to make it difficult to form a new habit. The reason is that the longer you stick with a certain action, the more likely it is to become a habit.
Only by exercising every day can you possibly develop the habit of working out. Make exercise unconscious and spontaneous, and things will become much simpler.
I have recently started putting this idea into practice in my daily life, committing to different types of exercise every day—running, swimming, cycling, and strength training—in order to reach the Olympic triathlon standard this year. Last year, I developed the habit of running every day as I prepared for my first marathon, but the plan was interrupted due to illness, so now I’m working to regain the habit.
If you’re planning to develop the habit of exercising every day, start with a 30-day self-challenge. After 30 days, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Here are some practical tips:
1. Determine Your Daily Exercise Time
Think about which time of day works best for you—early morning, after lunch, or evening? I’ve set my time for 5:30 a.m. every day, and I try not to change it. If you don’t set a specific time, you’re likely to keep postponing your workout until you have more time or energy—and then it gets pushed to the next day, and eventually the habit fades away.
2. Set a Reminder for Yourself
I use Memo to Me. Of course, there are many ways to get email or text reminders. Once you receive the reminder, start immediately. Don’t make any excuses to delay.
3. Don’t Overdo It at the Start
This might be the most useful tip. When I first started exercising, I always had big ambitions, thinking I could do more. But doing too much in the beginning can negatively affect your entire exercise plan. When you first try to develop the habit of daily workouts, your body may not yet be able to handle that level of stress. The key here: start with just 20 minutes of exercise per day, and don’t do anything too intense. Isn’t that easy? At first, you might even only need to exercise for 10–15 minutes. The important thing is to take the first step, let your body gradually adapt to daily workouts, and then slowly form the habit.
4. Then Gradually Increase the Workout Intensity
Once your body starts getting used to regular exercise, you can slowly increase both the amount and intensity of your workouts. Wait at least two weeks before trying this—your body needs that much time to adjust. When 20 minutes of exercise starts feeling easy, you can try 30, 40 minutes, or even gradually increase to an hour. Once you’ve done that, you can slowly increase the intensity—such as running faster. Don’t try to increase both the duration and intensity at the same time.
5. Make Exercise Enjoyable
If you associate a habit with pain, you’ll subconsciously want to avoid it. But what if the habit makes you think of something enjoyable? You’ll definitely be more willing to do it. That’s why, when I first started exercising, I always focused on the fun parts. I enjoyed the scenery while jogging, breathed in the fresh morning air, admired the beautiful sunrise, and relished the quiet solitude… these are all things I love. Bringing an MP3 player can also help a lot.
6. Prepare Your Workout Gear in Advance
The fewer obstacles and resistance you face while forming a habit, the more likely you are to succeed. Just think—early in the morning when you’re still half asleep, the thought of having to gather all your workout gear before exercising might just make you stay in bed... But if you’ve already laid out your workout clothes, shoes, watch, MP3 player, and everything else you need, ready to go whenever, things will go much more smoothly.
7. Don’t Hesitate—Just Open the Door and Go Out
My rule is to head out the moment I put on my running shoes. I don’t think about how far or how long I’ll run today. All I do is open the door and go out. Then I start exercising. Once you manage to do this, everything else is a piece of cake.
8. Mix Up Your Workout Routines
One reason I enjoy triathlon training is that it keeps my daily workouts from getting boring—I can swim or cycle instead of just running every day, which makes exercising more fun. Different sports work different muscle groups, especially swimming. Of course, some muscles get used more often, but different exercises work them in different ways. I bring up this example to say that I’m not working the same muscles every day. I give them time to rest and recover, because overworking without recovery can damage your muscles.
9. Take a “Rest” Day Once a Week
Once again, recovery is very important. If you’re only doing light exercise—just 20 minutes a day—you might be fine without a dedicated rest day. But it’s best to take one day a week to do something different from the other six. You shouldn’t just skip it and do nothing—that would break the continuity of your workouts, which isn’t good for forming a habit. If you need more rest, go for a 20-minute walk or meditate for a while.
10. Don’t Skip a Single Day
It’s okay, I’ve done it for five days straight; I’ll skip today. Many people say that. But that will only make it harder to form the habit. Persistence is the key—especially the key within the key. Don’t skip a single day. If you slack off one day, don’t blame yourself—everyone struggles with this, and forming a habit is a skill that takes practice. Just restart a 30-day plan, clarify your goals and obstacles, and push forward.
