It really is difficult. There are a lot of good tricks you can play to make yourself do it, you just gotta find which one works for you.
Someone else mentioned having a show that you only watch while exercising. If non-static exercise like running or walking is more your thing, swap that for a podcast or audiobook. (I recommend checking your library’s audiobook programme if they have one, or check out one of the smaller audiobook sellers, before giving money to Amazon’s Audible, if possible.)
Another option is to set yourself a goal. Tell yourself you’re doing a half marathon in six months and actually sign up for it to commit yourself. Or a 60 km bike ride. Or an Olympic distance triathlon. If you want, especially if you’ve already done this trick once or twice and need something a little spicier, add a time goal to that. Do the HM in under 2 hours, the triathlon in under 3, whatever.
The hardest part is often getting out the door. Tell yourself it’s a success if you just put your shoes on and step outside. Once you’re there, its much easier to start running than it is from inside. If it’s still hard, tell yourself you’ll just run to the end of the street and turn back. Once you’re at the end of the street, set a new goal, etc. I find it best not to plan a run that involves multiple laps, because I’m much more likely to end up only doing 5k if I plan on doing 2 laps of a 5k course than if I set out on a 10k single loop.
Have people you train with. Training directly with people is best, and as an added bonus is really healthy mentally in terms of socialising. But failing that you could always find an online group of people, or just a chat group of IRL friends, who check in on each other and hold you accountable.
If whatever exercise you have been doing doesn’t work for you, try something else. If you’re not a runner, hop on a bike. If you don’t enjoy riding, get in the pool. A social team sport like netball, touch footy, or ultimate frisbee could be good, if you can find a friendly non-judgmental group.
If you’re a data nerd and/or the kind of gamer who likes getting all the Steam achievements, buy a Garmin. Try and build up a streak, or watch your time or distance climb the more often you train. Earlier this year I earnt myself the trophy for meeting my step goal 90 days in a row—I had step goal set to automatic, where it increases every time you meet your goal, and decreases if you miss it. Increases more if you overshoot by a lot.
You could plan out some GPS artwork and ride or run a route that draws something cool. You may need to train up to be able to achieve the distance, if your artwork is more ambitious.
That’s just a few of the tricks I have used at varying times to varying degrees of success to help keep up my exercise habit.
Thanks for the tips! I think the main barrier for me is that I have a kid with unmanaged ADHD that, frankly, takes up 92% of my spoons. I don’t blame him of course, but having to do someone else’s executive functioning (often against their will) on a daily basis takes a lot of me. I also work fully remote, and so all my income is based on whatever willpower is leftover from parenting, so I have at best maybe a thirty minute window in every day where if I don’t have the spoons to do it right then, the day is a write-off.
I think I’d do really well if I had other people as part of my routine, but southern England’s social scene has been a tough nut to crack as a slightly off-putting American, especially one that doesn’t touch facebook… Up until this summer I’ve been making do as the sole earner, so hiring a personal trainer was off the table. Maybe it’s time to get over myself and find something at the gym. It’ll be new years resolution season soon, so there’s bound to be other reluctant nerds to socialize with, as a bonus.
I don’t know if this is at all a viable option for you, but some of my favourite memories from growing up were going for runs with my dad. It’s not the kind of exercise that’s going to get you marathon trained, and my dad was also doing a heap of exercise on his own without me, but if you just wanted to get enough exercise in to feel like you’re being healthy, that could be one way to fit it in—with the added bonus of helping your kid’s mental and physical health at the same time.
I have a coworker who’s been doing morning hikes with a friend who lives 1000 miles and an entire timezone away. They call each other and chat while they both go for a walk on whatever their local path of choice is, and it forces both of them to go out every day
It really is difficult. There are a lot of good tricks you can play to make yourself do it, you just gotta find which one works for you.
Someone else mentioned having a show that you only watch while exercising. If non-static exercise like running or walking is more your thing, swap that for a podcast or audiobook. (I recommend checking your library’s audiobook programme if they have one, or check out one of the smaller audiobook sellers, before giving money to Amazon’s Audible, if possible.)
Another option is to set yourself a goal. Tell yourself you’re doing a half marathon in six months and actually sign up for it to commit yourself. Or a 60 km bike ride. Or an Olympic distance triathlon. If you want, especially if you’ve already done this trick once or twice and need something a little spicier, add a time goal to that. Do the HM in under 2 hours, the triathlon in under 3, whatever.
The hardest part is often getting out the door. Tell yourself it’s a success if you just put your shoes on and step outside. Once you’re there, its much easier to start running than it is from inside. If it’s still hard, tell yourself you’ll just run to the end of the street and turn back. Once you’re at the end of the street, set a new goal, etc. I find it best not to plan a run that involves multiple laps, because I’m much more likely to end up only doing 5k if I plan on doing 2 laps of a 5k course than if I set out on a 10k single loop.
Have people you train with. Training directly with people is best, and as an added bonus is really healthy mentally in terms of socialising. But failing that you could always find an online group of people, or just a chat group of IRL friends, who check in on each other and hold you accountable.
If whatever exercise you have been doing doesn’t work for you, try something else. If you’re not a runner, hop on a bike. If you don’t enjoy riding, get in the pool. A social team sport like netball, touch footy, or ultimate frisbee could be good, if you can find a friendly non-judgmental group.
If you’re a data nerd and/or the kind of gamer who likes getting all the Steam achievements, buy a Garmin. Try and build up a streak, or watch your time or distance climb the more often you train. Earlier this year I earnt myself the trophy for meeting my step goal 90 days in a row—I had step goal set to automatic, where it increases every time you meet your goal, and decreases if you miss it. Increases more if you overshoot by a lot.
You could plan out some GPS artwork and ride or run a route that draws something cool. You may need to train up to be able to achieve the distance, if your artwork is more ambitious.
That’s just a few of the tricks I have used at varying times to varying degrees of success to help keep up my exercise habit.
Thanks for the tips! I think the main barrier for me is that I have a kid with unmanaged ADHD that, frankly, takes up 92% of my spoons. I don’t blame him of course, but having to do someone else’s executive functioning (often against their will) on a daily basis takes a lot of me. I also work fully remote, and so all my income is based on whatever willpower is leftover from parenting, so I have at best maybe a thirty minute window in every day where if I don’t have the spoons to do it right then, the day is a write-off.
I think I’d do really well if I had other people as part of my routine, but southern England’s social scene has been a tough nut to crack as a slightly off-putting American, especially one that doesn’t touch facebook… Up until this summer I’ve been making do as the sole earner, so hiring a personal trainer was off the table. Maybe it’s time to get over myself and find something at the gym. It’ll be new years resolution season soon, so there’s bound to be other reluctant nerds to socialize with, as a bonus.
I don’t know if this is at all a viable option for you, but some of my favourite memories from growing up were going for runs with my dad. It’s not the kind of exercise that’s going to get you marathon trained, and my dad was also doing a heap of exercise on his own without me, but if you just wanted to get enough exercise in to feel like you’re being healthy, that could be one way to fit it in—with the added bonus of helping your kid’s mental and physical health at the same time.
I should be jogging him in to school, it would be a benefit to us both.
Yeah absolutely! Or even just walking him in. A brisk walk (ballpark: <10 min/km) is quite good exercise.
I have a coworker who’s been doing morning hikes with a friend who lives 1000 miles and an entire timezone away. They call each other and chat while they both go for a walk on whatever their local path of choice is, and it forces both of them to go out every day