Fitness for me was never something that formed a central part of my identity. Or any part, really. It was something I did, on occasion, when the need arose. Recently though, I was traveling for work, and I found myself – for the first time – wanting to keep up a fitness routine. Not just wanting to, needing to, even. It was weird!
I have a good thing going at the moment, fitness-wise. Monday, I’m in DSC twice: lunchtime for some movement and mobility. Then I’m in again that evening for a group workout. Tuesday, I go for a run at around 5pm, coming back refreshed for some meetings with San Francisco. Wednesday, I’ll sometimes play five-a-side football at lunch. Thursday, I’m in the gym with Paul that evening. Friday is a rest. Saturday, in the gym with Fiona on for the morning masterclass. Sunday, I’ll go for a climb with a friend. Now, I don’t do all of that every week, but – even when things are crazy – I’ll try get two classes and a run in.
So, when I was away, I found success in trying to replicate that schedule as much as possible. Monday workout, Tuesday run etc. I even went for a climb on the Sunday, corralling some San Francisco friends to join. And it was super fun. That’s the thing, which I talked a little about before. Fitness can be fun. But, in my experience, it’s only fun when the habit has been ingrained. When it’s no longer a struggle to motivate yourself to actually do the thing. And you also get positive knock on effects from building that habit.
There’s a book by Charles Duhigg called ‘The Power of Habit’. In the book, he talks about the power of ‘keystone habits’: things you build into your life that make other things easier. I’ve seen this in action with the Saturday morning class. Having to be in the gym for 9.30 on a Saturday morning means I need to be up at about 8.30. Needing to be up at 8.30 means I need to take it fairly easy on a Friday night: I can still go out and have a good time, but it has been a good forcing function to taper things a little. Then, when the class is over at 10.30, I feel super productive, and I have my whole weekend ahead of me. I’ll shower, do a bit of writing for an hour or so, and then meet a friend for coffee. All that done before lunchtime – the time where before I used to only be dragging myself out of bed at.
This is the thing: I find I’m happier when I’m actively doing things, rather than passively consuming content. But I’m also inherently lazy. Sure, I know that I should get up early. But, I could just lie here and scroll Instagram for another four hours. Pre-committing to things, although sometimes a struggle in the moment, is a great way to motivate yourself. For some people, the gym themselves makes them happier – which I’m definitely finding lately. But the gym can also be a great catalyst to enable that that happiness, elsewhere. Want to build better sleeping habits? Book into a morning class: forcing yourself to go to bed early in order to be rested for the morning. Want to avoid eating out all the time? Sign up for a lunchtime class and bring a packed lunch to eat al desko.
Blog by Ben Butler.
Staying on Track in December
Around Christmas time we have more work dinners, catch up with old friends, friends come home for the holidays and there’s a more family gatherings.
Member of the Month
Stephanie has been one of the most consistent and motivated clients I have ever trained. After ankle surgery a few years ago, our training journey
Top 10 Q’s October
How often should I train in a week? Easy – at least 4 times a week to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Your weekly exercise routine
