If there was just one new fitness habit you could magically get yourself to start doing, what would it be?
Do you wish you could regularly get to the gym at lunchtime instead of mindlessly eating at your desk, again?
![To make progress in running, or any new fitness habit, start with a simple goal.](/web/20161125074530im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/k/m/5/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsklrv.png/1478597961248.jpg)
Or maybe you wished you were an awesome runner, but in reality you can barely find the time to lace your runners up once a month (and when you do have them on, you're gasping for air within minutes?).
This was me – the person I had accidentally become. The wannabe runner.
I used to love going running first thing in the morning, through some gorgeous, harbour-facing bushland. But when I deliberately shifted my priorities from training and competing to writing and work, I completely lost the habit of getting up and going for a run. I had become immersed in getting up and tapping away on my keyboard, sitting down for 10 hours a day.
In six short months just the thought of running had became a massive chore. It was a slap in the face reminding me of how unfit I had become. I felt unmotivated and very guilty.
I knew that "being more motivated" was not the answer. No number of inspirational memes was going to get me up and running.
Instead, I devised an unbelievably simple strategy which instantly took me from not running at all, to running six mornings a week, up to 30 kilometres with ease.
I started running again not by pushing myself like crazy (like I used to), but by setting the bar incredibly low.
Here is the exact, super simple, three-step solution that I used to create and stick to my fitness habit, which you can use too;
Step 1. Clarity
Get 100 per cent clear on what you want to do, be, or become.
In my case, I wanted to be a runner and to go running consistently.
You might decide to be a walker or swimmer, or do yoga regularly. Maybe you want to start meditating. Just get clear on who you want to become.
Step 2. Choose one super easy action
Make a decision on just ONE incredibly simple action you are committed to doing, five or six times a week, for the next 30 days.
I know this seems totally counter-intuitive, but set the bar incredibly low for yourself. Make your action ridiculously easy and 100 per cent do-able.
For example, my goal was to be a consistent runner. So I set my action to go walking for 10 minutes every morning, six times a week.
Other examples might include doing four minutes of yoga, six times a week. Or five minutes of push-ups, or even three minutes of meditation, five days a week.
It took me just three days of "walking" before I was running again, but I told myself every time – just go for a walk.
Making the transition from walking to running was very simple – I just waited until I felt like jogging. I even gave myself permission to shuffle instead of jog (right at the start when I was first getting back into it). I eliminated all performance expectation, which removed the pressure of feeling like a success or failure. Instead, every step made me feel like I was making progress.
If I didn't want to jog, I didn't. But after 10 or 15 minutes of walking, my body actually wanted to go a little bit faster. Natural motivation kicked in by its own accord. Thanks endorphins!
Once I was running, I set myself a target to run to, like the next hill.
I tricked myself and said, "When you get there, you can just walk back". But by the time I arrived I'd gained momentum and was feeling good. I'd either keep running, or turn around and start running home, playing the same trick the whole way back.
If you want you can set a walk/run ratio, for example one minute walk, one minute run – repeating this for the time you've said you'll commit to. Or even just for four minutes. It really doesn't matter. Just keep moving forward.
Step 3. Celebrate Your Success
This is a key part in making your habit stick, and if you're a nerd like me it's also fun.
Get a blank sheet of A4 paper. Draw up a simple calendar that covers off the next 30 days. Put it up on your fridge so you can see it every day.
This your accountability calendar. Its simplicity is priceless as it helps you to track, and celebrate, your daily success.
Right after you've done your action, mark it off with a big tick. Feel good about it! The cynic in you might want to scoff and say that it's too insignificant, that we shouldn't be so quick to celebrate ourselves. Rubbish!
Stop getting in the way of feeling good. Stop waiting to be better, or amazing or perfect before you're allowed to feel good. Enjoy the fact that you are getting off your butt to make the changes in your life that you really want. Tick it off, and enjoy it.
If you do miss a day, forgive yourself instantly and get back to your easy-to-do action the next day. Look at all your ticks and action taken so far. Don't lose the plot over one day. Again, let go of needing to be perfect.
And after your 30 days are up? Firstly, congrats! Now you can mark up a new 30-day calendar, with a new or harder challenge. Go for it.
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