The Dose25:38 How can I make exercise a part of my routine?
If you’ve ever struggled to stick to your New Year’s resolution to exercise more, experts say starting small and scheduling time to exercise is key. Mary Jung, Associate Professor in UBC’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, shares her tips for making exercise a habit.
Vowing to become more active is a popular New Year’s resolution, but study shows that most people give up on their exercise and weight loss efforts by February.
Researchers say there may be several factors why people don’t stick to it. Often this is because the goal may have been too ambitious.
“The key part is really starting small. We need to set realistic, routine goals,” said Mary Jung, associate professor in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Department of Health and Exercise, in an interview with Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC’s The Dose.
Researchers encourage people to try different activities when they are new to exercise. (Aisha Elgayar)
Sticking to a new exercise routine can be challenging because it involves a series of behaviors like getting dressed, checking the time, and then doing the activity, says Kathleen Martin Guinness, a professor in the UBC Department of Medicine and director of the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management. .
“That’s what makes it extremely difficult to start and maintain. It’s not like putting on a seat belt or brushing your teeth or taking a vitamin,” she said.
Recognizing what stops us from exercising and dealing with it can help us incorporate exercise into our weekly routine.
So if you’ve ever struggled to stick to a resolution or want to get more active, here’s what those who study physical activity and human behavior suggest for the best chance of developing a routine.
Why does it matter to you?
Before you strap on the runners, experts agree you should start by thinking about why exercise or weight loss is important to you.
“We know from a lot of research that … the people most likely to stick with an exercise program are the people who find a deeper meaning in exercise than just losing weight or looking good,” Martin Guinness said.
“The typical New Year’s resolution, ‘I need to lose 10 pounds fast,’ may get you to the gym or out for the first few days, but it won’t keep you going in the long run.”
Actually Swedish the researchers found that people who made decisions around approaching a goal with a positive outcome rather than avoiding something—like the goal of getting fit enough to run the bases in a slow-pitch tournament instead of vowing to give up sweets—were more likely to abide by their decisions.
To help you map out your priorities and create a plan, Lynn Honey, professor of psychology at MacEwan University in Edmonton, recommends the SMART goals approach, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.
There are thousands of free exercise videos online for people to use if they don’t want to go to the gym. (Credit: iStock/Getty Images)
“You’re working toward a potential thing that you haven’t worked on in quite some time, so it’s really important to create goals that are actually achievable so you’re not just setting yourself up for disappointment,” she said.
She suggests being as specific as possible. If you want to run a 5K by summer, that’s a more specific goal than just “getting in shape” and can be broken down into sub-goals through weekly training, Honey says.
Start small
Most people take on too much when they start exercising, says Rebecca Lloyd, professor and English-speaking director of graduate studies in the University of Ottawa’s department of education.
She recommends that people start slowly and recognize the movement they already do as part of their daily routine, such as getting out of a chair or going down the stairs, and build on that.
The next steps will look different for everyone, but for someone who is inactive, Jung generally recommends starting with 10 to 15 minutes of daily activity.
Walking is a good starter activity for many because it doesn’t involve an expensive gym membership or special equipment, she says.
Jung also says to start with something you know you can do and build on it.
“If I know I can deadlift 10 pounds and do a bicep curl, I’ll start with 10 pounds. It’s actually very important for me to experience success and accomplishment,” said Jung, who is also director of UBC’s Center for Health Behavior Change.
of Canada traffic directions recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity cardiovascular or aerobic activity per week and muscle-strengthening activities such as weight lifting at least twice a week.
Terry Roberts, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fitness Association and host of the YouTube channel The Pink Dumbbell Problem, says those first workouts can be challenging.
“I always tell people it’s like learning a dance form or learning to play a musical instrument. You’re not going to pick up a guitar and play like Eddie Van Halen in the first lesson,” she said.
Personal trainers can help you build a workout plan that will suit your physical abilities, she added.
Remove barriers as much as possible
Time is often a barrier for people, Honey says.
“A lot of us like to talk about how busy we are, but we all still find time to spend a few moments here and there on social media or playing a video game,” she said.
“I’m not saying people should give these things up, but there are chunks of time that we could use differently.”
Peloton became extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people trained at home. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Honey, Jung and Martin Guinness recommend action planning—setting aside time on the calendar and adding details like a workout location—to help people stick to their goals.
“What we’ve shown and others have shown over and over again is that the simple act of putting it on your calendar … will significantly increase the amount of time you spend on an activity,” said Martin Guinness.
Still, it can be easy to ignore that calendar on your fridge or the notification on your phone to work out when life calls.
“What makes it more challenging for us when we think about exercise is that, of course, it has to be voluntary. We have to choose to do it, and there are so many other factors in our lives that act as a barrier to us engaging in this purposeful exercise,” Jung said.
But it’s important to remember that increasing your physical activity levels doesn’t have to happen in a gym and that there are millions of free workouts available online, she says.
Martin Guinness says it helps to consider these types of alternative plans for times when you encounter barriers such as a lack of childcare or bad weather.
“What it does is it takes the burden off when you’re trying to come up with an alternative exercise plan when your babysitter turns you down or when it’s snowing and the sidewalks aren’t cleared,” she said.
Self-observation
If you want to stick with your goals, be sure to reflect on your growth as you go.
“The reason it’s so powerful is that it gives you an opportunity to measure your progress,” Martin Guinness said.
Smart watches can be one way to self-monitor your exercise progress. (Getty Images)
Tracking allows us to recognize our achievements, which can help us “feel good about ourselves and perpetuate our motivation to exercise,” she said. It also helps to evaluate what is working and what is not working.
There are many ways to monitor yourself, but apps and smartwatches can help track our progress. And for old-school trackers, a notepad works too.
“It really has to be what works best for you,” said Martin Guinness.
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