If you want to make working out a habit, have minimum days.
If you’re like me, you go through phases where you want to get back into shape and try really hard at it, only to lose motivation after a few weeks or months. The only time it stuck was when I planned out what would be my “minimum day”. A minimum day is just the bare minimum of what you have to do to stay on track, but is much faster and isn’t too daunting.
For me, my minimum day is my run, then a two minute plank and lots of stretching and some yoga poses. Usually if I’m starting to lose motivation, I’ll do a “minimum day” instead of fully skipping a workout. And even then, after I do my run, I usually just do the full workout anyways. You’ll have to change your minimum as you progress, but I found that as working out becomes a habit, I don’t feel the need to have minimum days.
If you’re just starting to work out, I’d plan out a minimum for you (even just a run or walk) and do that for a week or two. Just getting in the habit of getting a workout in 3-5 days a week helps long term to adjust your mindset from motivation-driven to discipline-driven. It’s easy to feel in the beginning like you just want to be strong super quick, so lots of people (including my past self) workout super hard for a week then burn out. Build the habit, then build the muscle!
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.