As I was sitting around yesterday thinking of all the things I was able to cross off the to-do list this week and looking ahead to all the things I still need to get done, a rather profound thought flowed through my mind.
It is funny how falling into routines and habits can really dictate your day.
Let me explain.
We, as humans, are basically a sum of our routines, habits, and decisions that are both conscious and unconscious. As you flow through your day, there is a large part of your daily flow that is constant.
These can be mundane acts and unconscious behaviors practiced over years (like putting your pants on left leg first, drinking a glass of water in the morning etc.), bad habits formed (like smoking, incessant checking of social media, etc), or other habits you may or may not be aware of (having the same thing for breakfast each morning, bedtimes, wake times).
Point is, our day is a culmination of practiced behaviors and patterns that account for a large percentage of time spent.
That is something to internalize, especially when it comes to health and fitness, specifically finding time to workout. Working out needs to be an ingrained habit, a part of your daily flow.
That is how I seemingly find the time to workout even with a hectic schedule (a question many clients this week have posed to me- when do I find time to workout?). It is no longer a thought or choice, it is a habit. I know that on off days from the hospital, I workout at some point in the middle of the day. No questions asked, little motivation needed. My body is just on autopilot.
But I know that is not the case for everyone. I see this with clients. Finding time to workout can be tough. I empathize with that.
But there is a solution. There is a way to find time, you just have to start building the habit. Schedule gym time now, so it can become a habit later.
Start small. Commit to one day a week. Schedule it. Replace one hour of Netflix (or other “time wasting” behavior) habitually watched daily with one hour in the gym. When that starts to stick, bump it up to two days. Start making gym time a behavior that is ingrained into your day.
I am not saying that you need to give up all that Netflix time (or whatever behavior/pattern you are replacing). All I am saying is that there is in fact time for the gym in your life, you just have to find it. You have to make a conscious choice to fit in (and possibly bump something else out) until it becomes a behavior that is on autopilot. Easier said than done, I know, but important.
When we have a behavior/routine on autopilot, it makes sticking to that routine easy when life gets chaotic (like the example of myself). In the long term, going through the struggle of creating a gym habit will pay off with a lifetime of habitual movement that helps unlock your health.
Long story short: seek to make working out a habit. Find time in your day, replacing an existing habit/behavior if necessary. Future you will thank you.
Thank you for reading. If you found any value in my words, please share with a friend.
Chris Kaschalk