Did you know there are 1,440 minutes in each day? One hour, just 60 minutes, represents 4% of those minutes. Just four percent. The average person likely wastes more than 4% of their average days. When viewed in that way, it becomes difficult to argue that you just don’t have the time for a workout. My first martial arts instructor, a Daoist priest from China, used to say: “When it becomes important enough to you, you will find the time,” although he said it in broken English. Broken English and all, though, he was correct. Getting into the habit of working out follows the same plan.
How do you make that happen, then?
Developing a Workout Habit
It’s likely your day is, to some extent, ritualized. You wake up, yawn, get out of bed, brush your teeth, shower, dress, have your coffee or tea. It’s pretty much the same every day, perhaps not exactly, but mostly, and it helps get your day started.
Those habits developed over time, and they made you feel in control. Research has shown that it can take as little as three weeks of repetition to make behaviors happen automatically. Your day will seem incomplete without them.
You want to improve your flexibility and conditioning, and acquire nimbleness. You also know you should – not to please or impress anyone else, but rather to please yourself, to feel better, to have more energy. Where to start?
Ritualize it. Make a list. Here’s a start:
- Establish a time each day you will devote to yourself. Determine when you are most likely to stick with the plan – morning, or afternoon. Then, stick with it.
- Send yourself a tickler, whether by putting a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, or by an automated email prompt each morning.
- Start small, and make it pleasurable. Slow by slow wins the day.
- Head out the door, if it’s to the gym; or, lay out your exercise mat on the floor.
- Add a bit of variety to your workout from time to time, keeping it interesting for yourself, and paying attention to different parts of your body.
Just 4% of your day and three weeks of repetition can help you develop the habit of working out.
The Positive Reinforcement of a Personal Trainer At Home
Not everyone is a self-starter, though. We all need a bit of encouragement from time to time in our life. Developing that workout habit is one area where positive reinforcement can be very helpful.
Positive reinforcement means giving something to someone when they perform the desired action, helping them associate the action with the reward, and encouraging them to do it more often. The reward becomes the reinforcing stimulus.
We all like to hear an encouraging word from time to time, someone interested enough in our well-being to give us a push. This is where the personal trainer fits in with helping us develop the workout habit.
In this time of coronavirus restrictions, where a gym is not available, technology can help save the day. “Zooming” has become ubiquitous, whether it’s for work or to stay in touch with family and friends virtually.
It has become possible now to receive that positive reinforcement in the comfort and convenience of your home with that technology. You can have your personal trainer at home with it. Those words of encouragement, that positive reinforcement of a personal trainer, can come directly to your living room or study, whatever space you’ve chosen for your daily habit.
Where to Find That Personal Trainer
If you’re reading this, you already know. The Internet will direct you to a long list of trainers, and since you’re here, you’ve already found one. For your online personal trainer in Canada, you have Nielsen Fitness to provide positive reinforcement and guidance through your virtual workouts.
When exercise becomes a habit, your day will feel incomplete without your daily workout. You’ll come to look at it as a normal part of your day.
Personal evaluations and routines tailored to your needs and ability are a part of the service. And remember that ritualization list? Nielsen Fitness helps you cross one item off the list – – reminders. They send appointment confirmations and reminders via email.
Daily workouts are a good habit to make for yourself. And all it takes is 4% of your daily time, and 21 days to develop. That’s not much for something that can change your life.
