Have you ever tried to add a new habit? Something you knew would help improve your life but every time you tried, you would go strong for a few days and then something happens. Something comes up to throw you off. Kids get sick. Tough day at work. You ran out of time. Family emergency.

So what usually happens? You look up and it is 2 months later. It has been a blur and you can’t even remember what happened to throw you off track! Well, we want to help. Here are 4 steps to making your habits stick around.

Step 1: Make it obvious

Let’s say you want to start being more consistent coming to the gym. Great goal! How do you make this habit obvious? Here are a few examples: put it on your calendar, set reminders, set your background on your phone or laptop to a picture of your gym. Whatever will remind you quickly that your gym even exists.

Step 2: Make it attractive

Now, going to the gym you are going to get sweaty. There is not a lot that may be attractive about attending a 60 minute class and breathing heavy in front of other people. How do you make the habit of being more consistent in the gym more attractive? Maybe your friend will be there or you join a class with your favorite coach or you get to wear your favorite pair of running shoes that are sure to help you run faster.

Step 3: Make it easy

The work you put into the gym isn’t easy but we can make this habit an easy one. Pack your gym bag the night before and have it in the car. You can leave a few gym outfits at your locker at the gym. OR maybe you even change clothes before you leave work for the day. You can also plan a cut off time for work so that you can make your favorite class time! “At 4:45 pm I shut my laptop, change into my gym clothes, and head to Dissent Athletics to be ready to go for the 5:00 pm class”.

Step 4: Make it rewarding

Being more consistent in the gym has a long term reward, but we aren’t wired to do something hard in the moment for later benefit. So how do we make this habit immediately rewarding? Maybe it is getting to see your best gym buddies at class or you treat yourself to a smoothie on the way home. It doesn’t matter what the reward is, but it needs to be something more satisfying.

What habits are you trying to start?

We want to hear from YOU! What habits are you trying to implement in your weekly routine? Click here to let us know what is stopping you from making your habits stick.