3 strategies to start building a movement habit

Strategies like making the workout fun and setting up your home practice space are great to help continue a movement habit. We will get more in depth about tips to continue your movement habit next week. For today I want to share 3 strategies (plus a bonus!) to make putting on your sneaks or getting to your yoga mat easier.

1. Sync up your movement class with a daily activity 

I find it so much easier to fit my exercise in when I would link it up with an activity I do daily. For me it’s right after I clean up my breakfast. I’ve had time to digest my meal and coffee and I’m fueled and ready to go. I understand my schedule sometimes shifts last minute so my next time slot is 30 minutes after dinner. When you associate movement with a daily activity it becomes automated and it’s harder to come up with an excuse. (Some excuses are totally valid which brings us to strategy 2)

2. Set up reasonable expectations for yourself and schedule it in

Each week (usually Friday or Sunday) I reflect on what my movement looked like that past week and use that to inform what I will do the following week. We usually think we will do more than we actually do (which is fine) so adapt. Maybe all that’s needed is shorter class times, or different styles. I find this weekly versus daily check-in really important. Some days we don’t move as much and that’s fine, on days like that I try 5 minutes before bed and plan exactly which workout I will do the following day. (You can always email me for support in this)

3. Think of adding exercise in small doses

Remember it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Adding small 5-10 minute classes, twice a week can go a long way. Once you build a consistent schedule with the mini classes then you can add length of time or variety of styles. 

Bonus: get a movement/accountability buddy

This I understand can be challenging if you live on your own and even more so if you are reading this and the pandemic still is ever present. That is why this is the bonus, because I realize it’s not accessible for everyone right now. I recently started a 3 month progressive series with my partner and we practice together twice a week. It’s great to be able to keep each other accountable and it makes it a lot more fun. That’s also the reason why my semi-private classes on Zoom are some of the most popular! 2 friends have a chance to catch up, laugh when the class is challenging and feel more comfortable to ask questions.

Let me know if you try out any of these suggestions and if you ever need a little extra support in cultivating a home practice email me at movementwithgeorgine@gmail.com.

Until next week,

George