From Motivation to Habit

Happy Friday!

Maybe it’s being on the cusp of a new season (hello Fall!), or perhaps it’s all of the years of getting my kids ready for “back to school”, but I have often thought of September as a kind of “new year” – a time to settle into a routine, create new habits, and set some goals for the remaining months of the year.

And, a peek at my social media feeds tells me I’m not alone in viewing the pending new season as an opportunity to create some new habits.

So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing a few tips to help turn this “new season motivation” into good habits to finish the year strong.

This post has been updated from September 2021. 

Fit Five Friday – From Motivation to Habit

Pace yourself — Take starting a new fitness routine or upping your training; it’s very easy to get too hyped up, go out too hard, and then fizzle, or worse … get injured. Start small…baby steps can add up to big payoffs down the road.

Be consistent — Everything I’ve ever read says that it takes between 21 and 28 days to build a good habit, and from personal experience, I believe that to be true. Whatever the new habit is that you’re trying to adopt, schedule it into your day/week. Being consistent will help ensure the new habit sticks.

Be kind to yourself — Everyone experiences setbacks. When you fall down (either literally or figuratively), the key is to not beat yourself up over it, but be willing to pick yourself up and begin again.

Find a partner or group — There’s a lot to be said for being accountable to someone else and having someone to draw motivation from on those days when you’re not feeling it. On the flip side, beware of spending time around others who don’t support your efforts – they will drain you! As much as possible, spend time with others who model the behavior/habits you’re striving for.

Keep your “why” front and center  — Whether it’s a word, phrase, or photo, posting visual reminders where you’re sure to see them will help keep your why and your goals at the forefront. Energy flows where attention goes so make your goals hard to ignore and you’re more likely to follow through.

Do you use this time of year to build new habits or set goals? What tricks work for you?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and The Running Teacher every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Share your fitness-related link, link back to your hosts, and please share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


signature

September Coffee Catch Up

Happy Friday! Let's kick the weekend off with a little coffee catch-up. For this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Grab a mug and let’s chat! September Coffee Catch Up Over coffee, I would tell … [Continue reading]

End of Summer Runfessions

Amazing that we are here on the cusp of the last weekend of the Summer. I feel like I say it often, but time does feel like it's flying by faster all the time.  Since it’s the last Friday of the month, for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m linking up … [Continue reading]

Five Bucket List Races and Fitness Events

For a runner or fitness enthusiast, there's no shorter of races or events to capture your imagination! For this week's Fit Five Friday, I'm  sharing five races and fitness experiences that are high on my bucket list. Fit Five Friday: Five Bucket … [Continue reading]

Five Tips for Staying Positive While Dealing with an Injury

Injuries are a tough pill to swallow, especially for those of us who love running and fitness. As someone who is currently navigating the ups and downs of an injury, I know how challenging it can be to keep a positive mindset. So for this week's Fit … [Continue reading]

August Coffee Catch Up

Hello August - Can you believe we're at the start of a new month already?! And, since it's the first Friday of the month, for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Grab a mug - or perhaps an iced … [Continue reading]

Fit Five Friday – Current Favorites

Happy Friday! For this week's Fit Five Friday, I'm sharing some of my current favorites. Fit Five Friday - Current Favorites (This post contains affiliate links) Holos - This has become a go-to breakfast for me of late. I love the range … [Continue reading]

July Coffee Catch Up

Taking a quick pause in the 4th of July weekend festivities for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. So grab your fave beverage and let’s catch up! July Coffee Catch Up Over coffee I … [Continue reading]

June Runfessions

Happy Friday! It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday, – and since it’s the last Friday of the month, I’m linking up with Marcia to share a Runfession or two. June Runfessions Last month I shared my annoyance with the new Garmin … [Continue reading]

Five Songs for Your Workout Playlist

Happy Friday! Thanks for joining Darlene, Jenn, Renée, Zenaida, and me for another edition of Fit Five Friday. This week we’re talking about music for workouts. (Of course, you should always feel free to write about any fitness/wellness-related … [Continue reading]