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!
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I think a lot of people find the Fall season as a time of renewal…much like Spring. Getting through “tough” seasons (like a hot summer or a freezing winter) spurs many on to a a new beginning (of sorts) and an eagerness to move forward.
I’d like to start running before work. That would leave me more time for walking and hiking after work. At least for another before it gets too dark.
I definitely need motivation to work out. Only one more month on my Peleton membership.
Great ideas. I think focusing on making progress — so that missing a day (or whatever) isn’t “failure” – and having visual reminders are key!
Actually not adding any new habits right now, but consistency is always key! In fact, just so happens I have a post about this coming Tuesday, LOL!
It was just the Jewish New Year. 🙂
Yes, September definitely feels like a month of new beginnings. I’ve been trying to improve my eating and sleeping- eating is going well so far, sleeping is… meh. But I think you hit on a key point- motivation will only take you so far. Making it a habit is what keeps you going.
Yes – I think we all “go back to school” in September. I have to retrain myself to get up early when it’s darker in the morning. It’s easy for me when it’s light out. Great tips!
September always feels like a reset of sorts to me as well. The change of seasons is refreshing
These are so great!
Right now, I’m trying to get myself in the habit of stopping all my negative self-talk and spiraling. It’s hard!
Jenn recently posted…5 benefits of beach running
Thanks for the tips. Great reminders.
The WHy is so important. And it can change.
Mine now is run enough to finish 26.2 miles.
Consistency is the key! I’m just getting myself back into running after the calf fiasco, and I have to remind myself that baby steps, taken consistently, will get me where I want to go.
These are all super valuable tips and I love them. it’s always great to be able to start fresh and seize that new opportunity!
Creating habits is such a challenge for me, so I appreciate any advice I can get!