Fitness: Getting and Staying Active

Turning physical activity into a habit

Most people don't think about being active or inactive as a habit. But it is. And habits are affected by many things, including our work schedule, our home life, and our social life. When something becomes a habit, we don't think about it much—we just do it, like brushing our teeth.

The key to staying active is to make fitness a habit—something that you just do.

Experts say it takes about 3 months of repetition to form a habit. For some people, even 3 months isn't enough. So start small, and keep doing an activity until you no longer think about it as something "extra" that you have to do.

When you slip up, don't get mad at yourself or feel guilty. Figure out what happened and how to keep it from happening again. Get right back into your physical activity routine, and don't look back.

Reference Reference Fitness: Making It a Habit

Maintaining the lifestyle

Many of the good things about being active, such as having more energy and being in a better mood, happen soon after you become more active. But some of the most important health benefits have to do with being active over many years. If you stop being active, you lose the fitness you achieved. Being consistent makes the most sense for your health.

To help make physical activity a long-term commitment:

• Reference Set goals. Develop and follow a specific program.
• Make it a habit. Turn physical activity into a normal, pleasant, and routine part of your life.
• Get the support of friends and family.
• Reference Expand your fitness activities through coaching, competition, and cross-training.
• Add variety to your fitness program. Change the place, activity, and time.
• Don't let Reference reasons such as lack of time or bad weather slow you down.
• Schedule your activity for times that you're likely to keep doing it. If you don't have time for one 30-minute walk, break it up into three 10-minute walks.

Reference Reference Fitness: Staying Active When You Have Young Children

Reference Reference Stress Management: Managing Your Time

Reference Quick Tips: Having Enough Energy to Stay Active

Reference Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather

Reference Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather

Finding what works for you

When you have decided that you want to get fit, you will want to plan a physical activity routine. Although most people think of classes and specific activities (such as jogging or tennis) as the way to fitness, there are many ways you can work physical activity into your life.

Reference Reference Fitness: Adding More Activity to Your Life

Reference Reference Fitness: Choosing Activities That Are Right for You

Structured fitness

Fitness classes or groups provide a consistent approach to an activity. Local gyms, schools, and churches may sponsor a regular fitness group. Teams also provide a consistent approach to fitness but are more competitive. Many communities have physical activity programs to help adults and children get fit. They often are found within social agencies and schools.

Structured fitness has the advantage of:

• Being held at the same time and place, which may be easier for some people to schedule.
• Having a social atmosphere.
• Providing support and "healthy" peer pressure to show up and participate.
• Sometimes being led by a certified fitness professional.

Self-directed fitness

Many people find an activity they enjoy, and then they create their own fitness program. Self-directed fitness gives you:

• Flexibility as to the time and place.
• The ability to try different types of exercises.

For this to be effective, you must set up a regular schedule and stay with it.

Fitness within your day

You can use "everyday" activities for fitness, as long as you do them regularly. This includes:

• Reference Daily aerobic activity, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn, or doing housework.

  Reference Reference Fitness: Using a Pedometer or Step Counter

  Reference Reference Fitness: Walking for Wellness

  Reference Quick Tips: Fitting Physical Activity Into Your Day

• Muscle-building exercises, such as scrubbing the bathtub, washing walls, tilling the garden, or pulling weeds.

  Reference Quick Tips: Getting Active at Home

• An outdoor interest or hobby that promotes walking or another type of exercise. For example, bird watching may require a lot of walking, and trail building may require both walking and strength to clear paths.

  Reference Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather

  Reference Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather

Preparing for slip-ups

It's perfectly normal to try to change a habit, go along fine for a while, and then have a setback. Lots of people try and try again before they reach their goals.

What are the things that might cause a setback for you? If you have tried to make changes in your activity level before, think about what helped you and what got in your way.

By thinking about these Reference barriers now, you can plan ahead for how to deal with them if they happen.

Here's one person's list of barriers to taking a brisk 30-minute walk every day, along with some possible solutions:

Use a personal action plan (What is a Reference PDF Opens New Window document?) to write down your barriers and backup plans.

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This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Reference Terms of Use. Reference How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.