Building Maintainable Fitness Habits

If your phone's camera roll is filled with many "before" photos but no "afters," you're not alone. People often get excited about seeing the physical results of a healthier lifestyle but fail to maintain the healthy habits necessary to achieve them. 

On the Ingrained & Balanced podcast about practicing a well-balanced lifestyle, hosts Lonnie and Marty discuss how people can cultivate healthy habits to improve their health. On season 1, episode 16, they interview guest speaker Tim Liu, an online fitness and nutrition coach who helps people achieve their physical wellness goals. Together they share their thoughts on how people can choose and adopt healthy habits that are achievable and maintainable.

Maintainable Habits

“I see motivation as just getting your foot in the door.”

According to Tim, most people's fitness journeys begin with an event that triggers their desire to improve their physical wellness, but while this can provide short-term motivation, it won't get them past the finish line. Instead, maintainable habits are necessary to convert temporary motivation into long-term discipline.

Choosing Maintainable Habits

“Building confidence and rewiring those habits into something new.”

As a fitness trainer, Tim works with clients to form individualized wellness plans. Since all people are unique with different lifestyles, bodies, and goals, identifying a client's individual needs is vital to determining habits that will be achievable and sustainable.

On the podcast, Tim walks listeners through his process of connecting with clients and determining their current lifestyles and future wellness objectives. Together he works with clients to map out healthy habits that they can maintain within their routines and that meet their unique needs. From there, he curates personalized plans to help them sustain a healthy lifestyle through these maintainable habits.

So what differentiates a maintainable habit from an unsustainable one? According to Tim, small and easily achievable goals are essential. These habits are less overwhelming and easy to adopt, making people more likely to stay on track with their fitness goals.

For example, let's say someone wanted to improve their eating habits. In this situation, Tim would suggest incorporating minor changes to their diet. Small dietary adjustments that cause little resistance are more achievable and can lead to clients building their confidence.

Turning Motivation into Discipline

“The biggest thing is to guide that motivational energy into a state where they could just go on autopilot and maintain it.”

On the podcast, Tim shares his insights on why maintainable habits are effective for converting temporary motivation into permanent discipline. The key to choosing maintainable habits is to select ones that rely on gradual and minor changes.

While dramatic routine changes and overly-ambitious goals can lead to faster results – they are also more likely to create resistance. As creatures of habit, people often experience difficulty incorporating significant changes in their routines.

On the other hand, low-effort changes that work within their daily lifestyles can enable people to stay consistent with their wellness habits and comfortably achieve their end goals. The following are examples of overly-ambitious goals vs. maintainable habit changes that people can ingrain within their routines.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Beginning your health journey with a decision to begin biking to work every day, when you have previously only driven.

The Problem:

This is a significant change from your usual routine, which may cause resistance, leading to failure.

Maintainable Habit:

Beginning your health journey with conscious choices to seek out exercise when an opportunity arises - like by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Making the decision to never eat fast food again, even though you reside within a food desert, and few other options are accessible.

The Problem:

This goal does not integrate well into your lifestyle, as fast food is the only nourishment available closeby.

Maintainable Habit:

Deciding to substitute unhealthy fast food menu items for healthier alternatives, and making a plan to travel out of town for healthy groceries each weekend.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Establishing a goal of exercising every day, when you usually don’t exercise at all.

The Problem:

This is an overly-ambitious goal, as it would be a significant change from your routine and put excess stress on your body if you are out of shape.

Maintainable Habit:

Getting back in shape with the maintainable goal of exercising three times a week.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Deciding to visit the gym every day after work for a strenuous work-out, even though it is further from your home.

The Problem:

Driving far distances can be exhausting, especially after a long day of work. This can make you resistant to exercise.

Maintainable Habit:

Investing in at-home exercise equipment, like a stepper machine, so that you can work out in the comfort of your own home.

Overly-Ambitious Habit:

Aiming to go from living a sedentary lifestyle to becoming a track star in four weeks.

The Problem:

Building muscle this quickly would put a lot of physical strain on your body, and is likely to lead to burnout and resistance.

Maintainable Habit:

Establishing a maintainable exercise plan where you steadily increase the incline of your treadmill walks, and eventually work your way up to sprinting and jogging.

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To hear more of Tim Liu’s insights on maintainable habits, tune in to the Ingrained & Balanced Podcast.