It gets to this time of the year; the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Many exercise habits you formed during the winter months may feel more challenging as we approach the winter months. As an online female personal trainer phrases heard too often are ‘I do not have enough motivation’ and ‘I have no willpower’. Relying on willpower and motivation is setting yourself up for failure. Willpower is like a muscle; when it is used a lot it gets tired so no wonder your willpower decreases throughout the day. Rather focus on building small habits that stick.

Here are a few of my top tips for forming habits that stick to start your mum fitness journey

1. Start with a very small habit which is easy to start. For example; if you are wanting to build an exercise routine then start with just 10 minutes per day. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier to get up and move your body this could be some gentle stretches, to begin with. Go easy to start with to give your body a chance to get used to this new habit.

2. Increase by 1%. Research shows increasing a habit by 1% every day leads to long-term success. It is these very small changes which compound into long-term success. For example, for the first week focus on 10 minutes of exercise every morning and then increase by 1% the following week.

3. Break this habit into chunks. Increasing this 10-minute exercise by 1% over time will lead to a significant amount of time to exercise. For example, the exercise time has built up to 50 minutes. This may feel very overwhelming for a busy mum. Rather than missing this habit, break it down into manageable chunks; 25-minute chunks of exercise every other day.

4. Don’t stop when it gets hard or when you miss a day. Research shows in the early days of habit formation if you skip one day of the habit but then get back on the horse the next day this does not do any long-term damage to habit formation. However, if you skip more than one day it can make it increasingly harder to get started again. Do not fall down the trap of ‘all or nothing’. If you skip a morning do not beat yourself up, rather focus on what you can control and make sure you get back on the horse the following morning.

“Environment dictates performance”

Environment shapes human behaviour. If you want to stick to a habit long-term then it is very important you consider your environment. For example, if you are wanting to eat more healthy and nutritious meals yet your fridge is stocked up with convenience foods you are setting yourself up for failure.

Here are some top tips to help create an environment conducive to success

1. Automate good decisions. For example, if you are wanting to lose weight then purchase smaller plates. Next time you plate up your meal your portion size will be smaller as the plate is smaller. This is something relatively easy we can all do as busy mums.

2. Make it easy. If you are wanting to start exercising then place your workout clothes next to your bed. As soon as you wake in the morning you will see your workout clothes and trainers. If you put these clothes on as soon as you get up, there is one less hurdle to get over and will make it easier for you to work out.

3. Get rid of the negative influencers. You can remove the negative influencers in your environment very easily. For example, remove the sugar-loaded snacks in your cupboards or place them in a cupboard out of sight and mind. Also, have a conversation with your loved ones so they understand how important this new habit you are forming is.

Of course, life does throw us curve balls and it is very easy to blame our circumstances. However, if we want to achieve long-term success then we have to focus on creating an environment which supports this.

Why hire an online personal trainer?

In the early days starting a new habit can be extremely difficult and many need support in the early days. As a women’s personal trainer my job is to provide you with the tools to achieve your long-term goals and hold you accountable. For more information on my online personal training and personal training programmes click here