26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 26-february 1, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com For many people, becoming a regular gym-goer can feel out of reach. A trip to the gym might seem inconvenient or intimidating. But there’s a deceptively simple way to become someone who exercises regularly: by building that habit. We are a product of our habits, not our feelings, a concept that books like James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People make clear. Habits can be made, broken, and re-made repeatedly—you get more than one shot at this. During my 20-plus year career in fitness and wellness, I’ve watched hundreds of people transform from first-time exercisers, inconsistent gym-goers or even exercise haters into bonafide gym rats—those people you see repeatedly at the gym, week after week, month after month, putting in the hard work to stay in shape. What distinguishes these people? They have set out to create a habit and habituate to sticking with it. The tips I introduce below, the seven habits of becoming that regular gym-goer, all boil down to one thing: doing something repeatedly until it becomes rote and part of who you are. Need help in that department? Here are seven tips: Habit 1: Don’t find time, rather make time for exercise. Regular gym-goers plan their workouts into their weeks and their days. They wake up with that ever-important appointment, even if it’s only with themselves, programmed into their calendars and their psyches. Habit 2: Bite off only what you can chew. A common mistake I see is going all-in too quickly. Don’t expect more of yourself than your body can realistically achieve, or your time allows for. Habit 3: No excuses. Always find a way to do something, even if you must modify the exercise to keep the habit going. Find a way to move regardless of what is happening with your body, with very little exception. If you need to make adaptations for an injury, make them—and keep the habit going. Habit 4: Act as if until you are. This ties into Habit No. 2 of not starting off too hard to begin with. View exercise as an acquired taste, and as a long-term game rather than a sprint. Fitness isn’t what happens in a week or a month. It’s consistency over time, and what happens over months and years. So start off gently and build it up slowly over time—that might mean just going through the motions for a while. Like any other habit, it must be practiced. The longer you do it, the more it becomes part of who you are. Habit 5: Connect with a group. In the first decade of my fitness journey, I was only interested in working out with a trainer or solo. However, fitness trends change over the years, not only in the marketplace but also personally as one’s own fitness journey evolves. In my own journey, I eventually pivoted into group fitness; once I tied into working out with a group, I was hooked. I still enjoy working out solo, but nothing beats the camaraderie of sweating with a crew. People connected to a group tend to stick to fitness programs longer than those who are not. Habit 6: Educate yourself. Having a working anatomical knowledge about what exercises do in your body and how they are benefiting you can help to overcome the resistance your mind may put up when thinking about the monumental task of working out. Habit 7: Work out at consistent times and at a convenient gym. Try to make working out as easy as possible for yourself by joining a gym within a few miles of your house and going to the gym at consistent times each week. A ritual I used to have with myself was to pack my gym clothes with me when I went to work, vowing not to return home until those gym clothes were made dirty. Bottom Line: To be a gym rat, practice the habits of a gym rat. Act as if until you are, and eventually you will be. Selina Sahba is the owner of Fusion Fitness, 158 Country Club Gate Center, Pacific Grove. 236-6199, fusionfitnesspg. com. Power Habits Ready to make the gym a permanent fixture? These seven habits will help you get there. By Selina Sahba Issue Health & Fitness 2023 Fitness isn’t what happens in a week or a month. It’s consistency over time, and what happens over months and years. Zach Brown, seen above lifting a kettlebell, is a trainer at Fusion Fitness. At right, Brown (center) with trainer Lilly Peak (left) and owner Selina Sahba. They say consistency is an important part of building an exercise habit. Selina Sahba of Fusion Fitness in Pacific Grove knows firsthand that becoming a gym person can be difficult. Her tips focus on helping build a sustainable exercise habit. Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==