Make it Stick: How to Sustain Your Fitness Progress [Forming Habits]

Picture this: You start a new fitness routine, and you’re enthusiastic and optimistic… but a few weeks later, you find yourself back to your old, bad habits. Sound familiar? Well, it’s not just you. Building lasting fitness habits can be tricky, especially if you're new to fitness. Life gets in the way; you lose motivation or confidence or go too hard too early and feel too sore to train. The next thing you know, you’ve started skipping workouts, and your progress starts sliding.

The list of challenges might be long, but there’s an equally long list of ways to make exercise a natural and enjoyable part of your day. In this article, we’ll explore how to turn your fitness aspirations into reality with science-backed strategies, making your journey to wellness both manageable and fun. Let’s dive in and discover how you can make lasting fitness habits that stick!

Science of Habits

Understanding the science behind habit formation can transform your fitness journey. By leveraging the power of habits, you can make fitness a natural and enjoyable part of your daily routine. Here’s how to build habits that stick with Zing Coach.

The Power of Cue-Routine-Reward

Grasping the power of the cue-routine-reward cycle is key to making fitness a lasting habit. Here’s how it works and how Zing Coach helps:

• Cue: A trigger that initiates the behavior. Specific cues can trigger fitness behaviors effectively. For example, placing your workout clothes next to your bed can prompt you to exercise first thing in the morning.  Zing Coach sends you notifications to remind you it's time for your workout, acting as your cue to get moving.
• Routine: This is the actual workout behavior, where you perform the planned workout. Your scheduled workout plans with Zing Coach guide you through the exercise routine, making it easier to stay on track.
• Reward: The benefit you gain from the behavior. Immediate rewards, such as feeling energized after a workout, and long-term goals, like improved health, are essential for maintaining motivation. Zing Coach offers rewards like achievements and badges, giving you that post-workout endorphin rush and a sense of accomplishment. Zing also incorporates challenges and “habit seasons” to keep you motivated – more on that in a bit. 

By recognizing and utilizing these elements, you can develop strong fitness habits that feel effortless and rewarding.

Coach’s Tip: Pair your workouts with a reward, like enjoying a healthy smoothie afterwards. This creates a positive association with your exercise routine. This is why many gyms offer rewards like post-workout smoothies, and you can do it yourself if you’re working out from home.

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Neuroscience of Habits

• Brain Regions Involved: The basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex play significant roles in habit formation. These areas of the brain help automate repetitive actions, making habits feel effortless over time.
• Neuroplasticity: Our brains change with the formation of new habits, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. By repeatedly engaging in a behavior, you strengthen the neural pathways associated with it.
• Dopamine Pathways: Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is crucial for motivation and reward. Each time you complete a workout, dopamine release reinforces the habit, making you more likely to repeat it.

Behavioral Strategies

• Plan the specifics of your workouts—when, where, and how. Zing Coach makes this easier by recommending workouts based on your preferred schedule, but it’s up to you to stick to that schedule. For instance, “I will do tomorrow’s upper body workout before work at 7 AM in the gym.”
• Use “Habit Stacking” to link new fitness habits to existing routines – follow your morning coffee with a stretching workout to get your day off to an energized start.
• Start small to ensure sustainability. You can set your preferred workout duration when you’re first getting started, and it’s important that you choose something that’s manageable for your lifestyle and ability, and gradually increase intensity and duration.
• Identify common barriers, such as time constraints or lack of motivation by chatting to your AI Coach and learn strategies and techniques like mindfulness to overcome them.
• Zing Coach offers feedback loops to help you stay on track. These loops include regular updates on your progress, insights from your Body Scan results, and adjustments to your workout plans based on your performance. This continuous feedback helps reinforce positive behaviors and enables you to make necessary improvements.

Coach’s Tip: Struggling to maintain the duration or intensity of workout that you set for yourself at the beginning of your journey? You can update your preferences at any time from your Plan Settings screen.

Consistency is Key

Maintaining consistency is essential for building long-term fitness habits. Consistent activity not only helps you achieve your fitness goals but also enhances your overall health, improves mood, and increases energy levels. Consistency creates a routine that becomes a natural part of your day, reducing the mental effort required to stick with your workouts. It builds a strong foundation, making it easier to overcome obstacles like lack of motivation or busy schedules. Zing Coach helps you achieve this through your Activity Streak.

Activity Streaks with Zing Coach

Your most important asset is your health, and consistent activity is crucial to maintaining it. Zing Coach’s Activity Streaks encourage regular exercise, which not only helps achieve fitness goals but also enhances overall well-being, mood, and energy. By monitoring your daily physical activity over a 7-day rolling average, Activity Streaks establish a routine that integrates seamlessly into your life, making it easier to stay motivated and manage busy schedules. Each active day is a step toward a healthier, happier you, so keep your streak alive and celebrate your progress!

How Activity Streaks Help You Stay Consistent

• Motivation: Seeing your streak grow can be a powerful motivator. It provides a visual representation of your consistency and dedication.
• Accountability: The streak feature holds you accountable, encouraging you to maintain your fitness routine regularly.
• Goal Tracking: Activity Streaks help you track your progress toward your fitness goals, ensuring you stay on the right path.
• Routine Building: By focusing on daily activity, you create a routine that becomes a natural part of your life, making it easier to stay consistent over time.
• Positive Reinforcement: The streak provides regular feedback and rewards, reinforcing your commitment to fitness and encouraging you to keep going.

Coach’s Tip: Share your Activity Streak with friends or on social media to boost your motivation and inspire others to stay active. Celebrate milestones to keep the momentum going and make consistency a rewarding part of your fitness journey.

Integration with Lifestyle

Balancing fitness with daily life is crucial for sustaining long-term habits. Integrate workouts into your schedule and adopt a holistic health approach that combines fitness with proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and mental well-being.

Long-Term Lifestyle Changes

Transition from short-term fitness goals to lifelong habits. Remember, consistency doesn’t mean perfection. It’s okay to have off days; getting back on track and staying committed matters. Every step forward, no matter how small, is progress!

Final Thoughts

Building lasting fitness habits isn’t a quick process, but with the right tools, it can be simple. Zing Coach is here to support you by helping you set achievable goals and consistently track your progress while motivating you every step of the way. 

Want a personalized workout plan to help you reach your fitness goals? Try Zing Coach for free and start moving forward today. Remember, every step, no matter how small, is progress!