How To Make Your Jogging Workout A Habit
If you have never read my previous article about
the
benefits
of jogging, I encourage you to read it first.
If you
have read
it already, I would like to discuss with you now how to make
this new jogging workout a permanent habit in your life.
I've been consistently jogging for several years now. And during this
time, I've learned quite a few tricks to get myself out of bed!
I've bribed and told myself almost anything to wake up and
starting jogging. What I quickly realized was that some things worked
great. And some things didn't work at all.
What you will find below are some of my
most effective tricks.
You will be absolutely amazed out how well these things work to get
yourself jogging in the long term. I use these tricks on a
daily basis because they are incredibly effective. Understand this...
No matter how ingrained a habit is, there is always the possibility
that you can grow out of it. I've went several months where I didn't
miss a day of jogging. Then, all of a sudden I would find
myself jogging only once every week or two.
I'm much better now though. I seldom go very many days without jogging.
I have used what you are about to learn to make my jogging workout
a habit I will continue for the rest of my life.
Television Is
Good For You
One of the best ways I have found to get myself up each morning and jog
is to either:
- watch the television if I'm running on the treadmill
- listen to my mp3 player if I'm jogging outside
There's
really no reason whatsoever why you shouldn't make jogging as fun as
possible! Most of the time, I have an audio book in my mp3 player that
I like to wake up and listen to.
What this has done for me is
made me excited to jog. Because when I wake up, I think about how I get
to continue listening
to the story and find out what is going to happen next!
If you complain that you never have time to read, here is your
opportunity. If you listen for just 15 minutes a day, you can easily
get done with a book within three weeks!
But what if I prefer watching television?
If your normal workout routine consists of watching a
morning show or (my personal favorite) Sportscenter, you can easily
make jogging apart of this.
After all, you already have the
habit of watching the show. Now, you can continue to do that. Just
stick the treadmill by the TV and you're all set!
By doing this,
I sometimes trick my mind in the morning to thinking that I'm just
getting up to watch TV. Then, by the time my mind figures out what is
really going on, it's too late and I'm on the treadmill!
Use TV, music, or a great audio book to add some fun to your jogging
workout. It will make all of the difference in the world!
A Mental Trick To Getting Up
Keep
this in mind, this next trick is based on proven scientific studies.
It's not just some silly idea that seems to work. Here's what it is...
When
you're lying in bed and struggling to get up, here's what you do. Say
to
yourself repeatedly, "I am jogging. I am jogging. I am jogging." You
can either repeat this quietly to yourself if you don't want to wake up
your spouse. Or, you can say this out loud to have added benefit
When
you do this, picture yourself on the treadmill or outside and starting
your jogging workout. Visualize every detail as vividly as possible.
Now,
I know this sounds silly. But keep in mind again, this suggestion is
based on scientific fact. The reason why, and I've mentioned this in
several other articles, is because your mind can't tell the difference
between what is really happening and what is being imagined.
So
when you tell your mind you are jogging, it makes your mind become
frustrated and confused and starts to make you really want to be
jogging!
From my personal experience, this doesn't work
miracles. It doesn't make you instantly jump out of bed within 5
seconds and rush towards the treadmill. But what it does do is get you
out
of bed and jogging
eventually
almost every single time.
Sure,
it may take 5 minutes of repeating this saying to yourself, but
eventually you
do
get up. And 5 minutes is nothing compared to the days
you lye in bed hitting the snooze button a hundred times!
This trick really does work! You just have believe in it and give it a
try!
No Jog = No Donuts
This
is one of my favorite ways to get myself jogging every single morning.
In
order for it to work though, you have to be the type of person that has
to have breakfast every morning. If you frequently skip the most
important meal of the day, this trick won't help you.
Here what you do...
Make a rule that you
cannot
eat
breakfast until after you have had your jogging workout. What this does
is
it forces you to want to hurry up and get your jog over with so you can
start
eating that huge bowl of cereal.
It forces you to say to yourself, "Alright, let's hurry up and get this
over with so I can relax with a shower and breakfast."
This
has been extremely effective for me personally. Especially since I am
such a big
eater. If you fall under this category, then I'm sure this will work
very well for you also.
Stay disciplined and
never
break
your rule. Don't grab the Cocoa Puffs box unless you have completed
your jog. This rule alone can make your jogging workout last a lifetime!
Having A Jogging Partner
I
should place special emphasis on the word "partner." Because what I am
referring to may not necessarily be someone that is jogging with you.
Although that might be a good idea!
What I am referring to is basically someone that knows you are trying
to make your jogging
workout a permanent habit. Someone that will know and mention to you
whether or not you
skipped a day.
When I first started making jogging a habit, I made a Seinfeld calendar
and hung it up on the refrigerator so my spouse could see it. I had a
calendar that had all 12 months on one sheet of paper. And every time I
jogged, I would mark it off on the calendar as completed.
I made
it my personal mission to not "break the chain" of consecutive days
that I jogged. Because if I did skip a day, I would hear it from my
spouse!
When you make a calendar like this that other people can see,
it forces you even more to actually do what you have said you would do.
This
works especially well if you are out to prove to everyone that you can
start excercising every day.
A Seinfeld calendar can be very rewarding too. When you
look back over the year, it's nice to see just how well you
did. Having that kind
of proof of what you accomplished can bring confidence in yourself
which will
carry on into all areas of your life.
The other part of jogging
"partner" is an actual partner that you jog with. The reason why this
works is exactly the same reason why the Seinfeld calendar works. It
forces you to have to
jog. Because if you don't, you will be letting
someone else down.
I've never had a jogging partner. But I know that
it works very well for some people.
Whatever you decide to do, just make sure that someone else knows about
your jogging goal. When someone else knows, the chances of you
maintaining your habit dramatically go up!
You can make your jogging workout a habit if you use these principles.
It won't be easy. After all, nothing worthwhile ever is.
But it will certainly be worth it in the end. Good luck!
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