This was a question I asked some of my clients last week. I wanted to find out what their non-negotiables were for moving daily as part of my Move More in May campaign. For some, it was the number of times they exercised a week and for others, it was a particular class they never miss.
What I was trying to achieve was to remind people that we need to create a pattern for adopting better habits. In truth, our brain will usually choose the easy option. If it is a question of doing an exercise class or having that nice cup of coffee, your brain will opt for the easy option…that cup of coffee! We are human after all. But when we are trying to create better habits for ourselves, we must have clearly defined non-negotiables and say: “This is non-negotiable and I am definitely doing that exercise class,” so there is no question in your brain.
For some people, non-negotiables are already part of their routine. The walk to school and exercising the dog would be common ones as another human being or animal is relying on you for this activity. While this may be a welcome part of your exercise routine and is an integral part of your lifestyle, you would probably benefit from a non-negotiable that is just for you.
One of my clients was a typical example of this. She said: “My non-negotiables are at least one dog walk a day and something else – Zumba, strength or a run!” My reply to her was to be clear about the “something else”, so there is no room to let the other activity slide and therefore get out of the good habits she is trying to foster.
For many of my other clients, their weekly strength and conditioning class was an exercise non-negotiable. We all need to do some strength training to stay…well, strong! It also helps us exercise muscles that we just do not use in other exercise disciplines, such as running or walking. Using these largely unchallenged muscles can also result in DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, so if you keep doing strength classes regularly, these can be avoided.
While choosing what your non-negotiables are, I think we also need to commit to when we are going to do them. A class schedule can pin this down for you, but if you are running, walking, swimming, doing some yoga at home, or doing one of my class recordings, I would advise you to set aside a regular, recurring time for these. Not only will this create a good exercise habit but will also inform your family and friends that your chosen time slot cannot be disturbed!
Have a think about what your non-negotiables are or even what they should be, pick a time for these, and stick to the plan. This will then form the basis of a healthy habit that your lazy brain will just learn to accept…then you can let yourself have that cup of coffee.
If you want to add a bit of class structure to your habit, then give me a call. I have lots of options to offer you!