Habit Forming Tips : Part 2

10. Keep workout gear in your face. Have a kettlebell, resistance bands, a dumbbell or two, a pull-up bar, and/or a suspension trainer in your home or office so you’re more tempted to use them.

Pro tip: Do “trigger training”: Leave the gear in various places throughout your house, and whenever you pass one of them, do a few reps. Over the day this adds up quickly without eating up too much time or leaving you wiped out.

11. Pack your “mobile gym” when you travel. Book hotels with gyms and/or pools. Toss a jump rope or resistance bands into your suitcase along with a list of bodyweight-only exercises (like squats and pushups) that you can do anywhere.

Pro tip: A kayak bag (20 L capacity) folds up small enough to fit in a carry-on but turns into a ~40 lb kettlebell once you fill it with water.

12. Turn your car into a locker room. If you drive a lot, be prepared with gym clothes and a healthy snack so you don’t make counterproductive decisions in desperate moments. Keep a shaker bottle with measured protein powder and greens under the seat — just add water.

Pro tip: Keep a container of several changes of exercise clothes, shoes, and towels in your trunk so you’re ready to move no matter where the day takes you.

13. Schedule workouts like you schedule meetings. Put them on your calendar and treat them like any other appointment.

Pro tip: Put everything from workouts, to laundry, to work meetings, to rest and recovery on your calendar so that very few things are “unexpected”. Most of our routines are pretty predictable.

14. Move social gatherings to parks and gyms. It doesn’t always have to be a bar or restaurant. Make your next date outside (frisbee?) or at a climbing gym or trampoline park.

Pro tip: This goes for professional networking, too. Instead of sitting down at a coffee shop, get coffee to go and have a walking meeting.

15. Have only half a car (or less). Sharing a car with your partner or a friend means you’ll have to walk or bike more.

Pro tip: Walk on errands, even if your destination is on the outside edge of “reasonable”. For example, instead of driving seven minutes to the post office, take 25 minutes to walk there. That’s 50 minutes walking rather than 15 minutes sitting in the car, but the errand only took an additional 35 minutes from your day.

16. Combine walking and working. Moving while you brainstorm or take a work call helps you focus and avoid the I-sat-at-a-desk-all-day soreness.

Pro tip: Get a used treadmill for a couple hundred bucks off Craigslist and fit it with a SurfShelf for your laptop. Now you can write, edit, fire off emails…all of it while you walk.

17. Separate yourself from your work once per hour. Work for 50 minutes, then step away from your desk for for 10 (may we suggest a walk, some stretches, or some squats?). Cycle this for your workday. You’ll find that you still have energy and focus by the end.

Pro tip: Install anti RSI software, which “locks” your computer for 5-10 minute intervals every hour so you’re forced to give work a rest.

18. Turn family and friends into coaches. To create a supportive environment, be explicit with loved ones that you’re trying to eat better and get fit — and why. They don’t have to participate, but ask them to help. That takes the pressure off them to do what you’re doing, and most people (especially kids) like “helping” in some way.

Pro tip: Involve your family in goal-related activities, such as menu planning, meal prep, and rep counting. This reduces resistance by giving them ownership, meaning you won’t feel you’re the “other”.

**Credit to Precision Nutrition