The fitness challenge
It’s Friday morning, and I’m sipping an espresso as I write these words in my office at home.
A little stimulant helps me tell almost any story, but the espresso is at the heart of this story: how I managed to make a new habit stick at 47 years old.
For the past five months, with just a handful of exceptions, I’ve done at least 15 minutes of some kind of exercise in addition to my longtime running routine every single day.
I set out to try this shortly after the new year, for 60 days. Success would mean I’d reward myself with the espresso maker I’d been eyeing since I figured out how to work the one at my in-laws’ house. I picked out the color and model I wanted. Printed out two months of paper calendars to keep track of the days. And set out to give it a go.
In theory, this sort of thing shouldn’t be hard. I have generally good habits. I floss every day. I’m also an active person. I have been running 20-25 miles a week for years, and I’m on track to meet my goal of completing 50 half marathons before I turn 50. I somehow got into that running habit, despite being an extremely unathletic kid, and not lacing up for my first 5k until well into my 30s.
Also, what’s 15 minutes a day? I’m awake for at least 16 hours, often longer. I have breaks in my schedule, and two entire weekday mornings blocked off for exercising, creating and learning.
Still, I couldn’t get it to stick. I’d try something new and it would last just a little while. My family and I did yoga videos or 7-minute workouts together during the pandemic lockdown, but the lockdown ended.
This time would have to be different. I’d read somewhere that a new habit takes a couple of months to take hold, so I set my sights on a long-term reward instead of using the classic cue-routine-reward method.
How did this work? I’d typically start or end the work day with the extra exercise. At the beginning of the year, our county government began giving out free passes to the fitness room at every recreation center. I got one of these and started using weight machines for a few minutes two or three times a week. I found a bunch more yoga videos. Sometimes the dog got really long walks. We went to a few standing concerts. And I certainly hauled a lot of mulch around the yard.
What didn’t work so well was afternoons at the tail end of the work week. I always felt better after a few minutes of exercise at the end of the day, but it was hard to muster the energy to get started. A few times when I was traveling or not feeling well, I’d give myself a pass and double up the next day.
There was something incredibly satisfying about logging my progress on that paper calendar every day. It’s much like the feeling when two of my other longtime habits, morning meditation and Wordle, remind me how many days in a row I’ve been on track.
At the end of my 60 days, two things happened. The first was a surprise: my in-laws very kindly sent me the espresso maker I’d been eyeing. The second was less of a surprise: I decided to keep going. I’d come to enjoy the actual work of the exercise – including the weight machines for the first time in my life – and missed it when I wasn’t able to do it a few times.
And so, five months in, I’m still going. I’m feeling stronger and a bit calmer. I’m thinking a little about what 30 minutes a day might look like and how I might get myself there…