Nobody needs to sell you on the benefits of exercise.
It’s been well-established that movement is medicine. The benefits for your health — physical, mental, and emotional — are beyond dispute at this point.
But let’s be real:
Knowing the benefits of an activity — even experiencing those benefits in very tangible ways — isn’t always enough to make yourself to do it.
I haven’t missed a daily workout in over 12 years. For me, exercise isn’t just about physical fitness. Exercise has long been an essential tool in my ADHD management toolbox. I rely on the dopamine boost from exercise to “plug in” my brain.
Now I also rely on exercise to manage the join pain and fatigue that comes with the hormonal changes of perimenopause. The dopamine boost that gives me focus also helps mask pains caused by declining estrogen.
I know if I don’t move my body, I’ll be in pain, my body will get stiff, and I’ll have no hope of functioning like a normal person.
You’d think that would be enough to trigger my motivation to exercise. And generally, it is.
But even after all these years of daily workouts I still have days where I struggle to feel “motivated” to workout.
The problem with relying on “motivation” is that it’s a fickle friend. It doesn’t always show up when you need it.
I didn’t build a daily fitness practice through motivation. Instead, I built a framework that supports me in getting my workout in no matter how I’m feeling in my body or my mind.
Here’s the essential 3-part framework that will support you even when motivation lags.
(1) Rules (or Recipes)
Rules are clear instructions for what to do and when.
One reason we don’t do the thing we know we should do is that we start negotiating with ourselves. You know the script:
I have no energy right now. I have too much to do. I’ll do it later.
Then you go about your day doing the other things that feel more pressing. The problem is that the original inner negotiation stays active. It’s like a browser tab that stays open in the background, continuing to process.
Under the surface of whatever else you’re doing, your background tab is running more conversations
When is later? Will I have energy later? Can I fit in the workout after that meeting or after picking up the kids?
I call this “calendar chess.” You may not even realize it’s happening.
The problem is that just like a browser tab on your computer uses processing power, every “open browser tab” in your mind is using your precious limited bandwidth and processing power that you could have been using for other things.
How Rules Help
Rules give us structure and clarity. They keep us aligned and accountable.
A rule can be as simple as:
When X happens, my next step is Y.
For example: When I wake up, I get dressed and go to the gym.
If “Rules” Feel to Strict…
If the word “rules” sounds too authoritarian for you, you can think of them as “Recipes” instead. A recipe isn’t just about the ingredients; it tells you what to do in what order. That’s what rules do.
(2) Rituals
A ritual is a discrete, identifiable action that you do with intention. Rituals set the context for your activity. They become symbolic actions that tell you:
We are shifting to this activity now.
Many people think of rituals in a religious or spiritual context. For example, Jewish women light candles on Friday evening to mark the start of the Sabbath.
But rituals don’t have to be spiritual, religious, or esoteric. Many rituals are practical and secular.
If you go to a sports event in the United States, someone sings the national anthem before the game. That’s a ritual.
Before that moment, the teams have their own rituals: they suit up for the game, they gather in a team huddle, the coach gives a pep talk.
Your ritual can be putting in your ear buds and starting a playlist, writing out your workout on a white board, rolling out your yoga mat, lacing up your sneakers before you head out for a run, eating your pre-workout snack, or visualizing your heavy lift.
Even your warm-up can be a ritual.
Your rituals can be whatever you choose, as long as they help you start.
How Rituals Help
Rituals create a signal to your brain that it’s time to start. They help you transition from one state to another.
Read: How to Workout Consistently — Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
(3) Routines
Your routine is a specific sequence of activities you do that lead up to and encompass your workout.
This is usually mundane things that you may not even think much about: getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, taking your meds, getting out the door, heading to the gym.
If you don’t have a conscious, set routine, you’re more likely to stumble on your way to your target. It’s easier to get stuck in bed negotiating with yourself about whether to workout or what to do.
How Routines Help
When you follow a specific routine every day, you eventually groove a neural pathway. Once that pathway is established, you don’t have to think about it anymore.
Read: 5 Steps to Working Out When You Don’t Feel Motivated
Create Reliable Scaffolding to Replace Motivation
If you want to establish a consistent daily practice that serves you, you can’t rely on motivation. Motivation is a flawed and fickle friend. It doesn’t always show up when you need it.
The 3-R framework of Rules, Rituals, and Routines will give you reliable scaffolding and structure to help you implement the thing you know you want to do.
Do you need help creating structures to support you in implementing better daily habits? In my coaching practice I help midlife women create structures to support their health and wellness. Get in touch to schedule a complimentary Chaos to Confidence call.
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