Welcome back to the third part of this series on how I lost 40 pounds and obliterated my competition. If you didn’t catch part 1 or 2 you can find the links below.
Here is the basic breakdown of how this weight loss plan is laid out.
- Pre-Planning
- Easily changing your diet in a drastic way
- Developing a habit of consistent exercise
- Optional tips
- Sample Meals for your viewing pleasure
In the pre-planning phase of this series, I shared how to prepare and plan for this massively effective diet while the second phase dealt with how to easily change your diet in a drastic way. I highly suggest checking those out if you have not read them yet.
Today, we dive into how to create a daily habit of exercise.
The first step, is to just do it. So I’m going to stick with this first tip and we are jumping straight in.
3. Developing a Habit of Consistent Exercise
To really hit this weight loss goal and blow it out of the water, we can’t just exercise. Instead we have to exercise consistently.
A habit is defined as “An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”. Key word there is involuntary. It becomes so regular that you feel out of sync or wrong if you miss a day. The hard part is ingraining that mentality into your mind and body. The tips in this article are intended to help you ingrain this new mindset as quickly as possible.
Just Do It
I’m not trying to rip off Nike’s tagline, but this is the single best piece of advice I have for you.
Most people have a job and they will have to exercise either in the early morning, or after work. Neither one of those are my favorite times to work out. Often times you will probably be clinging to the bed with one hand while putting on shoes with the other. The key is to just do it, or just get started. Don’t worry about anything else except for getting out the door and breaking into a sweat. Most days, once you reach that point you will forget how much better your bed was or how comfy the couch is.
Prep Your Gear Ahead of Time
This goes hand-in-hand with Just Do It. The easier you make it to get out the door the more likely you are going to follow through with it. If you are planning a good mountain bike ride for the next mornings workout, then pack up a gear bag
Do it Daily
Daily means every day, not 3 days a week, not 4 days a week, but every single day. To reach the goal of involuntary behavior you have to be consistent. You are essentially re-programming your body from sitting on the couch every night after work to immediately getting on your mountain bike. By doing this every single day your body will grow accustomed to it and learn the new habit faster.
This doesn’t mean that you have to do the same thing every single day. For me, mountain biking may be my favorite activity, but it’s not my only activity. That just gets boring and monotonous. Give yourself some variety, try switching it up by mountain biking Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Then throw in some swimming, running, plyometrics, or stretching the remaining 3 days of the week. Just be sure you do something at roughly the same time every single day. The more consistent an action is the more likely it is to become a habit.
Another great tip is to try making it a 30 day challenge. All you have to do is put a mark on the calendar every day that you exercise. It doesn’t matter how long or how hard, it only matters that you performed. If you stick with it, by the end of this 30 day challenge your new habit should be fully ingrained in your lifestyle.
Start Small, Progress Slow
Until your body adjusts to this new routine don’t try and set new land speed records. Just get out there and have fun. Start off with small goals, if you know you can ride 10 miles a day, start with 4 and gradually start adding to it as you move on. Pushing yourself too hard, too fast is going to leave you sore, hurt, or just plain unhappy with how your exercise went. Look around at the scenery, wave at your neighbors heck even chase a squirrel, just get out there and have fun.
Have Fun
Just to make this a point once again. Have fun! Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore or a drag. Find activities that you enjoy and do those. I love mountain biking and so I do it often, but even that I get tired of sometimes. Always make sure you are having fun. Play a pickup game of basketball, soccer, flag football. It doesn’t matter what it is, just have fun with it.
If you follow along with this simple guide you should be able to develop this new habit in under a month. Losing weight through mountain biking can be fun and doesn’t have to be a pain in the butt. This is the easy to follow step three of the massively effective weight loss plan. Start your new habit of daily exercise today and be sure you use the subscribe box below to join my mailing list and catch part 4 of this massively effective weight loss plan. Follow along on Twitter (@TexasMTBtrails) and join in this quest to lose weight from mountain biking by using the hashtag #RoadToRaceWeight.
I do want to let you know that losing weight is as simple as eating fewer calories than you exert, you do not have to follow this particular weight loss formula that I outline here. In fact, you can eat nothing but Twinkies and junk food and still lose weight if you want to (see here). The plan I outline is simply the plan I will be sticking to and using to help me become a faster mountain biker. Before you start any kind of diet or exercise program you should always consult your doctor.
