Build a Bulletproof Exercise Habit in 5 Steps
Leverage the two types of motivation to create consistency in your workouts
Right before the pandemic my lifelong dream of being a paid athlete finally came true. I bought life insurance.
Scientific research on the motivation types is split into two main categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. While our egos might claim we are always motivated intrinsically (by our own desires), I’ve learned through over 700 workouts in the last two years that it’s okay to be motivated by external rewards too.
By understanding the two categories of motivation, you’ll be able to apply them and build an exercise habit that meets your goals. You will learn how to properly leverage the use of extrinsic motivators and prevent some of the risks. If you apply this knowledge you will build a bulletproof exercise habit.
The two ingredients of bulletproof motivation
Extrinsic motivation refers to the use of external factors outside of yourself to get motivated. For example, praise from others in the form of compliments or social media likes is considered an extrinsic motivator. Intrinsic motivation relies on the use of internal factors within yourself to be motivated. For example, being motivated to do something because of personal ambition or the sense of fulfillment that comes from completing the task.
For a long time, I believed intrinsic motivation was superior to extrinsic motivation. I told myself I didn’t need anything but my mind to stay motivated. I saw the need for external rewards to be a sign of weakness. When I would go through periods of low motivation I thought I needed to work on mental toughness and refuse to give in. After all, I was a certified strength and conditioning coach so exercising regularly should be easy, right?
I was wrong. As a result, my exercise habit was very seasonal. This experience also led to more shame and guilt about my lack of consistency. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just do it?
I was only relying on one type of motivation.
When you rely on intrinsic motivation only, you subject yourself to the thousands of years of evolutionary programming that wants our bodies to conserve energy. Exercising for health and longevity was only introduced in the last century. While your intrinsic motivation is capable of growing stronger because of our brain’s neuroplasticity it is not yet hardwired into our physiology.
One of the interesting paradoxes of evolution is that our bodies are designed to move but our minds have evolved to save energy for survival situations. You’ll learn how to overcome this paradox in the next section.
Extrinsic motivation done right
If you are exercising to get the attention of a specific person or attract attention on social media by posting yourself working out, it’s time to do some inward reflection about your intentions. Exercise is a valuable habit that directly benefits you and you alone. There are indirect benefits to others but focusing your intentions on receiving external validation will lead to unsustainable expectations.
The right way to leverage extrinsic motivation is by setting yourself up with a reward system that is simple, straightforward, and achievable.
Even before any of us knew the pandemic was coming, my intrinsic motivation was low. I discovered a life insurance policy that would make the $15 per month payments for an Apple Watch as long as I met the requirements of their points system. The watch would be paid off after two years of consistently meeting a specific set of goals. There were 20 or 30 points per day available if a certain amount of active calories were burned or if a certain number of steps were achieved. Each month I needed to accumulate 500 points. This meant I needed to complete 17–25 workouts per month in order to earn the $15 payment. In essence, I was getting paid to train my body physically just like athletes do. I made it, ma!
This method of structuring longer-term goals into small, achievable milestones leverages a concept called “chunking.” I knew exactly what I needed to achieve each day and exactly how many days I needed to do that each month to hit my milestone. Some months I would earn the points sooner. I rewarded myself by taking some time to rest my body for the start of the next month.
Some mornings I would wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to seize the day. Other days, I would stare at my clock for a few moments trying to will the time to go backward so I could get more sleep. This internal resistance is normal when you are trying to build a new exercise habit. You will have voices in your head making up the most creative reasons why you can’t work out.
“I don’t have any matching socks.”
“I’m a little sore today.”
“Just one more snooze and I’ll get up.”
Having a clearly defined system for achieving a reward each month is a powerful way to stay motivated despite any believable excuses your mind will create for you. Whether the voices are going through your head or not, you are crystal clear on what you need to do. It shifts your daily focus towards an achievable goal that is completely in your control.
At the beginning of this new system, I was still traveling a lot for work so I needed to plan ahead and make sure I always had the ability to exercise. If the hotel I was staying at didn’t have a gym, I would find a place to run or do yoga in my room. No matter where I was, there was no reason I couldn’t move my body enough to meet my daily goal.
Over time this different focus away from how much weight I lost or how many pounds I was lifting or the many other common goals people will set for themselves while exercising completely changed my relationship with exercise. You don’t need to set goals that are linked to external validation and you need to set up systems that simply get you doing the work. The rest will follow.
Within just the first three months of following this program, I could not imagine a daily routine that didn’t involve some form of movement. While I didn’t earn the income of a pro athlete, I was rewarded for the consistent efforts I could control. I could also detach myself from the hamster wheel of fitness goals.
Two years after I started this program, the watch is fully paid off and I still get out of bed to train 4–6 times per week. Exercising is now a permanent habit.
Setting up your bulletproof exercise system
You do not need to do what I did and buy life insurance to take advantage of this external reward system. Instead, you need to come up with a few key components to your system and within a few months, you will have a bulletproof exercise habit. Here’s what you need:
- Something that is worth getting out of bed for: Choose a reward that you really want. Think of this reward as an investment in your future self. If there is a trip you’ve been thinking about booking or a personal growth course you want to buy, choose something that will help you level up after you have earned it. Experiences, courses, or tools for improving your life are a great starting point.
- The cost: Once you’ve chosen your reward, look up its monetary value. For me, that was the cost of the Apple Watch I wanted. For you that might be the cost of the vacation you really want to book. Whatever it is, put in the effort to get its monetary value.
- A deadline: Based on your personal financial situation and the cost of your item, set a deadline for when you can realistically earn the full reward. Set a target monthly payment that fits within your budget. Take that monthly amount and divide it into your total reward cost. For example, if your reward is $40 and you have $10 per month to spend you will need 4 months to earn that reward.
- An accountabili-buddy: This might be the most challenging part but find someone you trust with your money. This could be your best friend, partner, sibling, family member, etc. Take a deep breath and hand over your total reward cost to them. Cash, Venmo, PayPal, whatever your choice of payment is just fork it over. Based on what you choose for the last part, they will be the ones to send you back your monthly installment that goes towards your total reward.
- The points system: The final piece you need is the daily target level of activity you want to reach. If you use a fitness device this could be a number of steps, calories burned, miles ran, minutes spent moving, ten jumping jacks, whatever. The requirement depends on you. If you are starting out then I recommend you take a page out of Jim Clear’s Atomic Habits and put your workout clothes on every morning before you get dressed for work. Better yet, sleep in your workout clothes (this is what I do most days). If you meet this simple goal you can go right ahead and take them off when you’re done, but chances are, you’ll go and do some sort of movement. If you are planning to run a distance race then make the goal be to complete aspects of your training program.
Take this daily requirement and each day you meet it, you’ll give yourself 30 points. If you meet two-thirds of the requirements you’ll get 20 points. Reach 500 points in the month and your chosen confidante will give you your reward at the end of each month. By the time your deadline rolls around you will have that reward that you got out of bed for and a bulletproof exercise habit.
Are you the type of person that embraces bold ideas and takes action? Let’s connect! When we grow together, we thrive together.
