It’s time for another one of those posts where I talk about two contradictory ideas and conclude that both are true. One of those ideas is that we need to have a fitness habit. We need to make it automatic that we roll out of bed, throw on our shoes, and get to work, or that we finish the work day and head for the exercise. Habits make things easy. We don’t have to waste energy on planning or enforcement. We just show up because we always do.
The other thing I talk about a lot is mixing things up. Doing the same thing every day is boring. Our brains turn off. Our bodies stop making progress. We just don’t want to anymore. Throwing in a few new exercises or trying a new sport or even moving location can make it all seem fresher and more exciting.
What we need, to resolve this seeming paradox, is flexibility within a framework. Sure, we always exercise right after breakfast, but on any given day we might swim or bike or lift or do yoga. Or, every once in a while, we plan to go hiking with a friend at a different time of day. We still have the habit; we just change up how we express it.
Go play.