Atomic habits: Mastering Motivation and Consistency for Gym Success

Love the pain or accept a mediocre life.

In the modern world, almost everyone knows what is good for their body, what they should eat, and how to work out. Yet, 90% of people don’t follow through because they try to avoid the pain of discipline, only to realize later that by avoiding the pain of discipline, they have been accumulating the pain of regret for their future. The more you avoid the pain of discipline, the more pain of regret you will experience.

So, how do we minimize the pain of regret by enjoying the pain of discipline? How do we build positive habits and eliminate negative ones? Here's how reading "Atomic Habits" by James Clear helped me to build positive habits. According to the author, habits should start with identity changes. Once you start to identify yourself as a fitness enthusiast, you automatically get rid of a lot of friction in going to the gym. For example, if you identify yourself as a lazy, overweight individual who wants to go to the gym to lose some weight, you are likely to feel like you are sacrificing a lot in your life, such as good food and comforting rest, to achieve a certain goal. However, if you identify yourself as a fitness enthusiast, you start to feel gratitude that you can afford to go to the gym, you feel thankful you have the time to go to the gym, and you feel thankful that you have the energy to go to the gym. Moreover, your friends will start to say that you don't drink alcohol or eat junk food because you are a fitness freak, which further helps you to stay on track. Identity change is the first step in building positive habits, so start your fitness journey with an identity change.

Habits are formed in 4 steps: cue, craving, response, and reward.

CUE:

First, you need to make it obvious. Rather than telling yourself that you want to work out every day, if you say that every day soon after you finish brushing your teeth, you go to the particular gym located at particular place at particular time, you increase the probability of going to the gym. Make it obvious when, where, and how you hit the gym. For me personally, it suits that I go to the gym every day after finishing my shift at 8 PM.

Craving:

Remember, scientific research has shown that significant spikes in dopamine occur not only by doing certain actions but in anticipation of the action. It's like feeling more excited in anticipation of going on your favorite holiday than actually being on the holiday. Use this mind trick to your advantage. Think of becoming healthier and fitter; that anticipation gives spikes in dopamine even before things happen. Also, to increase the craving, to make it more attractive, for building positive habits, pair something you need to do with something you want to do. For example, I can watch Netflix while I am cycling at the gym, or you can reward yourself with watching your favorite movie after doing 1 hour of strength training. This would increase the craving for going to the gym.

Response (Ease):

Make going to the gym as easy as possible by eliminating all friction. In my case, having to work 12-hour shifts as a nurse, alternating between day and night, it's hard for me to hit the gym at a particular time. So, initially, I thought time was the main friction preventing me from going to the gym. I joined a gym that is open 24/7, thinking I could hit the gym at any time. I paid the gym membership but never went to the gym, not even for a single day, because the gym was far away from my workplace and residence. Then, I realized the distance was the main friction, not the timing. So, I joined a gym located between my house and workplace, but the gym has specific timings; it opens at 7:30 AM and closes by 10 PM. That helped me go to the gym every day after my shift.

Reward:

Make going to the gym as rewarding as possible. Getting fit and entrepreneurship have a lot in common. When you start a business, you may not make any profit or have any positive impact on the world, but if you are consistent for long enough, you can make a lot of profit while also making a positive impact on the world. Similarly, going to the gym for a day will not bring any changes, a month may not, 100 days: a little bit of change, consistent for a year, you will be transformed.

How to stay consistent when we can’t see any progress? How do we stay motivated when we are not sure if we are growing? The answer is to track any tiny progress. Observing small changes makes you feel rewarded for every bit of progress. Here is how I track my progress in fitness to keep me motivated every day: track how much you work out every day. Going to the gym makes me healthier, stronger, and fitter; these are long-term benefits, but often, these long-term benefits are not enough to keep your motivation high. You need to track every tiny progress you make in the gym. For example, if I do 100 pushups today and next week I can make it 110 pushups, that's progress. If I do weight lifting 40 kg this week and can make it 42.5 kg next week, that's progress. If I can run 5 miles today and 6 miles next week, there is progress. Tracking these tiny progresses helps you stay motivated, disciplined, and consistent with your workout.

Above all, whenever you want to avoid the pain of discipline, ask yourself which is better: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret?

Love the pain of discipline or accept a mediocre life. WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?

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