How to Build Discipline in Fitness
How to Build Discipline in Fitness
Not too long ago, I interviewed Dr. Michael Rubenstein. We talked about pain and different treatments, but toward the end of the interview, I asked him how he stayed disciplined to stay in shape.
He replied that it was all about discipline. Then he thought about it for a moment and corrected himself. He said it was discipline in the beginning, but now it is a habit.
Yes, in the beginning, it is all about discipline. You have to make yourself exercise when you don't feel like exercising. You have to make yourself eat healthy when you want to eat something unhealthy. You have to make yourself follow your program when there are a hundred other things you would rather do.
But once you develop the habit of exercising and living a healthy lifestyle, it becomes much easier. Eventually, it becomes part of who you are.
Here I am going to share with you the 7 tools that I personally use and that we use with our members at Custom Body Fitness to build discipline in fitness.
1. Know Why You Want a Fitness Life
A fitness lifestyle is not always easy to develop. If you don't have a strong reason to become fit, it is going to be difficult to stay committed when life becomes difficult.
Your reason needs to be strong enough to create a burning desire to change. Over the years, I have discovered many powerful reasons why people decide to transform their bodies.
Some people want to:
Attract the opposite sex.
Show their ex what they missed.
Live longer after realizing their health is at risk.
Find a healthy outlet when they are going through difficult moments in life.
Become a better version of themselves.
Stop living a sedentary lifestyle.
Become stronger and more physically independent.
Feel better about themselves.
Your reason doesn't have to be the same as someone else's. But you need one. When your reason is strong enough, discipline becomes easier.
2. Understand That Fitness Is a Lifestyle, Not a Fad
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking of fitness as something they are going to do temporarily.
They think:
"I'm going to lose 30 pounds and then I'll stop."
But what happens after you stop? Eventually, you go back to the old habits that caused the problem in the first place. Instead, you need to understand that being fit is a lifestyle.
Eating healthy, exercising, taking care of your body, and staying active need to become part of your life. Once you understand this, you stop looking for the day when you can quit. You don't exercise because you are on a diet. You exercise because you are a person who exercises.
3. Find a Serious Partner or Hire a Professional
Having someone who supports you through the difficult moments of life can make a tremendous difference. It could be a spouse, a friend, a training partner, a group, or a personal trainer.
You don't have to do this alone. When you know someone is waiting for you, counting on you, and expecting you to show up, it becomes much harder to make excuses.
This is one of the reasons group training can be so powerful. You become part of a community of people who are working toward similar goals. And if you need more individual guidance, a personal trainer can give you the accountability, coaching, and structure you need.
4. Have a Structured Exercise and Eating Plan
It's much easier to follow a plan when you don't have to figure everything out every day. Imagine waking up and asking yourself:
"What exercise should I do today?"
Then you spend 30 minutes searching YouTube for a workout. Then you wonder if the workout is actually going to help you. Then you wonder how many sets you should do. Then you decide you'll figure it out tomorrow.
This is how people lose consistency. Having a structured program eliminates many of those decisions. When you have a good program, you simply show up and follow it.
The same applies to your eating habits. Knowing what you're going to eat ahead of time makes healthy eating much easier. You don't have to rely on willpower every time you get hungry.
5. Have a Specific Time to Exercise
Put your workout on your calendar. Don't just say:
"I'll exercise tomorrow."
Decide exactly when, where, and how often you are going to exercise. I personally like exercising in the morning because once I get it done, I don't have to think about it for the rest of the day.
As the day goes on, more things happen. Work happens. Family needs you. Unexpected problems appear and suddenly, exercise becomes the easiest thing to eliminate from your schedule.
If you exercise at a consistent time, especially early in the day, you eliminate many of those excuses before they happen.
6. Do Regular Checkups
You need to know whether what you're doing is working. Progress is motivating. This is why I recommend checking your progress every 4 to 8 weeks. Your checkup doesn't always have to be about the scale.
You can measure:
Body weight
Body fat percentage
Body measurements
Strength
Running distance
Exercise performance
Energy levels
How your clothes fit
At Custom Body Fitness, body composition assessments help our members see changes that they might not notice simply by looking in the mirror. When you see that your hard work is producing results, it becomes easier to continue.
7. Forget About Your Old Identity
This might be one of the most important things you can do. Stop identifying yourself as the person who doesn't exercise. Stop saying:
"I'm not an exercise person."
"I hate working out."
"I've never been disciplined."
"I always quit."
That was the old you. You are building a new identity. You are becoming someone who exercises, someone who eats better, someone who takes care of your body, someone who keeps commitments, someone who doesn't quit every time life becomes difficult.
Your behavior eventually becomes part of your identity and once fitness becomes part of your identity, missing a workout doesn't feel normal anymore.
Discipline First, Habit Later
Remember what Dr. Rubenstein told me. In the beginning, it was discipline. Eventually, it became a habit. That's exactly what happens. At first, you have to force yourself to get up and exercise. Then you have to remind yourself to prepare your food. Then you have to make yourself follow your schedule. But after enough repetition, something changes.
You don't have to think about it as much. You just do it. Eventually, missing a workout can feel strange because exercising has become part of your normal life. That's when you know you've developed the habit.
Final Thoughts
Building discipline in fitness isn't about becoming a completely different person overnight. It's about doing the right things repeatedly until they become part of you.
Find your reason.
Understand that fitness is a lifestyle. Find someone who will hold you accountable. Follow a structured program. Schedule your workouts. Measure your progress. And most importantly, start seeing yourself as a person who takes care of their body.
In the beginning, you will need discipline to become fit. But if you stay consistent long enough, discipline becomes a habit. And eventually, that habit becomes your lifestyle.
You won't have to keep asking yourself how to stay disciplined. You'll simply become the person who does it.
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