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If you are only going to implement one good habit, this habit is the one habit that will truly have the biggest impact on your life.
I’m going to explain to you why this habit is so game-changing, and how to easily implement this habit into your life the right way.
If you want to implement only one habit to create the greatest version of yourself and build more confidence and inner strength, then this article is for YOU.
Let’s get started.
What is this #1 Habit?
Excluding breathing, eating, sleeping, and other habits to stay alive… In short, it is to exercise regularly.
Now that may not come as a surprise, and I probably don’t deserve an award for the most innovative habit inventor…
But with this article, I want to outline WHY this habit is the only habit you truly need to implement into your life, without excuses.
Why exercise?
Exercising is by far one of the most important habits to get the most out of life.
During the beginning of 2019, I fell into bad mindset habits, and I was struggling with a bit of a depression.
I fell into bad and self-sabotaging habits like blaming others for my unhappiness, not taking action towards changing my situation, and not taking care of my health.
A turning point for me coming out of that depression happened when one day I decided to go for a run.
Running has always been a passion of mine, but during that low point, I barely did it. That day at the beginning of 2019, I just decided I would run to the coast and back, not really knowing how far that was.
After I came home, I looked at my phone and saw that I had run 25km, the farthest I had ever run before.
That day was a turning point because I realized how much more I was capable of, how strong I was, and that I deserved to build a better life for myself.
Whenever I feel low or down, exercising (specifically running for me) always gets me back to a better state of being.
Exercising reminds us that we humans are built to move and to stretch our capabilities physically.
There are CRAZY amounts of benefits of exercising, both physically and mentally.
Let us take a crash course in some of the most important benefits of exercising according to Healthline:
It can:
- make you feel happier
- increase energy levels
- help with brain health and memory
- help with sleep
- reduce pain
Now that is a very brief summary I know. Since there is so much information out there on the science behind why exercising is good for you I think this will make due.
Besides the benefits of exercising, I want to offer you some brain food on why exercise is the best habit in the habit book.
Also, I am going to share a unique tool that will help you implement this habit and do it consistently (but more on that later).
Exercise is a Keystone Habit
Exercising poses many benefits both for the body and mind, but it also affects other areas in your life that may not be that obvious.
It does so because exercising is what’s known as a keystone habit.
A keystone habit is basically a habit that affects many other areas and other habits in your life.
If exercising is the only habit that you start to implement in your life, you will have a sure road to automatically improve other habits and areas of your life as well.
Everything in life is a matter of priorities. There is no such thing as “I don’t have time to do this”. Saying that is just a weaker way of saying “It is not that important for me”.
If everything you do is a matter of priorities, then of course someone who exercises will prioritize differently from someone who doesn’t.
It is so important to remember this, so much so that I will repeat it again.
One who exercises will have different priorities than someone who doesn’t.
Alright, you get the point… Let’s take an example of how this can be the case.
Exercise Junky vs Couch Potato
Exercise Junky
Say for example that I was an exercise junky who only cared about one thing and one thing only, to be at my peak personal fitness.
Obviously, I would exercise, wouldn’t be much of an exercise junky without that 😉
But most likely, I would change other habits without me knowing it to elevate my exercising habit, for example, I would most likely:
- Wake up earlier to make more time for exercising in the morning
- Eat good food with lots of protein
- Not eat junk food
- Exercise more than once per day
- Take cold showers for muscle recovery
Couch Potatoe
On the contrary, say I would be a couch potato, with no motivation to exercise or move my body whatsoever, what would happen with me instead?
Well, most likely I would fall into habits that confirm that I’m a couch potato. For example, I would maybe:
- Binge-watch Netflix
- Eat chips and candy
- Go to bed later so I can watch more movies, or play video games, or scroll through social media (and don’t have anything better to do in the morning)
- Do things that are in my comfort zone and not challenge myself
You might be saying that this example is black and white, aren’t their people who can balance these elements?
Of course, there are and in a sense, you should. Life should be a balance between pain and pleasure. But always remember what this guy has to say 😉
All I want to show with this example is the importance of how keystone habits can really change other habits in your life, and that is how exercising affects your life for the better.
Also, there are a few things we’ve forgotten about exercise being apart of our true nature…
The Forgotten Truth about Exercise
In the modern world with social media, nonstop Youtube watching, and Uber Eats, it’s easy to forget about our true nature.
In our history, we have always needed to move. We did this to escape danger, hunt food, and to get shelter.
Nowadays, we have easy access to everything, and we don’t need to leave the house or take any major risks in order to survive.
This comfortable yet scary opportunity means that we can fall into lazy habits.
We forget that we humans are built to move.
I definitely think that if you have low motivation, low energy, and low self-esteem the reason is that you’re not exercising enough.
The reason you exercise is to move, to push yourself to the limit, and to grow and develop yourself!
While studying, working, or doing something mentally challenging, you push yourself to the limit mentally.
Through exercise, you push yourself mentally and physically, the best of both worlds actually!
I truly believe we need both to become our fullest potential.
Only through doing both will we ever have the opportunity to experience growth and progress, and truly feel ourselves becoming better and stronger.
I guess your next question is HOW should I exercise then?
How to exercise the right way
So now you have gotten some habit philosophy on why exercising is the number one habit that will elevate all aspects of your life.
Maybe you are wondering how to start.
Since everything you do is a matter of what you prioritize, the easiest way to start is to prioritize exercising first.
This can be done by exercising first thing in the morning.
Now I know this sounds scary… You might be asking yourself how that’s even possible if even getting out of bed is a challenge in the morning.
The truth is that there are so many benefits of exercising in the morning.
Probably one of the most important benefits of exercising in the morning is you get your priorities straight.
But how do you exercise first thing in the morning when you feel tired and groggy?
By having an INSPIRING Morning Routine that gets you out of bed excited!
By getting our Free 7-Day Morning Routine Guide, you will learn how to implement a morning routine and morning exercise into your daily life.
If you are a beginner exerciser, it’s time for a crash course in which ways to exercise.
The 4 Different Ways to Exercise
If you are new to exercising, maybe you are also wondering which way you should exercise.
As stated by Harvard Medical School, there are 4 important types of exercise.
1. Strength training
Disclaimer: Be aware of ILS (Imaginary Lat Syndrome) when exercising at the gym 😉
Strength training is very important to keep muscle mass and (of course) become stronger. You can do strength training at home, at the gym, or with calisthenics (using your body as weight).
Note: Make sure to exercise to the level that you sweat when doing strength training to get all the benefits.
2. Stretching
Personally, I can sometimes have a hard time motivating myself to stretch because I feel it’s pretty boring, and I don’t think I’m alone with that struggle.
But truth be told stretching is incredibly important for your health and overall well-being, especially for the future.
Stretching is important to retain flexibility and also to not rip your muscles. When exercising your muscles can become tight, so it is important to stretch before and after a workout.
When I stretch I usually combine it with looking at a Youtube video like for example book summaries from Productivity Game, this helps me to motivate myself to do stretching.
3. Balance training
This type of exercise is to increase balance and coordination, which is incredibly useful to build a good foundation when you get older. Doing yoga or tai chi are examples of exercising that can help increase balance.
Personally, I don’t really do this kind of training but I would very much like to try Tai Chi 😉
4. Aerobic training
This type of exercise is basically like cardio. You strengthen your lungs and your heart so you can increase stamina. This is my personal favorite type of exercise!
Types of exercise you can do here are:
- Running (my favorite)
- Swimming
- Cycling
- HIIT
- Dancing
Which one to choose…
From these different types of exercise, you can analyze which one feels right for you, and continue from there.
I personally recommend you begin with aerobic/cardio training, specifically with HIIT.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is one of the superhuman ways to exercise, read more about why HIIT is a superhuman habit here.
In short, HIIT gives you the most benefits of exercise in a shorter period of time.
Also, HIIT is one of the best ways to push oneself to the edge of one’s ability, which strengthens your body and spirit.
If you incorporate HIIT into your morning routine (which we help you within our Free 7-Day Morning Routine Guide) you will have a sure way to start your day the best way with one of the best types of exercise out there.
How to become committed
One problem many people face when implementing new habits is consistency and becoming committed.
Everyone has good intentions and it’s easy to start, but you won’t see any major changes in your life if you only exercise once in a while.
The only way you will get the benefits of exercise is to make it a consistent habit you do every day.
One way we have implemented new habits and made it consistent is by using the Vanaboard.
Vanaboard is an incredibly sleek offline habit tracker that helps you develop new habits and helps you get consistent in doing it every day.
We love the experience of using the Vanabord, it is so easy to use and makes habit implementing fun and enjoyable.
Our friends at Vanaboard have given you guys a discount should you want to buy one for yourself. You can head over to Vanaboard and the discount is waiting for you there.
Also, if you want to dive deeper into how to stay consistent, and develop a commitment to your goals, listen to our podcast episode down below!
Last notes…
So there you go, I hope we have inspired you to incorporate this #1 habit that you need in your life.
If there is only one habit you should implement, it is the habit of exercising regularly.
Make sure to get the Free 7-Day Morning Routine Guide and get started with exercising in your morning routine!
By exercising in the morning you will get the benefits throughout the entire day and don’t have to worry about it anymore.
We would love to hear from you, how important is exercise in your daily life? And when do you normally exercise?
Stay sweaty, stay happy! 😉
All the best!
Gustav
Gustav
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