There are numerous apps to help you to eat better and exercise more, as well as apps to help with habits of all kinds (not just exercise habits). I have not tested them out, so I don’t have strong opinion on any, but anything that can help you to be more healthy sounds great to me.
After a speech I recently delivered, one of the attendees, a man named Jim, told me about an awesome app he has been using to help get into shape. What I loved about the app, 5K Runner, is the way it helps a person to slowly build up their exercise routine. That syncs well with my recommended method for making habits that stick—breaking down big goals into small pieces and working on them one at a time until they become a habit (as opposed to goals that are too large, like most New Year’s resolutions.)
Before using the app, Jim had not been in the habit of exercising. He said to me, “If you told me I needed to get in shape to run a 5K 60 days from now, I would’ve done it so differently. I would’ve gone out there and started running that distance from day one and I would have likely given up, as I have in the past. What the app did was to lead me through a series of steps. With that approach, I found it easy to stick with the program and to develop the habit I believe will stay with me.”
I love what Jim told me, particularly about the idea of starting slow and building up the habit. Not only is it a method for more likely achieving success, but it’s also a method where if you stop making progress at a
certain point, at least you will have made some progress, rather than an all or nothing mentality (like when Jim said, he would have tried to run 5K the first day and likely have given up after several frustrating days.) And success breeds success, and builds confidence. Successfully achieving small goals helps you to build up to larger ones.
Have you used an app to help with exercise or other habits? Have you followed the method of breaking down your large goals into small pieces and working on them slowly? What have your experiences been? Please join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David