You would agree with me that most people who say they want to get fit or live healthier barely make it past the first few days. You see this all the time especially around January. I’m not picking on anyone, I have done the same thing myself before. The excitement of starting something new is there, but give it a week and somehow that excitement disappears.
I used to think maybe the problem is discipline or willpower, but looking closer at my own life, I have realized that is only part of the answer. The zoomed out observation is that most of us set a target that is not realistic for the lifestyle we have right now.
Once I told myself I would work out every morning at 5 a.m. before anything else. I managed to do it for three days, but by the fourth morning, I started finding reasons to stay in bed. It is not that I did not want to do it, I just could not keep up with the routine I set based on my work life balance. If I have to finish my work and other chores roughly by 10pm, do a little entertainment (because life is not just about work) for at least 45 min. to an hour, I would be sleeping pretty close to 12 midnight. That means I don't get a healthy sleep too so my staying in bed is a little justified. Don't want to die early haha.
A lot of people make the mistake of copying routines from people who already have years of experience. They see a fitness influencer on YouTube and think if they follow the same schedule they will get the same result.
That is not how it works at all when it comes to habits (and that includes financial habits for t my leofinance community).
The people you see online started with something much easier and built up from there, but nobody tells you that. So I changed my approach and started with just a short walk in the evenings. I was able to keep at it because there was no "consistent" pressure, I just did it because it fit into my day. After some weeks, it became a habit I call my stroll hour.
If you keep making promises that do not fit your life, trust me you will keep breaking them.
Credit:
My thumbnail was generated using Chatgpt 4.1 model.