How to be consistent at the gym when the motivation runs out
, 3 min read
In September you go four days a week. In October, two. By November you can't remember where you left your locker padlock. You know how to train. What you can't manage is to be consistent at the gym for more than a few weeks.
The motivation you start with doesn't last, and it doesn't need to. What keeps you going is having the days and the time already decided, a minimum version for bad days, and a missed session that costs you something.
Why it's so hard to stay consistent at the gym
At the start everything pushes you along: the excitement, the new kit, seeing changes. A few weeks in, the changes slow down and the excitement has worn off. What's left is the routine, and if the routine depends on feeling like it, it falls apart.
The other blow is the first day you miss. You think "I've already ruined it" and, since the streak is broken anyway, missing a second day doesn't seem to matter.
Missing one day doesn't break the habit
In a study from University College London, Phillippa Lally and her team followed 96 volunteers for 12 weeks as they repeated a behaviour every day (eating, drinking or some activity) in the same context, for example after breakfast. Two findings matter here:
- The time it took for the behaviour to become close to automatic ranged from 18 to 254 days depending on the person. It can take months, not weeks.
- Missing one occasion did not materially affect how the habit formed.
So skipping a Tuesday doesn't ruin it. The risk is stringing missed days together. One simple rule: never miss twice in a row.
Have a minimum session for bad days
Some days you don't feel up to the full routine and, instead of doing less, you don't go at all. Decide in advance what a bad day looks like:
| Normal day | Bad day | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 60 minutes | 20 minutes |
| What you do | The full routine | Two exercises and home |
| What counts | Showing up | Showing up |
Twenty minutes won't get you fit, but it keeps the habit alive until the next day.
Set days and a time, not "three times a week"
"Three times a week" slips to Thursday, then Friday, then next week. "Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 08:00" can't slip without you noticing. Put it in your calendar like any other appointment.
Make missing it cost something
On a bad day, what gets you out of the house is knowing that skipping has a price: €5 you lose if you're not there on Thursday at 08:00.
How we do it at Ultimatum
Ultimatum is the app we're building for when the motivation has gone. You choose the days and the time, leave a small guarantee and prove it with a photo taken there and then at the gym; if you keep your word, you get your money back. If the photo check has doubts, someone on the team looks at it and nothing is charged automatically. It's not available yet: join the beta and we'll let you know when it opens.