How to get the FITNESS HABIT

Unconsciously adding exercise to your day may be the secret to smashing your wellness goals

We all have that smug friend who jumps out of bed at 6am, slips on their fitness gear and heads out for a 10k run, while the rest of us are dragging ourselves up and plying ourselves with caffeine to feel vaguely alive. What do these fitness enthusiasts have that we don't? One word - automaticity. If you haven't heard the term before, it's the new fitness buzzword that has the potential to transform your exercise routine.

But what does it mean? A recent study by scientists at the Les Mills research lab found that turning exercise into a habit you do frequently without even thinking about it (like brushing your teeth or saying 'please' and 'thank you') was the main differentiator between active and inactive people. 'Automaticity is essentially making fitness a consistent habit, because consistency is key for progression both in training and in life,' explains personal trainer Charlie Ede from FFS Fitness*.

The idea is that automaticity is instinctive and not something that you question or deliberate on, which can often lead to making excuses and halting any good intentions. Interestingly, the researchers who conducted the study found 100% of active people strongly agreed that exercise is an automatic aspect of their lives, whereas 92% of inactive people disagreed. The good news is that with just a few simple changes you can channel automaticity into your life to make the most out of your workout time. Here's how.

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