A Permanent, Daily Exercise Habit for Writers and Creators

The method I use to make exercise permanent, so I don’t die at my desk

There’s a big danger in being a writer. We sit for hours a day, starting at screens, and the physical toll that takes on our bodies is not to be ignored. There are some days when I don’t leave my chair for more than a couple minutes in an eight-to-ten hour stretch.

We aren’t designed to sit.

Even our brains are designed to do their best work while were in-motion, not stationary. But if we want to write, we’ve got to sit (or stand) and type for long periods.

So, we’ve got to have yang to our yin — it’s time to get moving.

I’ve been a life-long fan of working-out, but I wanted to take my exercise regimen to a new level. My smartwatch told me I was a sloth — barely moving throughout the day, even though I thought I was in shape. I wasn’t.

The prescribed, twenty minutes of exercise per day isn’t enough to counteract the damage of sitting for ten hours. So, we need to take breaks and walk-around frequently, while writing.

But a year ago I wanted to get into really good shape. I wanted to build a daily exercise habit.

I’ve found daily habits are much easier to keep, than habits with a periodic schedule. I also knew there had to be some kind of reward for my healthy behavior. However, the reward was discovered by accident.

…and this reward might interest you too.

Rewards cement our daily habits

Rewards are a little pat on the back for a job well-done. They’re a positive dopamine squirt of neurochemicals. Whether it’s a cookie or a trophy, rewards reinforce our behavior.

Reward a behavior enough times, repeatedly, and you’ll reinforce that behavior enough to build a habit.

According to the book, Atomic Habits, James Clear tells us we need four elements to make a habit (cue, craving, response, reward), so the reward alone won’t do it. But the reward is the glue that makes the behavior easier to swallow — especially when we’re building a habit that takes hard work (like exercise).

I knew I wanted to exercise daily, but the act of exercising wasn’t a reward.

So, I looked for ways to make the process easier. I gave myself tiny goals as a minimum to count as daily exercise. If I did a minimum of five chin-ups I allowed that day to count as an exercise day. Once I did that, I gave myself a manageable daily goal.

My workouts always exceeded the minimum, but if I really wasn’t into working out that morning, I had an out.

Next, I needed a cue.

I make coffee every morning. Without fail. Rain, sleep, or snow. Once a single cup was done brewing, my cue was to fill my mug and head to my basement gym. Cue — check.

My response was the workout, so that process was done for me. I used a tracking app in my phone to keep me motivated by the additive, daily progress.

The only piece left of my habit-building system was the reward.

This was the magic for me. I knew that motion was a great way to generate new ideas. Since I’m a writer, these creative moments are critical to my work. Instead of using the joy of the workout as a reward, I chose idea-generation.

Instead of listening to music while I work out, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. I keep a yellow legal pad on a small table in my home gym — pen at the ready. As I work my way through different exercises, not a day has passed where I didn’t jot a few great ideas on that pad.

The motion and heavy-lifting deliver me great ideas every time I visit my basement gym. Now, instead of looking at the daily workout as daily exercise,I’ve re-framed the behavior to daily idea-generation, with exercise as the vehicle.

Once I re-framed the exercise process I was able to trick my brain into looking forward to the workout every morning. I know I’ll uncover some great ideas. The only way to get those great ideas is to move, physically. Might as well exercise.

It’s silly. I get it.

But when we re-frame our intention in a way our brain sees the behavior as enjoyable, it’s much easier to practice the behavior every day. Sure, I’ve missed a couple days in the last one-hundred, but I don’t punish myself. In aggregate, I exercise every single day and I’ve generated hundreds of great writing ideas in the process.

Maybe this will work for you too.

Re-frame a less-than-pleasant, daily task into something your brain will think is candy. It’s easier to turn these re-frames into a daily habit. We’re waiting for you.

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August Birch (AKA the Book Mechanic) is both a fiction and non-fiction author from Michigan, USA. A self-proclaimed guardian of writers and creators, August teaches indie authors how to write books that sell and how to sell more of those books once they’re written. When he’s not writing or thinking about writing August carries a pocket knife and shaves his head with a safety razor.

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