New Fitness Habits by Pam Moore

WASHINGTON POST
Why quarantine led some people to better fitness habits, and how they can maintain them

By Pam Moore

According to Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” all habits involve cues and rewards. A cue, which could be a time of day, triggers you to perform the habit, while the reward is the outcome motivating you to perform it. For example, hunger pangs in late afternoon trigger you to perform the habit of grabbing a snack; you are rewarded with renewed concentration.

That same destabilization has occurred during the pandemic. Someone forced to work from home might have taken advantage of this upheaval by choosing to begin running at 7 a.m., when they otherwise would have been commuting. The cue is the time, which triggers them to run. The reward is increased energy and focus.

If you have a meaningful short-term reward, she says, such as improving your mood, there is a stronger chance you’ll choose the workout. Edwards can relate; although she exercises to avoid disease later in life, activities such as dancing and yoga make her feel good on a daily basis.