Most people who have never worked-out struggle to start. Others who have done it all their lives cannot go a single day without exercising. When they do miss a workout, they feel guilty. Those who have never exercised think of those who do as gym freaks. Those who do workout think of those who don’t as lazy bums.

But between the two groups, there is a boundary that very finely separates the groups. It is  crossing this boundary where working out becomes a habit.

The Exercise Threshold

Anyone who has worked out consistently for 30 days would eventually cross the exercise threshold. This is the point where the mental pain of not exercising far exceeds the physical pain of exercising. This is the point where the lazy bums become the gym freaks. This is where working out becomes a habit.

Before crossing the threshold, working out seems like a chore. If you miss a workout before crossing the exercise threshold, your mind will try to convince you to quit.

Once crossing this threshold, you would have a tremendous amount of momentum on your side. Miss a single work out and you will start having withdrawals symptoms. You will feel guilty and rotten until you complete the workout. You get an unexplainable high once you complete the workout. If you do miss a session at this stage, your mind will quickly urge you to get back on track.

You Would Probably Cross the Threshold After 12 Sessions

Crossing the exercise threshold is easy. You got to consistently exercise for 4 weeks. That is a minimum of 3 exercise sessions per week. After 12 exercise sessions, you should be over the exercise threshold. This is where exercise becomes a habit but a weak one.

Keep It Going For 3 Months

Just crossing the exercise threshold is not enough. You have to increase the distance from this threshold. This requires you to be consistent for another 3 months or 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of about 36 exercise sessions, you should be so far over the exercise threshold that exercise will become a part of your life. You would never be able to imagine a life without exercise. This is where exercise becomes a habit that you cannot live without.