How I Accidentally Built the Most Consistent Habit of My Life

I want to share something with you that I'm genuinely proud of: how I built a consistent habit over the past year.

A peek inside what actually works when building lasting habits.

Consistency = Habits = Health

The graphic above is a screenshot of my strength training sessions per week over the past year, courtesy of my Strava app.

These numbers tell the story.

I averaged 2 sessions per week.

Some weeks I missed out entirely (you can see those dips to zero), and other weeks I was doing 5 or 6 sessions.

A 2,675% increase from the previous year.

And here's what might surprise you: this habit started well before I became obsessed with Dr. Stacy Sims' advice for female athletes during menopause (see my perimenopause newsletter here).

It began in a much more humble place.

Post baby number two, I was dealing with diastasis recti—that lovely separation of abdominal muscles that happens during pregnancy. I found myself on YouTube at some point, searching for videos that might help.

That's when I discovered a trainer who I just clicked with immediately. Her workouts were exactly what I needed—variable lengths, not too intimidating, not too easy, and definitely not boring.

I had no grand plan. No vision of becoming "someone who strength trains." I just needed to fix something that was bothering me.

But here's the thing about good habits—they always start small and grow into something much bigger than you ever imagined.

What Actually Made This Habit Stick (The Science Behind My Success)

I've been deep-diving into habit formation research lately, and looking back, I can see exactly why this worked when so many other attempts at forming habits had failed me before.

I accidentally followed almost every evidence-based principle in the book.

Environment Design: Making It Stupidly Easy

My setup was ridiculously simple.

I worked out in my office—the same space where I work every day. My equipment was always there: mat, weights, computer ready to load up YouTube.

When it was time to work out, I literally just had to put my shoes on and hit play.

No hunting for equipment. No driving anywhere. No decisions about what to do.

The research calls this "environmental design," but I just called it practical. The less friction between me and the workout, the more likely I was to actually do it.

Adapting to Seasons of Life

Here's something important that I think gets overlooked in a lot of habit advice: the time I do my workouts now is not the time I did them earlier in my life when I didn't have kids and had an office job 8-5pm.

I learned to fit my workout into my day where it made sense for this season of life.

With kids and working from home, mid-morning after some work tasks became my sweet spot. I couldn't work out at 6am before school like some advice suggests—I'm prioritizing my kids right now and that's okay.

I also had to be more flexible when we moved to a warmer climate. The heat meant I had to prioritize morning workouts even more, which actually worked better with my routine: drop the kids off, do some work, then workout mid-morning before it got too hot, then shower and lunch.

The key wasn't finding the "perfect" time that works for everyone. It was finding what worked for my actual life, right now.

Energy-Based Scheduling

According to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, our days have three distinct phases, and the first 0-8 hours after waking is when we have the highest levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine—perfect for tackling things that require the most effort.

I didn't know this science at the time, but I intuitively scheduled my workouts in the morning when I had the most drive (I've known this about myself for a very long time…).

Fifteen to twenty minutes felt mentally doable when I was fresh. By afternoon? Forget about it.

Task Bracketing & Rewards

Here's something interesting that happened naturally: I started using my workout as a reward.

After I completed my main work tasks for the morning, I'd "reward" myself with a workout. It sounds backwards—since when is exercise a reward?—but that's exactly how it felt. (Working out with Lindsey and Rachel always feels like I'm meeting up with friends.)

The research calls this "task bracketing"—creating a sequence where the habit becomes the bridge between what you just did and what comes next.

For me it was: work tasks → workout → shower and lunch.

This created anticipation. I'd finish up my work thinking, "Great, now I get to do my workout."

Decision Fatigue Elimination

One of the biggest game-changers was that Lindsey (my trainer) creates weekly programs that I could just follow. She has many two-week programs and sends out weekly program ideas.

I didn't have to think about what exercises to do, how many reps, or what came next. I didn't have to research workout splits or progressive overload or any of that. I just pressed play and followed along with whatever Lindsey had planned for that week.

This was huge for me. When you're trying to build a new habit, the last thing you want is to exhaust your mental energy on decisions. The research shows that decision fatigue is real—the more choices we make throughout the day, the worse we get at making them.

By simply following Lindsey's plan, I could focus all my mental energy on just showing up. She had already done the thinking for me.

Good Enough Is Good Enough

I used the weights I already owned. Were they the perfect weight for every exercise? Probably not. Were they heavy enough but not too hard? Yes.

I wasn't concerned about being perfect or comparing myself to Lindsey or Rachel. I measured my progress against myself. And the key metric was showing up.

And you know what? It worked. My muscles got stronger.

Maintaining Habits When Life Gets Messy

The reality is that life doesn't care about your habits.

You see those dips (to zero) in my graph?

I had weeks where I moved my house. Weeks where I traveled. Weeks where I was sick. Weeks where my kids were sick. Weeks where life just happened.

During those times, I couldn't work out. Or I didn't want to. Or it just wasn't realistic.

And here's what I did about it: nothing.

I didn't beat myself up. I didn't feel guilty. I didn't decide I had "ruined" my habit and give up entirely.

I simply got back to it when I was able.

When I traveled, I'd adapt—doing bodyweight workouts, using resistance bands, or following HIIT routines that didn't require any equipment. But if I couldn't even do that? I didn't stress about it.

This is what the research calls "non-linear progression"—the idea that sustainable change doesn't happen in a straight line. There are ups and downs, steps forward and steps backward.

The key is expecting the adversity and not letting it derail you completely.

The Identity Shift

Somewhere along the way—something shifted in how I saw myself.

My trainer had been telling me all along: "You are an athlete. You are strong. You lift weights."

And at some point, I actually started believing it.

I went from being someone who knew strength training was good and wanted to do it to being someone who strength trains.

That identity shift changed everything.

Now I know I am strong and an athlete.

It's not something I'm working toward anymore. It's who I am.

When Habits Are Cravings

About six months in, something interesting happened. I started craving my workouts.

On rest days, it was such a routine, I wanted to go put down my mat and pick up my weights. (I wanted to see my workout buddies, too!)

If I skipped a few days, I missed how I felt afterward. I missed the stress relief, the mental clarity, the way it helped me sleep better.

The research on habit formation talks about this—when a behavior becomes so rewarding that your brain starts seeking it out automatically.

But experiencing it was something else entirely.

Now I genuinely look forward to my workouts. They're one of the best parts of my day.

The Community Factor

Having someone lead me through the workouts was huge. When I was doing it on my own, I'd often quit mid-workout or not push myself as hard.

But when my trainer is encouraging me through the screen, reminding me why we're doing this—to be stronger, more functional, more resilient for our future selves—I finish the workout.

She's also created this amazing community through YouTube and her emails. Knowing that other women are doing these same workouts, facing the same challenges, working toward the same goals—it's incredibly motivating.

I also track my workouts on Strava, which adds another layer of accountability. There's something about logging that session that feels satisfying and keeps me motivated.

Building My Future Self

What started as addressing diastasis recti has become so much more.

I'm now preparing my body for perimenopause, knowing how crucial muscle mass is as we age. I've learned that women start losing muscle mass in our 30s, and the loss accelerates during menopause.

I've also noticed how my strength training supports my cycling performance. I'm stronger on hills, more stable on the bike, less prone to injury.

But perhaps most importantly, I'm building resilience for my 70-year-old self. Every workout is an investment in being able to carry groceries, play with future grandchildren, and maintain my independence as I age.

My trainer reminds us of this regularly—we're not just working out for today. We're working out for the women we want to be decades from now.

What You Can Take From This (The Practical Stuff)

If you're trying to build a habit—any habit—here's what I learned actually matters:

Before You Start: Make it stupidly easy and remove decisions.

When You Start: Work with your energy and start with good enough.

When Life Happens: Accept imperfection, know progress is non-linear, and give yourself grace.

For the Long Haul: Find your people and connect to something bigger than the immediate goal.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you.

I hope something in here helps you on your own journey.

Until next time,

April

P.S. If you're curious about the trainer who started this whole journey for me, try one of her workouts here. I can't thank her or recommend her programs enough.