66: Building Habits That Stick (Don't Wait for January!)

If you wait until January 1st to build momentum, you're already behind. In this science-backed episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly and Terry break down the real reason some fitness habits stick while others crumble by mid-January—and show you how to create unstoppable momentum starting right now. 

Learn the habit loop formula that drives every repeated behavior, discover why starting smaller than you think is the secret to consistency, and understand how your identity and environment shape your success more than willpower ever could. 

Whether you're an instructor helping clients build sustainable routines or someone ready to finally create habits that last, this episode delivers the blueprint for transformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Master the Habit Loop - Understand the formula behind every repeated behavior and how to strategically hack it for your fitness goals
• Start Small - Why your brain craves easy wins and how tiny, consistent actions create the momentum that leads to massive transformation
• Identity vs Outcome - Shift from outcome-focused goals  to identity statements for lasting change
• Engineer Your Environment - How your surroundings, schedule, and community influence your habits far more than willpower alone
• Ritual Creates Consistency - Use morning and evening bookend cues to anchor daily habits and build unstoppable momentum over time

Essential viewing for anyone who's ever said "this is my year" only to watch motivation fade. Your habits create your life—and you don't need a new year to start building them.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube - @groupxappeal.

Questions or topic ideas? Email us @ groupxappeal@gmail.com

Get your FREE Guide To Holistic Well-Being here: https://gxaguide.com/

Stay Connected with Kimberly:
- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
- website: www.theinspiredlifeuniversity.com

Stay Connected with Terry:
- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

If you wait until January 1st to build momentum, guess what? You are already behind. Your best year starts right now. And hey, if you want weekly insights to create unstoppable habits, hit subscribe and share this episode with someone who's ready to take control of their 2026.

Kimberly/terry (00:52)
Welcome back to Group X Appeal. am Terry Shorter. And I am Kimberly Spreen Glick. Whoop whoop. This is episode number 66. What? Yes, it is. That's a lot of episodes. That's a whole bunch of episodes, but we're just getting started still. That's right. And today we are diving into the science of momentum. The truly the real reason some fitness habits stick and why others crumble by mid January. It happens. So this episode is for anyone who's ever said.

This is my year and then watch the motivation fade. Let's build habits that actually last. Yeah. So how do we do that? Well, we got some, we got some things to share. Yeah. We got five different points or five different tips that will hopefully get you prepped and ready to go. So you can build momentum like right out of the gates. Because as we know, once you create that created that momentum, it just breeds more momentum. And so the first thing

before we get into that is understanding what a habit loop is all about. ⁓ The first step to building momentum is understanding the habit loop. And there's three different parts of the habit loop. We have what's called the cue, then we have the routine, and the routine leads to the reward. It's basically the formula behind every single repeated behavior. for example, let's say for example, if I want to

get out and start walking, get some miles under my feet, because eventually I want to lose weight, we'll say, right? ⁓ The first cue that I like to set up for, this is what helped me wake up every single morning and go on my morning walks, whether it's already 85 degrees out or whether it's like 40 degrees out, right? Is I set up a cue and the cue for me is always every single night prior to waking up.

I'll put my running shoes literally right next to my bed. So when I get up and before my feet even touch the ground, my feet actually almost step into my shoes. Literally. That's the cue for me. could go wrong? Right. What could possibly go wrong? I would trip over those so fast. At my age nowadays, right? Just, I would be like getting up to pee at two in the morning. Sorry. I digress. ⁓

So that's my cue to remind me, all right, guess what happens next? I'm literally stepping into my routine. And what's the routine? It's going out and just going out for a 30 minute walk. I'll walk 15 minutes down this path right outside where I live, 15 minutes down the path, I get to the end, I touch the gate and I walk back 15 minutes. And for me, that leads to the next part of the habit loop is the reward. What's the reward? Well, the reward could be,

as simple as a sense of accomplishment, right? That promise that you made to yourself and that just feeling of empowerment, that feeling of accomplishment and that right out of the gate starting the day helps you build into more success. It breeds again, more success. It just rolls into another win that you're, you because you started out right out of the gate from that simple, simple cue. And if we took it even,

further or not further necessarily, but if we kind of stepped away from the whole fitness side of things, it's as simple as walking into your bathroom and having your toothbrush sitting on your sink. That's the cue. What's the cue? The cue is to brush your teeth. That's the routine. And that routine, what's the reward to that? have mid-tea fresh breath, no cavities. Nobody is like trying to avoid you when you're saying hi. Well, if you say it like that, I might try to avoid you.

Like, B-R-I-C-O-N-S, like, hi.

So that's the basic habit loop. it's under, it's having, ⁓ you know, first again, the cue just represents the, ⁓ you know, the signal, right? The signal to remind you of what your routine is or routine that you'd like to get into. And then always having that outcome in mind too. What's the outcome that you'd like to have? How would you like to feel at the end of it rather than thinking of the process?

And I like that you gave the example of something you would do first thing in the day, because I've often heard the best way to own your day is to own your morning. Yes. Because you are setting yourself up to kind of create that domino effect of momentum throughout the day, which kind of leads me to the second point being to start smaller than you think. And the reason that that kind of jarred a memory of mine of, forget, I think I was not talking to, I was listening to, I've never talked to David Goggins, but I've listened to him before.

And he was talking about how he was taught to make his bed in the morning. Something as simple as making your bed, starting just small of a habit as that can create a bit of a dopamine hit and a sense of accomplishment that creates a bit of momentum. Like your brain loves easy wins. So often we set ourselves up to try to accomplish these massive tasks to be able to form new habits. You know, was just talking to a member after class on Tuesday morning.

And she was talking about all these things she wanted to do. She wanted to start doing a protein shake in the evening. She wanted to start working out certain number of days a week. She wanted to start strength training. She wanted to start doing all these things. And at one point I just kind of paused and I said, okay, I said, I hear you and I hear all the things you want to do, all these new habits you want to for yourself. I said, but how about we pull it back and just pick one? Just for now. Just one. Let's just start with one then, as that becomes more routine, as the habit loop starts to kick in.

Then you can layer in other habits, but what often happens when we start too big is that we don't necessarily follow through on everything because life happens and we're human and other distractions come into play. And then you feel like you failed and too often that leads to throwing our hands up in the air and doing nothing. And so the second tip is start smaller than you think. For example, make your bed in the morning.

or just something small that creates a habit loop that makes you feel accomplished, like, okay, now I'm do the next thing and the next thing and layer it in. Like for some people, if you're not currently doing even a 10 minute walk in the morning, you Terry does this 30 minute walk in the morning, maybe start with a 10 minute walk. Like just get yourself moving, but start smaller than you think. And before you know it, you will have accomplished more than you could imagine and have created healthy habits that will serve you long-term. ⁓ I love it. I love it.

Is there a song by Michael Franti called ⁓ Start Small, Think Big? Is there? Yeah. How could there possibly be a Michael Franti song that I don't know? I'm going to send it to you. OK. Yes. Start Small, Think Big. OK. Well, Bram, the owner of Lifetime, always said, think big, start small, act fast. Act now, right? I love it. That works. ⁓ that's a great tip. So thank you. Yes. Start Small.

The visions of grandeur are great. It's great to have these, you know, this, the outcome that you have in mind, but a lot of times, if for whatever reason you don't follow through, you feel like a failure and it's like a downward spiral. felt that way before. then you forget about consistency. don't know consistency is what it takes to create a new lifestyle. So absolutely. Yeah. So the third tip for today when it comes to this habit loop is knowing that

identity or your identity personally is greater than the actual outcome. So what do I mean by that? So a great example of that is telling yourself, just the self-talk starts coming in here saying, I'm someone who moves daily. Simple, right? I'm someone who moves daily rather than saying, I want to lose 10 pounds. yeah. Right? Because I want to lose 10 pounds is the outcome that you want to eventually have. Yes, that's great and everything.

But if you kind of take a step back and focus on those smaller steps that Kimberly just talked about by saying, I'm someone who just moves daily, will absolutely with consistency, right? And momentum, you will absolutely lose that 10 pounds as long as you just do it daily, right? So pretty simple. I mean, you know, I'm a big believer in inspire goals is how the whole power process was created. So I think we should have inspired goals, but

I think that the twist you're talking about here is yeah, have the goal, have the outcome, the vision that you want to accomplish. But then the question is, okay, who do I need to become? What version of myself does? Grammar is hard. But what version of myself is required to...

allow that vision to become a reality. So you kind of step into the identity versus all the focus on the outcome. Because when you step into the identity of what you need to become to make things happen, you will automatically take the action. So it's huge. And it gets there. It'll get there faster than you think. And you'll feel so much better. So that is the tip. Identity is greater than outcome. I like that one a lot for sure. But I know you love this one. Yes. Yes. So talk to us about it. You know, I think I will.

We ready. So environment is everything. It is, know, just like you were talking about your, cue of setting your shoes out. You I've actually heard that before. Like if you want to take up, whether it's going for a morning walk, morning run, or just, you know, go into the gym, working out, whatever, to set your clothes out the night before so that the environment is, such a way that it only makes sense for you to do the thing. You're set up for success. Yeah, absolutely. So that's part of it. But then just in general, your surroundings.

⁓ you know, I think about the environmental wellbeing. Part of that is making sure that in the space where you spend time, do you feel inspired? Do you feel as are there things that spark joy? ⁓ could there be a quote that you could put up on your bathroom mirror or that you could have framed on a wall that inspires you to do the thing that you're hoping to incorporate into your lifestyle, the new habit, the new healthy habit or ritual. So, ⁓

the environment is huge as far as your surroundings. And I think that that's, that's the inanimate objects, you know, whether it be a quote or the space that you're in, also the people. Like, so your community, the community, the people you spend time with, that's going to shape your habits more than you could imagine, certainly more than willpower. So think about who you surround yourself. They often say you're kind of the product of the top five people you spend time with. And so, um, if you want to make healthy lifestyle changes,

surround yourself with people who are either on that same path, whether they be maybe a little ahead, a little behind, but they're on that path with you and inspire each other. And then of course your schedule, that's kind of part of the environment that you create as well is make sure I'm a big believer that if you don't put it on your schedule, it generally doesn't get done. So I schedule just about everything. I mean, I don't schedule brushing my teeth or making my bed.

That tends to be on autopilot on its own. But the other things that I want to do, whether it's taking a class or meeting up with a friend or ⁓ trying a new routine of some kind that I know is going to have an healthy outcome, I will put it on my calendar for sure. Because then it's locked and loaded. So environment. Make sure you're supported. And I ⁓ think one of the things that also is included in the environment is your programming.

Programming from TV what you watch. my gosh listen to podcasts or whatever watch YouTube your social media They're in good hands. You're in such good hands right now as we speak by the way Absolutely, but ⁓ you know the the algorithm picks up on all the social media platforms nowadays what you tend to kind of choose to watch into to

led into your space. so you have to be super, super careful of, you know, the, the programming that's coming in. That's that intellectual wellbeing we've talked about before. We talk about fueling our bodies, but you have to fuel your mind because that is going to lead to as part of the environment and it's going to lead you to make healthier choices. Hopefully. Yeah. it should. Absolutely. So yeah, so it is, it is everything that environment. So, the last one is momentum.

loves ritual, right? It really, really does love ritual. And a lot of times people might think that, ⁓ you know, your rituals or your habits that you create might be boring, right? They might be ⁓ not very exciting whatsoever, almost like mundane in a way, right? At first I was thinking that when I first started on my walks, for example, was like, my gosh, this is just so tiresome. Why am I doing this?

But now it's become habit where I'm excited to get up and it's not the mundane anymore. It's become part of who I am. It's become part of my daily ritual. It's the part that starts my day and gets the energy flowing. ⁓ that just, again, breeds more momentum for the course of the rest of the day. And that's the beginning of the day. So you want to bookend your day with morning and evening cues. It's what you do in the evening as well. I know that you journal.

Right. I actually meditate. Morning and evening. Yeah. And that helps anchor in that consistency as well. ⁓ get you looking forward to, at least for me, like I'll journal, just write down just a few things. Some of the highlights of the day, what I learned, who I met perhaps, ⁓ just some of the best things that happened. So it makes me look forward to what's happening. Like tonight you're going to write about this. Absolutely. I always do.

Obviously. We did a couple of episodes. Kimberly was just... Kimberly was brilliant. my gosh. She's always brilliant. She wasn't so good with the grammar, but otherwise, like just, you know. Who teaches her how to spoke? So, ⁓ yeah, but it really does. As I journal and it doesn't have, you don't have to write a book at the end of the day. Just write down some thoughts, some inspiration, something that moved or inspired you during the course of the day. And it really does get me excited for the next day to come. I love that. And I can't wait to...

Jump in the shoes again and go for my own to get the process going and keep that momentum going. So, you meditate at the end of the day, but you also meditate at the beginning of the day too. Absolutely. Got to get the mind right. Yeah. Gotta get steady and grounded and absolutely. So, ⁓ that, that momentum that you build, it will become habit. You know, James clear writes about it in, atomic habits. So that's one of my favorite books. Check that out. ⁓ and he talks about,

all these different principles to build habits that last and that you can build more habits upon, more productive and positive habits upon. So, ⁓ so that's it. Yeah. Well, my friend, your habits create your life. I think that's pretty clear with everything we've discussed. You know, you don't need a new year to start. No. Start today. Start small.

And start with something you can repeat tomorrow because that's how you build unstoppable momentum and that is what we want for you. Yes. And please, please, please share your habits either in the comments down below. You can tag us at group X appeal, ⁓ tag a workout partner as well or instructor who, you know, perhaps inspires your consistency that you work with on a regular basis. Yeah. Or challenge each other to start a new habit. Yeah. Then you have an accountability partner. Ooh.

I like that. That's a whole nother level of stick-to-it-iveness. Stick-to-it-iveness. Now, we just want to remind you that we'll be at the Fit Expo in Los Angeles, January 11th. So if you are in the area or you just want to fly to LA for the day. Yeah, come fly out for the weekend. Come meet us, share your story, and maybe even be featured on the podcast. That would be awesome. We would love that. So hopefully this episode helped you get your habits together before the first of the year. Why wait? No need to wait.

Yeah, get us started now. I'm Terry Shorter. I'm Kimberly Springlick. And as always, we encourage you to make it a great day. Why Kimberly? Because it's a great day to have. It is. Peace out. Much love.