Episode 420: Liron Kayvan: Simple Strategies for Making Your 2025 Fitness Habits Stick

0:01Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits & Hustle. Crush it. Hey friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up.

0:28All right, guys, welcome to another episode of Fitness Friday. I also want to say something because I always forget, especially lately. Guys, can you guys please leave comments and reviews and subscribe to YouTube? I can't tell you how important it is. I'm so remiss in talking about it and it really makes a difference in the algorithm. So that's, I wanted to, I want to get that out of the way right away. It also helps to find out like what people like, what they think. That's why comments are so important to me because if there's something that maybe you're just interested in knowing or a guest that you'd like me to try to get, let me know.

1:09Because without your feedback, I'm just kind of going rogue and just doing what I want to do. One way. Yeah, one way street. It's not like a conversation. Exactly. Which actually is a great segue into this because I have Lee Run back on the podcast today talking all about health and fitness since it is, you know, January. And, you know, if you guys don't like him for example yeah i'm just kidding just comment don't like yeah yeah yeah yeah no that would never happen by the way what i have someone what was that there's always someone there's always somebody for sure but i will say and i think i've said this to you so many times and i tell us and we i talk about this about a bunch i think that people who have a brit males who have a british accent crush on social media and on podcasts people like believe that it's it's crazy like you don't have to have anything else going for you except which i don't and there you go so it works perfectly because it's literally like if you have a if you have a british accent and you are a quasi attractive male your numbers are just going to naturally just do well it's it's really it's like i think people should do like a case study on it yeah i think people love listening to a british accent yeah that's like pretty universal and i don't i don't know why it is But even me, like if I hear a British accent, I automatically think, oh, well, I take this thing more seriously.

2:30If they're selling me a product, it could be the worst product in the world. But I take it a bit more seriously. 100 percent. Like you could be the stupidest human on the planet. But if you have a British accent, you sound smart automatically and you sound like you know what you're talking about, which is so deceiving. Because I know a lot of people who are from the UK and probably not the smartest. But I get tricked and fooled every time. hence why you're here over and over again talking about fitness. No, I'm just teasing. You are knowledgeable and very likable. So I figure, you know, we do these like quick episodes.

3:04And it is January, as I'm sure we all know, it's always a new you, new year, resolutions, all that stuff. And then people like start to flail by what, March, April? You get to March, good for you. Really? Yeah. Haven't you noticed if you go to the gym in like January, it's full and packed. And then literally like in 30 days, there's like, it's become like a ghost town. Yeah. It's crazy how that happens. The resolution is go back into their cave. I know. So let's talk about this, right? Because I mean, this is something we talk about year after year, everyone does. And why motivation, number one, I don't believe in motivation.

3:41I think motivation wanes. And I think that if you're relying on motivation to get you from point A to point B to point Z, you're going to have a problem because there's no way you can always be motivated. So A, I think that people should be doing things no matter how they feel. You don't act based on how you feel. You act based around what you want to achieve, right? 100%. But with that being said, what are the best strategies to get people to stick with their fitness goals, with their health goals, right? Because to me, you know, fitness is so much more than just building muscle. It's so much more about like your like overall longevity and health over time, your cognitive functioning, just your ability to like walk through the world healthy, healthy for longer.

4:37The quality of your life is so much more supercharged than someone who doesn't exercise and take their fitness program. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how people don't work out sometimes. I'm just like, so what do you do? You just go home from work and you like eat pasta and put the TV on. Like it just, I just, I don't really get it. Like you feel so much better and you function so much better when you're working out. Yeah. I don't get why people wouldn't. I do. I do, but I do get it. So I'm like you, obviously. I believe that like fitness is like a transformative thing that really changes your life in every way, like I just said.

5:18But I think that you have to get it to a place where it becomes habitual for you to really feel the results. Because for me, when I'm not working out, I feel it. Like my mood is really bad. I'm in a bad mood. I'm not as focused. I'm really scattered. I'm not as productive. Like this whole myth of like you have to, you know, you have to like feel like it. Like you have to feel you've got to have the energy to work out. Like all of these are excuses and myths. Because to me, even when I feel like shit, I work out because I know I'll feel better after I work out. Like I don't know anybody who said they felt worse after working out.

6:00Yeah, no. And that's what I tell people, especially my clients. I'm always like, I think the difference between people who work out regularly and people who don't is when someone doesn't work out regularly or struggles to get into a workout habit, it's because they think their brain is picturing how it's going to feel like getting to the gym and walking in the door. And people who are successful and have stuck with a workout plan are thinking about how they feel when they leave the gym. So everyone feels better after a workout, 9.9 times out of 10. unless you're like sick or something like that.

6:35But you're always going to feel better when you leave the gym. And fit people, people like you and me who go often, are subtly and unconsciously thinking about, they're weighing heavier the feeling of leaving the gym and feeling good and accomplished and having your juices flowing and being charged up. And people who struggle are unconsciously weighing the feeling of getting to the gym. Yes. The feeling, so getting versus leaving, basically. Okay, so here, I have some stuff here. I want to talk today about building fitness habits that actually you can stick to or that will stick for 2025. Because to me, it's again, it's all about building habits.

7:18That's how people really end up doing things consistently day to day. If it's not part of your daily routine consistently, you will flail and it will fall off. So to me today, I want to talk about building fitness habits that stick for 2025 and beyond. So because, and the reason why this is so important is unless it becomes habitual, you will not stick to it and it has to be part of your day-to-day routine. And that's why my first tip into making a habit habitual is to schedule it. If you don't schedule your exercise, your fitness plan, it will likely not happen. That's for sure. Right? You put in your calendar your dentist appointment, your doctor's appointments, your hair appointments.

8:10Why not schedule your workout time? Or at the very least a window of when it's going to get done. Whether it's 1 or 1.30, like there's got to be some window, this is my workout time. I think you have to be more specific than that. I think the more specific you are and don't leave things to chance, like don't leave it to like this window between one and three, like the telephone guy who comes to your house to fix your phone or your internet. I think you have to be as deliberate and specific as possible to make it work. So every morning I will say, if I'm not on that treadmill by 9.15, you know, like that's my time.

8:53And so, yeah, you can have some flexibility. That's, you know, like when I say make it as specific as possible, have a time that you're aiming for. Exactly. Like 9.15. So if you get on at 9.45 or 9.30, fine. But at least when you're specific, you have like a target that you are going for. That helps. That helps a lot. Another really big one is making it convenient. You know, like there's a reason why my first book, my first company in the fitness space was called No Gym Required. And this was like 20 years ago. It's because you don't need to go to the gym to be fit, to be healthy. It's not necessary, right?

9:37And a lot of times there's a lot of, it's not convenient. Like it's 20 minutes away. Like things can happen in those 20 minutes. If you are someone who is stuck on time and have kids or whatever, don't overload yourself and overwhelm yourself with the idea that you have to go to the gym. You can be effective by doing workouts at home, right? Like there's so much technology out there for somebody to use. They can use YouTube. They can use all these apps. They can use, there's like so many ways that they can like get a 30 minute workout in that takes out the problem of lead time, like drive time, walk time.

10:17Agreed. To the gym. Agreed. 100%. The convenience factor is really overlooked. I always tell people that when they're asking about trying to start a fitness routine, I'm like the first, I mean, ultimately the only thing that's important is that you actually do it. And so if something's really inconvenient to the point where you can't or you just don't want to do something, like if the gym is too far away or the parking isn't fun or whatever it is, right? Whatever that barrier is, if you can't surmount that and you don't go, then you could have the best gym in the world. You could have the best membership in whatever it is.

10:48But if you're not going to go, it's a waste of time. Right. It's also like an excuse factor, like eliminate the ability to have excuses. right if you eliminate that as an excuse you can't you can't like you can't lean on it and like people who live in really cold climates you know like if it's super cold outside that should not deter you or stop you whatever to go and do what you need to do yeah so that's a big one and that's that also goes with like the type of exercise right people always say what kind of exercise like it's not really so much about the exercise you're doing it's about the consistency of doing that.

11:23And it depends where you're coming from. So if you're starting from zero, which a lot of people are, I don't know, I don't know who, who your listener base is. I don't think people are starting from zero. I think that, I think a lot of people, it's been like a big, like, it's been a very trendy thing. Like fitness has become like fitness, longevity, wellness has become a really, in my opinion, has become a very trendy thing now. The problem is too much information can also make you have analysis paralysis, right? You hear, this is the workout you should do. This is the diet you should do. This is the supplement you should do.

12:01Simplify your life and stop listening to everything and like figure out like what, what you can actually do and be realistic with that stuff. So to me, it's like, you know, like, even though I love running, you hate running, right? So then don't do it. Like, right. Like, what can you do from your home? Like, to me, like, this is a whole other podcast that we could do, which is about the myths, right? Like the about workouts that work the best versus things that work, like things that don't work. Honestly, at the end of the day, the, the amount that the, the decimal point of like, what actually moves the needle is very little.

12:39The thing that moves the needle the most is being consistent over a period of time that will get you results. So it's not about the actual workout you do. If you love Pilates, do Pilates. If you love, you know, cardio, then maybe you should do cardio if that's the gateway drug to get you to exercise, right? Like that to me is more important. I think walking is the best exercise. Like it's the most convenient. there's no barrier to entry and it can start you on a path to exercise and and and health i think with fitness as with pretty much anything if you want to achieve anything consequence you have to use the momentum factor so if somebody if you don't have any momentum if you were injured or you're sick or you haven't worked out for a year or two or whatever it is then you need to just move.

13:36You need to do something. And walking is probably your best, like your base. And people should be doing that all the time anyway. People should be moving, period. Like whether you're old or young or heavy or light or man or woman, like everyone should be walking a good amount because it's literally how our bodies were designed. You know, there was like a lot of talk chatter last year about like how walking isn't enough for a workout plan. And I beg to differ because what I've noticed is number one, especially if you throw on a weighted vest, you can get like, that's enough. Rucking. I don't call it rocking.

14:15I just call it walking with the weight of vest. No, I get it. It's a trendy name that somebody used to give themselves a little bit of clout but yeah okay let's call it walking let's call it just call it walking with a weighted vest it's so good for you i was doing it with my 28 year old son for a while i just put him on my 28 year old son 28 year old 28 pound oh son yeah that makes more sense yeah that would be amazing that would be crazy if at 36 i had a 28 year old son period and then i put him on my front that would be it worked really well because that would be fantastic yeah well but no unfortunately he's just 28 pounds not 28 years old 28 pounds is still a lot though but okay the thing is though like walking to me like gets you know it number one it clears it clears your head just for the mood factor of like boosting your mood i think that in itself is worth because it's how we're designed it's like literally in our dna we are designed to walk it's what separates us from the whole animal kingdom pretty much is that we're bipedal when we walk and that's how we're meant to function.

15:16So we're not going to work very well if we're not doing these basic things that we're designed for. And walking is literally just how we're built, how our bodies are built. I guess. So let's get back to building the fitness habits that will actually work. Scheduling your workouts, putting your calendar, putting your schedule, making it as convenient as possible to eliminate that excuse. The other thing is joining a fitness community of some kind. like there's so many right now do you know there's a huge movement of like how it used to be that people like meet up at bars and oh yeah and clubs and stuff yeah but no like people meet at bars now people are doing the same type of like like cool events at like coffee shops yeah yeah you know for like like-minded people because fitness has become more trendy yeah there's so many it's It's a positive social change for sure.

16:12It's a great positive social change. I heard about one called Coffee and Chill. Did you hear about this one? Coffee and Chill? Coffee and Chill. So I guess I heard it in a cursory way, but someone said that there's a club where everyone drinks coffee and then goes to the sauna and then gets in ice baths together. Yeah. And it's definitely like it's a scene. From the way the guy was describing it, he was like, oh, there's chicks there and all this type of stuff. Yeah. But I think people clearly need that. It's like a human thing. We need that, especially if you're single. But even if you're not, we need to do things tribally.

16:45Like it's literally how we are. That's why we're so tribal about our politics. And I think tribalism should stay out of politics. And I think fitness is a much better place for tribalism because you push each other and it's a positive feedback loop. And whether it's getting in ice baths or working out or whatever, we do need that sense of we're doing this together. We're in this together. I also think that people bond over sharing experiences. And so if I go to these places and I meet somebody who also likes a sauna and cold plunge and workout, and then we do those things together, it bonds you because you're doing these experiences together, right?

17:28And it's a way better way of life than like going to a club and just like, you know, drinking a bunch of like, you know, just basically bonding over getting drunk together. Not even remembering what you did. Right. Waking up the next day and being like, what happened last time? Like, what did you get out of that? And by the way, if you're doing that, your personality has been modified. So how do you guys really interact in real life doing like real things, right? You didn't integrate any of that. That didn't build your life in any way, shape or form. I get it. Look, I used to do it all the time.

18:00But you're not building anything like that. No, I agree. Like, I think that's a really positive way for people to socialize. Like, finding – and that's how you find people that like to do the things that you like to do, right? So I love these coffee and chills or these other – I wish I can remember the article I just saw about how they're, like, getting, like, these, like, cool DJs to, like, spin at whatever coffee shop. and people are just like drinking matcha or like a cold brew or whatever. And just like, also just like hanging out. You're doing all the things that we were previously doing at clubs, except you're doing it a bit more during the day and you're not filling your body with poison.

18:36But you're getting really all the upsides without the downsides. Yeah. And you're not going to sleep at 4 a.m. and ruining the next day. You're just doing it during the day and you're getting most of those benefits. Well, also you're finding your, as you call it, your tribe or your community, which by the way, the biggest part of wellness and the most important piece of wellness and overall health has been shown to be socialization. Loneliness is such an epidemic that people are literally dying from loneliness. Especially as we move into the technological. Well, yeah. Here it gives people an opportunity to meet people and socialize doing things that they like to do outside of this isolated area?

19:24Because a lot of things in like, you know, a lot of things can be - Especially like real life, like physically together. Physically together. That's what I'm saying. Not digitally, like, which is maybe one step better than just being in your room by yourself. But like, I think like being on a Facebook group is not going to give you the same benefits, like in terms of your body and the wellness factor that you just mentioned. Yeah. I think you physically have to be around those people. I totally agree. So to me, the community, the socialization is so important. What else is there that you think that would be a good...

19:56In terms of building habits? Building habits that people can really stick to, yeah. I think there's a common theme, because you can go into a million ways, right? But I think the binding... That would work though. Yeah, yeah. But there's a million little tricks you could use. But I'm saying one of the real common themes that binds it all together is the enjoyment piece, which you could take this the wrong way. People could take this the wrong way and saying, I always have to feel like doing something. And that's not true at all. Your feelings are really momentary and fleeting. And you and I, at least with regard to the things that we're successful at and that we are doing well with, for example, fitness, we don't really pay much attention to our feelings because we know they're fleeting.

20:36But at the same time, we are doing something we're passionate and that we like, overall, we love our fitness and we're passionate and we do enjoy it. Well, that's why I started this whole thing by saying one of the first things that people should never rely on is motivation, right? And how they feel. By the way, most of the things that I do in my life, I don't feel like doing them. You know, I don't feel like waking up early and making the same sandwich or lunch for my kids every second, every day, you know? Like, I don't feel like doing it, but I still do it, right? Because of the result, right?

21:12Because my kids will go to school without eating if I do that, right? And they'll starve. But then let me, going back to the thing I said before, let me ask you, with regard to like making your kids a sandwich or whatever, do you feel better after you've done it? Yeah, I do feel better because you know what? Like I feel like I mothered them, I took care of them, I nurtured them. That's what I'm saying. Like that's why you should never ever go by motivation or feeling. I always rely on how I feel after the fact, not before the fact. And I think that that is a really great reframe for people to start actually acting versus being in this position where they procrastinate and they don't do it.

21:55For sure. Because, by the way, what will happen is then you will feel badly about yourself that you didn't follow through. Oh, yeah. It's a completely negative spiral. You're just going to spiral down. And that's a negative loop. Right. Right. And so that's the other thing. And like, the other thing is like, you don't need to spend a lot of money. You can do things super simple at home. Oh yeah. With regards to fitness? Yeah. Oh, for sure. And so why I'm bringing that up is like, really try to like reframe ideas in your head about like what is necessary to live a healthier, fitter life. Right?

22:30Like, again, like I'm bringing back this whole no gym report. I want to, I really, I would love to bring back that book. I wrote it in 2009. As a gym owner, I wholeheartedly support that. Thank you. Exactly. I was going to say, you own a gym. But I never say - No, but I love it. Like calisthenics and stuff. I do so much calisthenics in my gym. By the way, like, let's be clear, okay? So Leroy, like, Leroy is like ridiculous fit. Like ridiculous. He has like a 20 pack. It's kind of sickening. Now, some of it's genetics. I don't care what you say. If you saw my dad, you wouldn't say that. Well, okay.

23:03I like to believe it's genetics. It makes me feel better. But a lot of the things that you do, And by the way, a lot of people I know who aesthetically look the best, it's not because they're using hardcore machines. They're doing a lot of bodyweight exercises. They're doing a ton of pull-ups. They're doing a ton of like walking lunges and isometricals and push-ups. My philosophy is exactly actually coming from that. Like I think that you should like calisthenics should be your base and then you add on to calisthenics. Like if you can't do a bodyweight squat or a pushup or a pull up, you shouldn't be doing heavy squats or bench press or.

23:41Totally. Or black. Get the basics down first. Yeah. Yeah. And that's the other thing. I think that to build a fitness habit, and if you are a beginner, this is great for a beginner, is that I think that you get good at the basics before moving on to the big leagues. because I think what happens a lot of times is people feel, they try to like do something that is beyond their fitness level and then they can't do it and it discourages you to do something again or to try it. So by the way, that happens with people even like me who's been doing this forever is that if I don't do the things that I don't like to do or I'm bad at or I'm bad at, that's the thing.

24:22You know, I'm bad at single leg squats, so I just stay away from them or I'm like really weak on this glute. So I don't want to do any kind of like exercises with that. Do you know what helps with that a lot? What? Something we spoke about earlier is the momentum piece. Oh, wait, let me finish my thought. Because my thought is this, that get really good at doing the basics because that will give you pride and confidence and like self-esteem really. Feel like, oh, I did this. I got this down. All right, I'll do it again. I'll keep on doing it. I'll go back. I'll do this. I'll do that. because it gives you like a sense of, yeah, I feeling of like, wow, look at like, go me, as opposed to trying this thing.

25:02And then like, you can't do it. And then you feel shitty. And then you don't do it again. Okay, now that's exactly what I was gonna say is, is the momentum pieces start easy, like your first workout of a new program, or if you haven't worked out for a while or whatever, whenever you're starting a new phase of something, it should be dead easy, you should like, just leave and be like, damn, I probably could have done more, as opposed to crushing yourself right at the beginning because the ego and even the body is not really ready for that at the beginning. You need to generate this. You need to get the snowball kind of rolling.

25:34Totally. Most people want to jump in at the deep end and they wonder why they're drowning all the time. It's like, no, start easy, leave, come back, make it a little bit harder, leave, come back, make it a little bit harder. And before you know it, you're flying, but you've got to start simple and easy and then generate the momentum. I love that. Okay. I think that's good for our little short episodes here. So again, guys, this is stuff that I know that I feel that's worked for people I know, my clients when I used to do it, me, you, and we might be missing a couple. Let me know if I am. But I think those are overall what really helps.

26:09I'm curious to see what other people find effective for them too. Yeah, me too. I'm always curious about that. You know, like that's that's basically what we got going here. So try those out if you are new to fitness, or if you're having an issue sustaining, maintaining a fitness program, try to try to think about those things. Don't go to the gym, make it as convenient for yourself as possible. Find a community use it, you know, use this is where technology actually can help like, you know, like find something online where you can join a group where you can meet in real life. You know what I mean?

26:41Yeah. Go to these, go to these like meetups at these coffee shops, And I'm sure there are some near you. And remember, it's not about the intensity. It's about the consistency. So start small. Just don't try to overwhelm yourself by doing an hour, two hours a day. 30 minutes works just as well. So you'll see a really big jump or a great incline in your overall fitness level by just doing something over and over again, as opposed to killing yourself once or twice and never coming back again. Anything else? Thumbs it up. Thank you. Have a great day. Bye, everybody.