What is the benefit of building an exercise habit versus sporadically working out when the mood strikes?

The goal of any habit is to reach a friction-free state. It’s not about the mood you wait for, it’s about the end goal in mind and reaching it without friction. Whether it’s health, competition, or overcoming yourself.

Picasso said he made sure he was working when inspiration came. As in art in exercise. You will see no progress in anything in life if you only do esporadically and are undisciplined about it. Excercise connects you to your body and brain more than anything – we live through our sensations and it means your sensations become finely tuned

A habit will help my body stay strong and fit. While sporadically working out I am prone to injury from doing too much too quickly. I also can't play in pickup sports as well. My weight fluctuates easily which is a problem if I can't work out

Well, sporadically working out means you depend on motivation and as Mel Robbins said it " It's garbage " Relying on your mood is like building on sand. Sure you can throw some bricks but you'll never built a skyscraper. And that's where habits come to play. You lay the foundations and build it up slowly but consistently till you already reach the stars. But heck what does a teenager like me know about human behaviour? I could go on on throwing facts and trying to impress you but the choise is up to you. If you want the skyscraper you'll first need the knowledge to picture it, and the tools to build it. I think habits are like that. We try to understand them, but if we don't try, the building crumbles. So my advice is choose the habit, and choose it now. Even a small google search could help you. First we make our habits and then our habits make us.

I have found it became part of my day/routine. Being consistent helps me to continue doing it. And I enjoy that time to improve me.

Sporadic exercise can lead to yo-yoing in your weight, where you may suddenly lose some weight because of your exercise but then goes back up quickly when you don't work out which is hard on the body. Also working out regularly helps raise your metabolism, which helps maintain weight loss and/or meaintain a healthy weight. And I have also found that when I work out sporadically I tend to over do it when I do a workout and because I am trying to make up for not working out before. Which leaves me too sore to work out again the next couple days which makes it even harder to get into a routine

When I exercise routinely overall I feel great. I find sporadic exercise gives me join pain, lower strength, lower endurance, lower energy, prone to make poor food choices. I find internal organs function better as well because of lower weight and smaller midsection. Also a habit will ensure you stick with it for longevity of life and health. If I exercise sporadically I tend to skip days, then weeks, then months! Weight starts to pile on. Overall when I do something daily for exercise intensity or low intensity at least 30 to 60 min I feel physically and mentally great!!!

A habit sticks and becomes part of your life. Doing things sporadically will means it may never get done. The real benefits of exercise are realised more when there is consistency.

That's a very good question. Let me share my relationship with exercise so you can better understand why I feel regular exercise is important.
I used to be an athlete until I quit a few years ago (hmm may be more than a few). And as someone who had been regularly working out since childhood I had definitely taken its benefits for granted.
I notice now, that when I was on my regular exercise routine I was always on top of my game. Amazing grades, better relationships, a very strong mind, awareness of my surrounding and time and a great focus on any task that I worked on. I had this ability to plan ahead, create goals for myself (both short & long term) and I had this crazy dedication to stick to them. (and I'm a big time procrastinator!). Naturally
quality of life was a lot better.
Once I quit I started to not like exercise anymore. It's not like I was completely inactive I did exercise once in a while but it was just not the same. Exercise was not a part of myself anymore. Eventually I started to think of it as an unnecessary chore. I put on a lot of weight too ofcourse. But more importantly I had lost control over my time, my goals, focus. I had no dedication anymore..I wasn't so strong anymore.. in a way that I needed validation and company of others all the time.
I procrastinated a lot and was never satisfied with my work. I felt like I didn't control my schedule instead my schedule controlled me. And my life was a drag!
I noticed what was missing in my life and I can't tell you enough how significant the benefits of daily exercise are!

Excercise is a borderline compulsion for me, so I understand how the body begins to ask for a routine even when you’re injured or need to prioritize time in the office. Working out in the mornings, however, is not something I’m used to- im
still not sold that it works for my circadian rhythms, but I’m willing to give it a try

Consistency is key to a healthier, more active lifestyle. You're more likely to move more overall if you make a habit out of it as opposed to doing it when you feel like it. You'll have more energy and will likely sleep better too.

Consistency gives the results of strength (building muscle), flexibility, better balance, improved mood, better sleep, and blood sugar regulation.

Exercise HABIT is better because ultimately it will become effortless and the benefits are emience. As you all said ‘exercise is really for the mind’ but will benefit the body. Ones mind and body will enjoy the benefits of the HABIT as opposed to sporadic workouts which could lead to body soreness, as well.

Because you are trusting the mood to strike enough times. And the mood striking does not mean you will go through with it. Better to start small and do everyday so that you will do even when the mood does not strike.

If it becomes part of your daily routine, it becomes something necessary in your day-to-day life. If your mood to exercise strikes every other day then that's no problem, but when you reach a point where your mood is low you could avoid exercise all together. Building a habit allows you to remain constant. Think of how good it feels to exercise, and the great results you will see and then think of it as a necessary part of your life, like brushing your teeth.

For me a habit would be harder to derail. If I waited for the mood to strike, I would never exercise when times were tough.

When you exercise regularly it becomes a habit, an automatic behavior. You become stronger and healthier without even thinking about it and it really helps to clear your mind and take away stress. If you just exercise when you’re in the mood it will always be hard, it will add to your stress because you’ll be fighting with yourself, not really improve much over time and feel guilty if you don’t exercise. All of this contributes to doing it even less and being less motivated to do it again. Exercise becomes a hassle instead of something positive. Also, if it’s a habit, you always have something to be proud of. If you do it in the morning, you’ll already have won the day before it even started and no matter how “bad” the rest of the day goes

A habit gets done – automatically. The 8 minutes in the morning helps energise your day. You do want energy for your day, don't you? It takes less than 10 minutes and benefits your entire day.

Working out when the mood strikes would be far more easier than building a habit. I won't feel I'm incapable to do exercise every day and hopefully I would enjoy doing them time to time.

For me, having a regular workout habit when I can maintain it gives me better results than working out sporadically. That is to say: I achieve my goals faster and more affectively if I’m working out regularly VS Only working out sporadically when the mood strikes.

bij routine hoef je nauwlijk na te denken. en in dit geval geen gevaar maar van ondordacht,want hier moet je bij nadenken en is het geen stemming

I feel more energized and happier. It is easier to do exercise every day than sporadically. I do sun salutation and dance. It is fun and optimistical start of my day. I love it.

Physical excercise must be a regular effort as body needs it daily.
Sporadic excercise will not add any value to the body nor to your mind.

A "habit" implies it will be done.
"when the mood takes you" implies a possibility that the mood will not take you and therefore exercise will not occur.
After saying that I know what you mean, if you are not in the mood you will just do the minimum to satisfy the requirements of the habit.What I am playing around with presently is doing the habit (bare minimum) in the morning and thus I have completed my requirements but if the mood takes me then to do more exercise later in the day.if the mood takes me during my habit time ,of course I would exercise more then, but generally I'm a bit time poor in the morning

When you make it a habit to excersize everyday it takes less effort and you probably do more in the end! For example: 1. You just get so used to your daily excersize you just do it. 2. Maybe you do 30 lunges with a big excersize once a week, or you might do ten everyday. Also that seems doable and you wont dread it so much resulting in more consistancy with your excersize. I hope this anwser was usefull to you! All the best!

Because when you exercise every day it'll become a habit which you'll miss when you don't do it. You will also become stronger and exercise will be more fun. If you only do it when then mood strikes, you're more likely to overdo it and become so tired you doing want to do it again any time soon. Regular exercise is good for your body and so is routine.

The question answers itself. The schedule on which my habit is based presents me with an exercise session at regular and frequent intervals. My mood might present me with the impetus to exercise. Or it might not. Ever.

Boost the mood, heart is a muscle, so it pumps better and clears the arteries. More nutrients and oxygen gets into cells and releases toxins. Burns fat and tones muscles/bones.

An excercise habit has many more health benefits than just exercising every once in a while. Regular exercise will give you more energy as it boosts your blood flow and helps move vital fluids and nutrients throughout your body. This boosts your immune system, and releases happy hormones that make their way to your brain. And, if you make exercising a habit you'll strengthen your will power and stamina at the same time. Soon enough you'll actually 'feel like' exercising every day!

The habit allows development of movement skills that help preclude injuries. Sporadic exercise will require “catching up”, making it a less efficient use of time and less impactful

If you exercise often through habit you will decrease fatigue and improve your mood. As a result, you will find yourself doing better at work or with your studies. You will find yourself more energetic when you are with your friends too. Overall, those two improvements will also make you more likely to exercise often, as fatigue and a low mood easily becomes an excuse to stop exercising.

A habit is like waking up every morning and taking a shower. You do it without thinking. You decided a long time ago that that is a good thing for your body to start your day like that.
Exercise is one of those things. It doesn't matter how you feel about it anymore. If you decide that's a benefit for you in the long run, you'll do it without putting any thoughts to it. Just like when you shower everyday.

you will only see change if you are consistent with your exercising. if you just exercise every once in a while you won’t make any significant progress.