Treatment Table Podcast

Why You Keep Falling Off Track (And the 5 Habits That Fix It)

• Mathew Ah Chow • Season 1 • Episode 14

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You start strong. You feel motivated. You go all in… and then life gets busy and suddenly you’re back at square one.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

In this season finale of The Treatment Table Podcast, I break down the real reason you keep falling off track, and it’s not a lack of discipline or willpower. It’s your system.

After 12 episodes with experts across physiotherapy, exercise, nutrition, and mindset, I’ve pulled together the five simple habits that actually help you stay consistent without burnout, guilt, or relying on motivation. Because motivation comes and goes… but the right habits keep you moving forward.

In this episode, you’ll learn why motivation is unreliable and what to focus on instead, the biggest mistake people make when trying to stay consistent, and how to use habit stacking to make healthy habits automatic. We also dive into why accountability and access are often the missing pieces, and the simple system you can use to build habits that actually stick long-term. Plus, the fifth habit that ties everything together and has the potential to change everything.

Consistency isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing the right things repeatedly. You don’t need to overhaul your life. You need a system that works with your lifestyle, not against it.

If you’re a busy professional trying to stay consistent, someone stuck in the cycle of starting and stopping, or just feeling overwhelmed about where to begin, this episode is for you.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s coming next. And if this helped you, share it with someone who’s ready to stop starting over.

You can connect with us on Instagram @treatmenttablepodcast for more tips, clips, and practical strategies to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Simple steps. Real conversations. Helping you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

🎧 Episode Resources & Links

See you next week on the Treatment Table!

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Over the last twelve episodes, one of the principles we've found is that consistency matters. Motivation alone doesn't work. Welcome to the final episode of our first season on the Treatment Table Podcast. This is your guide to a healthier and happier you. I'm your host, Dr. Physiotherapy, Matthew Archau. And each week we've been sharing through simple strategies to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier. So when I first started the idea of the treatment table podcast, it came from a very simple connection that I have with my clients on the treatment table. Each week I get to share 30 minutes with my clients on the treatment table, and we have the most deep and connective conversations without notifications, without phone calls, which are very rare these days. And I wanted to bring that to this podcast. And we've had some incredible guests through the season, all the way from exercise physiology to longevity to dietitians, looking at different ways that we can move and exercise from dancing to jujitsu, and to how to build a community around you that supports your healthier and happier life. So please, if you haven't already, please make sure you follow and subscribe. It helps us share these episodes and these tips to other people so that they too can live a healthier and happier life. In today's episode, what we're gonna do is we're gonna do something a little bit different. We're gonna tie in five healthy habits that I've taken from all my time spending interviewing these guests. I'm gonna break down five simple healthy habits that are gonna help you continue on your journey towards a healthy and happier life. Over the last 12 episodes, one of the principles we've found is that consistency matters. Motivation alone doesn't work. And if you're relying on motivation itself to get healthier, to stay fitter, to be consistent, that's why you keep falling off the bandwagon. Motivation comes and goes, but your habits, your systems, that's what actually drives results and keeps you on your journey towards a healthier and happier life. And I see this all the time in the clinic, in the gym, everyday life. People start off strong, they get motivated, they go all in, and then they burn out. Life gets in the way and they stop. And then it takes a lot more motivation to restart again. So today, what I want to do is share with you five simple steps to building a healthier habit based on the last 12 episodes and bringing it all together for you. So this is a system that I use with my clients, and it's built on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I'm gonna go through five simple steps that help build consistency without relying on motivation. And the fifth one is a new one that I've learned from this series, and it's gonna change everything. Step one habit stacking. You've heard of it before, but how does that actually work? Like, how do you put together what you want to achieve into what you're already doing? So, so many times I hear the complaints, I don't have enough time, I'm busy. But if you've really got the time, you've really got habits that you do regularly, right? You brush your teeth, you're making dinner, all of those things, what you can do is tie in your exercises, so then you have no excuses to get those exercises done. For example, you could do your calf raises while you brush your teeth. Then at least that way you're getting it twice a day. You could roll at your feet while you're waiting for the coffee. All of these things are simple things that you know that you already do day to day, but all you need to do is just add on one simple thing. We talked about this through different episodes very early on with Kyle, our senior exercise physiologist. He talked about how important habit stacking is and how to create healthy habits. Because that's what's gonna lead you to success. If we just rely on that motivation, that first of January, setting those goals, you're gonna burn out. So we started the season back in January, and we see it every year. Everyone's motivated, everybody wants to get healthier, they want to increase their step count, they want to lose weight, they want to get stronger. And then April comes, Easter comes, and we're towards the end of April now. And I tell you what, everyone's motivation is dropping like flies. They've had too many Easter eggs, work is busy, kids are back at school, it's a lot harder. But if you've built up consistent habits from the start of the year and made them all the way through consistently, the chances are you've built them into your daily routine. And if you haven't, that's okay. Or if you've fallen off the bandwagon, that's okay. We're gonna go through these steps, and you can start this straight away. Start implementing small little habits into your daily routine you're already doing. Just like George Adam, our jiu-jitsu coach, covered in his episode, it's taking that first step again. Once you get that first step, the rest will follow. But start with that first step, add in a small little habit, don't go too big, one small thing into something you're already doing. Could be going for a walk after dinner. Again, don't try and walk 10Ks, just go out for a 10-15-minute walk after you finish dinner. Keep it small, keep it achievable, make it consistent. Step two set up your environment so that it leads to success. In the book Atomic Habits, James Clee talks about how a study in an office they changed fizzy drinks for water at the front of the fridge. And the water consumption went up and the fizzy drink consumption went down. Another really good example of how I've set up my environment is when I set up my home office, I had a stand-up desk and I had a chair, but I still found I was sitting more than standing. So I threw out the chair. I made sure that behind my office, behind my desk, I've got my foam roller, my trigger ball, and some dumbbells. So it then it makes it easier when I'm getting achy and I'm getting sore to do a little bit, not a full workout, just five, ten minutes to reset my body. Another great example of setting up your environment for success is packing your bag for the gym the night before, make sure it's not hidden, make sure it's by the door, or you might need to food prep the night before, have it at the front of the fridge ready to go.

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Dr.

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Rabbi from Trojan Health, our longevity doctor, also spoke about this. See, one of the biggest keys to success, to making it easy, is access. If you can set up your environment to make it easier to move, to make it easier to eat healthy, it's gonna lead you to success. So remember, if it's not right in front of you, if it's not in your face, it's likely to not happen. One of the cool things is once you set up your environment, you're making a conscious decision to the next day. So if you've packed your bag, you've packed your shoes, you're already setting yourself up for success and keeping yourself accountable. Because you're not going to walk past those shoes, that gym bag, and try and ignore it, knowing that you should be going to the gym. Step three, build a community that supports you, that builds you up, builds your confidence, keeps you active, keeps you moving, keeps you healthier, and keeps you happy. Don't try and do this alone. Accountability allows you to be more consistent. This was a common principle that we came across through multiple guests. Kyle spoke about it, about having a supportive dad when he was really injured. Mike spoke about it from CAX and how the community keeps each other accountable. If someone doesn't turn up to their 5 a.m. session, they're going to be picked up, they're going to be messaged. Why aren't they here? Doris, the poll physio, spoke about how strong her community was in building up confidence and celebrating the wins, no matter how small they were. So find a community, a crew, someone, could be one person, could be a big group, but find someone who's going to keep you accountable, who's going to support you, and someone's going to celebrate the wins. That accountability is going to lead you to more action, more habits, more success. Step four, make sure you reward yourself. Our brain really likes rewards. So what you want to do is link a habit and reward yourself. Now, one of the ones that I do, I love coffee, probably a little bit too much and drink too much. Evan producer Renel says I drink too much coffee, not enough water, but I tell her water is in coffee. We talked about this in our last episode with Chris, the breathwork instructor. When I wanted to start increasing my meditation and my breath work and creating a daily habit, I knew that if I set it up before my coffee in the morning, because that's when I wake up, I really want that coffee, I really want that reward. I said to myself, you can have that coffee after 10 minutes of meditation or breath work. And I've now been consistent for the last three years because I know when I wake up that before I have that coffee, I've got to do my 10 minutes. On the episode with Erica, our dietitian, she also talked about having food doesn't always have to be dry or boring. You can reward yourself. One of the biggest rewards from being consistent is that you'll start to feel better. You'll be less achy, you'll have more energy. And this over time creates a positive feedback loop because you'll now start to realize that if you go to the gym, you go for that run, you go for that walk, you're gonna feel better afterwards. And it helps to start to reframe to take that first step because you now remind yourself that you know what? The last time I didn't want to go for a run, I didn't want to go to the gym, but I made myself take that first step. I felt really good afterwards. And focusing on the positive, the reward, the win will help build that consistent habit. Step five. I think this one is a game changer. When I thought of discipline and exercise, for me, it was something that I made myself do, and something that I had to force myself to be consistent to then make it into a habit. But what this season has taught me is that if you have more fun, if you're enjoying what you do, you don't have to force yourself because it's fun. It makes things more enjoyable, more consistent, and it becomes part of your life. Jiu-jitsu is a different way of moving, a different way to exercise. Pole dancing was something that creative and fun that built a lot of confidence and strength. So finding something that you really enjoy and sticking with it is gonna allow you to create more fun in your life, more enjoyment. But you don't have to use exercise as a punishment. You don't have to force yourself through grueling workouts if you don't enjoy it. Find ways of movement that's fun, enjoyable. It's gonna be so much easier to keep going, to be consistent if you're enjoying it. So find something you enjoy, find something that makes you happy, keeps you active, keeps you moving, and stick to it. So remember from the very first episode, I talk about how to increase movement. It doesn't have to be big, heavy, hard, grueling workouts. Find something that you enjoy. It might be as simple as going for a walk with a friend. You might really enjoy a podcast or a Netflix series, put that on while you're on the bike. You might enjoy more indoor sports, maybe it's netball, maybe it's pickleball, maybe it's golf, maybe it's just going for a walk with a friend. Find something that you enjoy, create a weekly habit. It's gonna help you stay consistent, it's gonna lead you to be more active, you're gonna feel better, live better, and be happier. So that leads us to our exercise of the week. And here, what I want you to do, and it's very important again, like we found, you need to take that first step. I want you to pick one habit, make it small. I want you to stack it with a habit that you're already doing. Make sure you set up the environment, do what you need to do, move things around, set up your bag, whatever it is you need to do to remind you so it's in your face. Find someone to keep you accountable and reward yourself. Make it enjoyable, enjoy the process. Remember, you don't have to go big, start small, keep it consistent. So I want to take you back to if you haven't listened to my very first episode, we talked about the three-legged stool. Now, this is three pillars that are gonna lead to a healthier and happier life. So the first one is movement. So we talked about how you don't have to do big excessive workouts, you just need to move more in different ways. So you might think about how do you create a habit to move more? And so this might be let's increase our step count. So again, you don't have to walk 10,000 steps if you're only doing 2,000 steps. Maybe just try and add on another two or 3,000 steps per day. And so let's break that down into our five-step plan. So start small, let's add in a small walk after dinner. You're gonna pop your shoes next to the kitchen or next to the door to remind you, and you might invite your partner, family friend to walk with you after dinner as a reward. You might have some dark chocolate when you come back. Reward yourself. So, what you might do is reward yourself. Spend some time with a quality friend, call someone that you haven't spoken to in a while, or you might have your favorite podcast that you want to listen to, your favorite audiobook, and link that with your walk. Make it enjoyable, make it fun. The second leg of the stool is nutrition. So, again, start small. Don't have to overhaul a whole new diet. Pick one thing. Maybe you want to replace a snack, and maybe it's a bit processed, maybe it's a bit higher in fat, maybe it's too high in sugar, replace it with something that's slightly healthier. Maybe you want to replace chips with popcorn. Maybe it's if you're craving something sweet, replace it with some fruit. Maybe it's that 3 p.m. slump that you're searching for a next sugar hit. So what you want to do is set up your environment. Have your snacks already to go in the fridge or next to your computer, laptop, where you're working. So it's there, the environment's set up. You know that this is when you're likely to have it. It's easy to reach, it's there, and that'll become more consistent over time, and you'll be surprised. Over time, you won't reach for that high sugar or high processed foods. You'll actually just reach for the healthier snack. Our third leg is sleep and recovery. We touched on a little bit of this during the episodes, but keep tuned, we will have someone coming on soon for sleep. In the meantime, one simple habit that you might do that I've done myself is taking your phone out of your bedroom. I used to charge it next to my bed, and it used to be the last thing I scrolled before going to bed and the first thing I picked up. We spoke about this with Chris in our last episode and how that habit of scrolling through your phone, picking it up first thing in the morning, can really increase your cortisol levels. So, one simple thing change the environment, plug your phone outside of your bedroom so that way you change the environment even better at home. Make sure your partner or your family members also charge it outside so they can keep you accountable. And the best reward is you're gonna wake up feeling more refreshed, more energized, and ready to tackle the day. Yay! So even if you can try and implement one leg of the three-legged stool, it's gonna start to create positive momentum, positive healthy habits that are gonna lead to a healthier and happier life. Once you stack on one leg, you can start stacking the second leg. Stack that third leg. You're gonna end up with a healthy stool. Shout out to Erica Hung, the dietitian, for a healthy stool. So that's a wrap for today's episode and our final episode for season one on the Treatment Table Podcast. It has been an incredible journey, and thank you so much if you've joined us along the way. If it's your first episode, please go back and listen to the incredible guests that we've had on. We are now entering our planning phase, and we have something very exciting to come for our season two. In the meantime, we're gonna fill you in with some QA's, some weekly tips. I'm gonna keep jumping on, keep the consistency going, building those habits of podcasting. And what I need from you is keep me accountable. Can you send me through your questions, your queries, send me a DM on the Treatment Table Podcast, or email me at treatmenttablepodcast at gmail.com and link is in the show notes. If you have any particular guests that you'd love for us to have on the treatment table, or if there's specific topics you'd like, please let us know. Special thank you to all the guests for coming on for this season. You've been incredible, you've shared your story, your knowledge with all of our listeners. So thank you again, and we look forward to the new guests on season two. Thanks for joining me on the Treatment Tell Podcast. We'll see you next week for a mini episode.