What You'll Learn

What access level is required to create your own habits
How to browse and add habits from the template library
How to create a fully custom habit from scratch
How to choose the right category, frequency, and tracking type
How to remove habits you created

Step-by-Step Guide

Access Requirements

There are two levels of habit access on Gymkee:

Habit tracking access: Allows you to complete habits and add habits from templates. If you do not have this access, the "Add habit" card on the Home screen shows a lock icon.
Habit creation access: Allows you to create fully custom habits from scratch. With this access, you will see a "Create custom" link in the template browser.

Your coach controls both access levels through your subscription settings. If you see a lock icon when tapping "Add habit," contact your coach and ask them to enable habit tracking access.

Note: Habits assigned by your coach are always visible and completable regardless of your access level. Access settings only affect your ability to add or create new habits.

Adding Habits from Templates

The fastest way to add a new habit is to browse the template library:

Go to the Home tab and scroll to the Habits section
Tap the Add habit card at the bottom of the section
The template browser opens as a bottom sheet

Browsing Templates:

At the top, you see a search bar. Type to search for habits by name
Below the search bar, category chips let you filter by category. Tap All to see everything, or tap a specific category:
- Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, Movement, Mindset, Recovery, Hydration, Lifestyle, Mobility, Cardio, Accountability
Templates appear as cards showing:
- The habit emoji and name
- Frequency and target info (e.g., "Daily" or "3x per week, 8 glasses")
- A checkbox on the right side

Selecting and Adding:

Tap one or more template cards to select them. The card highlights and the checkbox fills
Templates already assigned to you show an "Already added" badge and are grayed out
At the bottom, the Add habits button updates to show how many you selected (e.g., "Add 3 habits")
Tap the button to add all selected habits at once
The sheet closes and your new habits appear on the Home screen

Available System Templates Include:

Nutrition: Eat 5 portions of fruits & vegetables, Meal prep, Track your meals, Take supplements, High-protein breakfast, No processed food, Eat mindfully
Fitness: Complete a workout, Train 3x per week, Warm up, Cool down, Log your workout, Follow your program
Sleep: Sleep 8 hours, Sleep 7 hours, No screens before bed, Bedtime routine, No caffeine after 2 PM
Movement: Walk 10,000 steps, Walk 8,000 steps, Burn 500 calories, Morning stretching, Take the stairs, 30-minute walk
Mindset: Meditate 10 minutes, Gratitude journal, Visualize goals, Read 20 minutes, Digital detox
Recovery: Foam roll, Cold shower, Stretching 15 min, Rest day, Sauna
Hydration: Drink 8 glasses, Drink 2L, Drink 3L, Morning water, Water before meals
Lifestyle: Cook homemade, Limit alcohol, Morning sunlight, Practice a hobby, Socialize
Mobility: Foam roll pre-workout, Hip mobility, Shoulder mobility, Full-body mobility
Cardio: 30 min cardio, Run 5 km, Cycling, Swimming, HIIT
Accountability: Check in with coach, Progress photo, Weigh yourself, Review goals, Plan your week

Creating a Custom Habit

If you have creation access and the templates do not cover what you need, you can create a habit from scratch:

Open the template browser (tap Add habit on the Home screen)
At the bottom of the sheet, tap the Create custom link
The template browser closes and the Create Habit form opens

Fill in the form:

Step 1: Name Your Habit

Enter a name in the Name field (up to 60 characters)
- Be specific: "Drink 2L water" is better than "Hydration"
- Keep it short enough to fit on one line of the habit card

Step 2: Choose an Icon

Under the Icon section, tap one of the available emojis to represent your habit
- Options include target, muscle, salad, sleeping, yoga, water drop, running, book, brain, heart, fire, star, apple, sleep, dumbbell, rocket, sun, plant

Step 3: Select a Category

Under Category, tap the chip that best describes your habit:
- Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, Movement, Mindset, Recovery, Hydration, Lifestyle, Mobility, Cardio, Accountability
- The selected category chip highlights in your primary color
- The category determines the color of the habit's progress bar and path

Step 4: Set the Frequency

Under Frequency, choose how often you want to complete this habit:
- Daily: Due every day
- Specific days: Choose which days of the week. Day circles (Mon through Sun) appear, and you tap to toggle each day on/off. Default selection is Mon, Wed, Fri.
- X times per week: A flexible target. Use the - and + buttons to set the number (1 to 7). Default is 3. You decide which days to complete it.

Step 5: Choose Tracking Type

Under How to track, select one of three options:
- Yes / No: Tap to mark as done. The simplest option.
- Number target: Track a numeric value toward a goal. You will need to set a target and unit.
- Time duration: Track time in minutes or hours. You will need to set a target and unit.

Step 6: Set Target and Unit (Number-Based Only)

If you chose "Number target" or "Time duration":
- Enter the target value (e.g., 10000 for steps, 8 for glasses)
- Select the unit from the dropdown:
  - Number units: steps, reps, kcal, g, kg, lbs, ml, L, km, m, %
  - Time units: min, hours

Step 7: Save

Tap the Create button at the bottom
The form closes and your new habit appears on the Home screen
The habit is created with a default grace period of 1 skip per week

Removing a Habit You Created

You can only remove habits that you created yourself. Habits assigned by your coach cannot be removed by you.

Open the habit detail screen by tapping the habit card
Scroll to the bottom where the Remove habit button appears (red/destructive style)
Tap Remove habit
A confirmation dialog appears with the title and a warning message
Tap the destructive Remove button to confirm, or Cancel to keep it
The habit is archived and disappears from your Home screen

Removing a habit also removes your streak and completion history for that habit.

Tips

Start with templates before creating custom habits. The template library covers most common fitness, nutrition, and wellness habits. Templates are pre-configured with sensible frequencies and targets.
Choose the right frequency for your lifestyle. "X times per week" is the most forgiving option. It gives you flexibility to choose your completion days. "Daily" is the strictest but builds the strongest habit.
Be realistic with number-based targets. Start with an achievable target and increase it over time. Setting a target too high leads to discouragement and broken streaks.
Use meaningful categories. The category determines the color coding throughout Gymkee. Choosing the right category helps you visually organize your habits.
Use specific, action-oriented names. "Do 20 push-ups" is better than "Exercise." Clear names remind you exactly what to do when you see the habit card.

Common Mistakes

Setting too many habits at once. Research suggests focusing on 1-3 new habits at a time. Adding 10 habits on day one will likely overwhelm you and lead to broken streaks across the board.
Choosing "Daily" for a habit you cannot realistically do every day. If you travel for work or have variable schedules, "3 times per week" or "specific days" is more realistic and still builds consistency.
Not setting a target for number-based habits. If you skip the target, it defaults to 1, which may not be meaningful. Always set a target that represents actual completion.
Creating duplicate habits. Before creating a custom habit, check the template library and your existing habits. Duplicates create confusion and split your tracking data.
Trying to remove a coach-assigned habit. The "Remove habit" button only appears for habits you created yourself. Coach-assigned habits have no remove button. Ask your coach to remove or pause them.

Troubleshooting

Problem: The "Add habit" card shows a lock icon

Why it happens: Your coach has not granted you the ability to add habits on your own. This is a setting in your subscription plan.

How to fix it: Contact your coach and ask them to enable habit access. This is controlled through your subscription plan settings on the coach's side.

Problem: I do not see the "Create custom" link in the template browser

Why it happens: Your coach has not granted you the ability to create custom habits. You can still add habits from templates, but you cannot create custom ones.

How to fix it: Contact your coach and ask them to enable creation access. Alternatively, ask your coach to create the habit for you and assign it.

Problem: The Create button is grayed out

Why it happens: The habit name field is empty, or if you chose "Specific days" frequency, no days are selected.

How to fix it: Enter a name for your habit. If using "Specific days," make sure at least one day is selected (tap the day circles to toggle them).

Problem: I created a habit but it does not appear on the Home screen

Why it happens: The habit may not be due today based on the frequency you chose. If you set it to "Specific days" and today is not one of those days, it will not appear until the next due day.

How to fix it: Wait for the next due day, or check the habit detail screen (navigate to it from another day when it is due). If you set "Specific days," verify the correct days are selected.

Problem: I accidentally removed a habit and want it back

Why it happens: Removing a habit archives it permanently from your side.

How to fix it: You will need to recreate the habit from scratch or ask your coach to assign it again. Your previous streak and completion data for that habit are lost.