jeffstarrunner1
New member
Hi everyone! I struggled to enjoy exercise for a long time. I’ve tested several widespread hacks to force myself into a routine - finding a workout buddy, rewarding myself with cheat meals, etc. Nothing worked.
I then decided to find why exactly it was so unbearable (dramatic I know lol). I dug through psychological journals and identified three mistakes I’ve been making. I also realized I’m not alone!
If any of you struggle with motivation to exercise or to get into a routine, it can hopefully help.
Enjoy the read!
MISTAKE #1 FOCUSING ON LONG-TERM GOALS
We often concentrate on the beach body or avoiding health problems. As these are long-term goals, they are uncertain. Uncertainty is perceived as a threat by our mind, and our bodies are designed to avoid threats (Vlaeyen, Crombez & Linton, 2016).
The key is to turn a threat into a reward. And by reward, I don’t mean a cheat meal
The point is to make exercising rewarding on its own (Rock, 2009).
The easiest way to achieve it is by focusing on short-term benefits. Studies show that workouts immediately improve sleep quality (Weir, 2011). Exercising also improves our mood because it induces dopamine and serotonin release in the brain (neurotransmitters responsible for rewarding & happy feelings, respectively) (Meeusen & De Meirleir, 1995).
Unfortunately, a lot of people skip workouts when they'd be the most beneficial. We don't want to move when we're down, but getting a workout in is a proven way to improve the way you feel.
No need to wait to see the results for weeks or months!
MISTAKE #2 STARTING HEAVY
Exhausting yourself at the beginning of your fitness journey is a direct ticket to quitting. Just like perceived threats, our brain aims to minimize the effort and avoid things that cause pain (Zipf, 2016). Even if you manage to force yourself to do strenuous exercise a few times, you’re likely to drop it because your body is trying to preserve physical and mental resources.
Play according to your brain’s rules — minimize the pain of your workouts. Start really slow. Ten minutes of light exercise is enough to improve your sleep and mood immediately. On top of that, it invalidates the ‘no time’ excuse and doesn’t leave you struggling to walk the next day.
After some time, slowly increase the difficulty and duration of your workouts — once you’ve developed a habit the easy way, it’ll be much harder to quit.
MISTAKE #3 FORCING YOURSELF TO DO WHAT YOU HATE
To illustrate the third mistake, I want you to think of exercising as a job. Working is crucial for most people to survive and enjoy life. Same with training — being at least somewhat physically active is essential to be healthy and feel good about yourself.
Now think about how many people despise going to work — a worldwide poll showed it’s around 85% (Clifton, 2017). For the vast majority, it’s nothing but a painful necessity. Exercising is similar, except that the negative consequences of not doing it are less apparent than those of not having a job. Dying at 88 years old instead of 89 due to skipping your jogs isn’t nearly as concerning as starving in a few weeks if you get sacked. People are more likely to quit exercising than to leave their jobs, even though they loathe both. If you hate something, you’ll struggle to do it and be in constant conflict with yourself. Our brain is wired to avoid pain — that includes anxiety and anguish.
There are two ways to solve this — either punish yourself for quitting or make workouts satisfying. For the sake of your mental health, I’d suggest sticking to positive reinforcement and finding a pleasant way to train. Going to the gym and jogging are not the only options out there — swimming, cycling, yoga, pilates, tennis, walking, etc. — all of those carry benefits for your well-being.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Creating a habit takes around two months (Lally, van Jaarsveld, Potts & Wardle, 2010) — during that time, you’re especially vulnerable to quitting. Concentrating on short-term goals, starting slow, and finding what you genuinely enjoy will help you through this period. Once it doesn’t feel like you’re making a conscious decision every time you go training, you’ll have discovered the sweet spot — the perfect time to start focusing on achieving a beach body or running a marathon.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the psychology behind exercising struggle and can apply some of it when you feel the motivation slipping.
Have a lovely day,
BLAKE
Reference list:
Clifton, J. (2017) The World's Broken Workplace. Gallup.
Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European journal of social psychology, 40(6), 998-1009.
Meeusen, R., & De Meirleir, K. (1995). Exercise and brain neurotransmission. Sports Medicine, 20(3), 160-188.
Rock, D. (2009). Trick your brain into loving your workout. Psychology Today.
Vlaeyen, J. W., Crombez, G., & Linton, S. J. (2016). The fear-avoidance model of pain. Pain, 157(8), 1588-1589.
Weir, K. (2011). The Exercise Effect. American Psychological Association.
Zipf, G. K. (2016). Human behavior and the principle of least effort: An introduction to human ecology. Ravenio Books.
I then decided to find why exactly it was so unbearable (dramatic I know lol). I dug through psychological journals and identified three mistakes I’ve been making. I also realized I’m not alone!
If any of you struggle with motivation to exercise or to get into a routine, it can hopefully help.
Enjoy the read!
MISTAKE #1 FOCUSING ON LONG-TERM GOALS
We often concentrate on the beach body or avoiding health problems. As these are long-term goals, they are uncertain. Uncertainty is perceived as a threat by our mind, and our bodies are designed to avoid threats (Vlaeyen, Crombez & Linton, 2016).
The key is to turn a threat into a reward. And by reward, I don’t mean a cheat meal
The point is to make exercising rewarding on its own (Rock, 2009).The easiest way to achieve it is by focusing on short-term benefits. Studies show that workouts immediately improve sleep quality (Weir, 2011). Exercising also improves our mood because it induces dopamine and serotonin release in the brain (neurotransmitters responsible for rewarding & happy feelings, respectively) (Meeusen & De Meirleir, 1995).
Unfortunately, a lot of people skip workouts when they'd be the most beneficial. We don't want to move when we're down, but getting a workout in is a proven way to improve the way you feel.
No need to wait to see the results for weeks or months!
MISTAKE #2 STARTING HEAVY
Exhausting yourself at the beginning of your fitness journey is a direct ticket to quitting. Just like perceived threats, our brain aims to minimize the effort and avoid things that cause pain (Zipf, 2016). Even if you manage to force yourself to do strenuous exercise a few times, you’re likely to drop it because your body is trying to preserve physical and mental resources.
Play according to your brain’s rules — minimize the pain of your workouts. Start really slow. Ten minutes of light exercise is enough to improve your sleep and mood immediately. On top of that, it invalidates the ‘no time’ excuse and doesn’t leave you struggling to walk the next day.
After some time, slowly increase the difficulty and duration of your workouts — once you’ve developed a habit the easy way, it’ll be much harder to quit.
MISTAKE #3 FORCING YOURSELF TO DO WHAT YOU HATE
To illustrate the third mistake, I want you to think of exercising as a job. Working is crucial for most people to survive and enjoy life. Same with training — being at least somewhat physically active is essential to be healthy and feel good about yourself.
Now think about how many people despise going to work — a worldwide poll showed it’s around 85% (Clifton, 2017). For the vast majority, it’s nothing but a painful necessity. Exercising is similar, except that the negative consequences of not doing it are less apparent than those of not having a job. Dying at 88 years old instead of 89 due to skipping your jogs isn’t nearly as concerning as starving in a few weeks if you get sacked. People are more likely to quit exercising than to leave their jobs, even though they loathe both. If you hate something, you’ll struggle to do it and be in constant conflict with yourself. Our brain is wired to avoid pain — that includes anxiety and anguish.
There are two ways to solve this — either punish yourself for quitting or make workouts satisfying. For the sake of your mental health, I’d suggest sticking to positive reinforcement and finding a pleasant way to train. Going to the gym and jogging are not the only options out there — swimming, cycling, yoga, pilates, tennis, walking, etc. — all of those carry benefits for your well-being.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Creating a habit takes around two months (Lally, van Jaarsveld, Potts & Wardle, 2010) — during that time, you’re especially vulnerable to quitting. Concentrating on short-term goals, starting slow, and finding what you genuinely enjoy will help you through this period. Once it doesn’t feel like you’re making a conscious decision every time you go training, you’ll have discovered the sweet spot — the perfect time to start focusing on achieving a beach body or running a marathon.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the psychology behind exercising struggle and can apply some of it when you feel the motivation slipping.
Have a lovely day,
BLAKE
Reference list:
Clifton, J. (2017) The World's Broken Workplace. Gallup.
Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European journal of social psychology, 40(6), 998-1009.
Meeusen, R., & De Meirleir, K. (1995). Exercise and brain neurotransmission. Sports Medicine, 20(3), 160-188.
Rock, D. (2009). Trick your brain into loving your workout. Psychology Today.
Vlaeyen, J. W., Crombez, G., & Linton, S. J. (2016). The fear-avoidance model of pain. Pain, 157(8), 1588-1589.
Weir, K. (2011). The Exercise Effect. American Psychological Association.
Zipf, G. K. (2016). Human behavior and the principle of least effort: An introduction to human ecology. Ravenio Books.