Change your mindset about exercise, change your results

This text was written by a TecMundo columnist; Learn more at the end.

It is clear that exercising is not an easy task. If we consider the evolutionary perspective that suggests that since the emergence of our species we have evolved to do a lot of physical movement to survive and have an energy-saving brain, we also take into account the fact that we have spent much of the last century inventing technologies. This could be a new vision that makes movement unnecessary, one that doesn’t make us feel guilty when we don’t get off the couch to go to the gym.

However, physical activity still seems necessary. The science of motivation for behavior how to exercise recognizes that guilt is not a quality motivator. But exercise is promoted in ways that create guilt and shame when people don’t do it.

Among the ways we can reverse this scenario on an individual level, we can also change the way we think about exercise based on science; understand below.

10 Mindset Change Exercises That Can Make Our Behavior Easier

1. Focus on immediate exercise results rather than long-term results

There is an inherent reluctance to invest effort, time, energy, and sometimes money in things that will only bring us long-term benefits, such as losing weight, improving cardio, or building muscles. We suffer from cognitive biases like hyperbolic discounting, where it becomes difficult to get off the couch and spend those resources when the benefits will only last long.

In a paper published this week, researchers argue: “Instant exercise goals have the potential to increase exercise motivation.” This way we will get instant rewards. To do this, pay attention to at least 5 aspects: the feeling of increased energy, the satisfaction of feeling competent such as breaking a personal record, pleasant physical sensations, improved mood, and the social interactions that result from training.

2. Set concrete short-term goals

One way might be to think of it in a way that makes the time requirement seem shorter. To achieve this, you can consider a goal of 22 minutes of physical activity per day instead of 2 and a half hours per week..

In a study in which 75 undergraduate students mentally reframed their time investment in terms of a daily equivalent amount (17 minutes per day) for an exercise program that would last approximately 2 hours per week, the time commitment appeared shorter and participants’ intentions to exercise increased. In the study, in addition to adopting the exercise program, they also try the walking and meditation program as well as exercise behaviors.

3. Focus on frequency rather than intensity to develop the habit

A longitudinal study of 111 novice gym athletes over a 3-month period found that participants were more likely to report establishing a habit of physical activity if they attended at least four sessions over a 6-week period. The study authors emphasize the importance of keeping exercises fun and simple to focus on consistency.

4. “No fun, no gain” instead of “No pain, no gain”

It is necessary to overcome the exercise pain mantra. It is equally necessary to understand that emotional components such as pleasure and entertainment make a more positive difference in staying educated.

5. Paying attention to consistency instead of giving too much importance to training variables

We spend time and energy searching for the hypothetical “best workout,” but a workout you do is better than the “perfect workout” just sitting there in a Google Chrome tab. Seeking to optimize the variables of the workout (like execution and speed) is especially important for those who already exercise, but be careful not to overcomplicate things during exercise.

6. Invest in better exercise experiences to find time to workout

Researchers even claim that saying you don’t have time to exercise may be a misconception. especially in developed countries, where there is data showing that leisure (free time) has increased in recent years. Saying you don’t have time to exercise is in most cases a reflection that you don’t have a priority because exercise isn’t attractive when competing with other activities.

7. Replace the “I must” exercise with “I want to.”

Even if we feel like we “should” exercise, instead of this feeling keeping us active for months and years, the perception of “wanting” to exercise as a result of increased motivation to exercise will keep us active. Nikos Ntoumanis, a major researcher in the field of motivation, notes: “Exercises are easy when we want to do them, but difficult when we have to do them.”.

8. See exercise as an opportunity for solitude or socialization

Is your day filled with social interactions? Exercise can be your alone time. Are your days more lonely? Exercise can be a time to socialize. According to a survey, these were the desires of adults and the elderly, respectively.

9. Worrying about how you’ll feel during your workout rather than how you’ll feel when it’s over.

The positive perception after training is nice and rewarding, but we can be happy when the training is over. Evidence shows that this positive response after training alone is not sufficient to stimulate new training and that a good response during training is necessary.

10. Match your real reasons with an appropriate method

A few years ago, some scientists investigated the role of motivations for participation in physical activities; these can be:

• Intrinsic, such as mastery and enjoyment, which suggest methods by which something like martial arts can be learned.
• External factors related to the body and mind, such as psychological state, physical condition and appearance, which can be met in the gym with non-competitive methods and also in Yoga and Pilates.
• Team sports or group activities as well as competitive individual activities and social-related externalities such as commitment, competition/ego, and expectations of others, where CrossFit stands out.

It is very important to know your real and authentic reasons for success in exercise or sports.

These are actions that will contribute to changing the way we think about and evaluate physical exercise in our lives; because we benefit from its benefits. a prerequisite is to want to practice it for life.

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Fábio Dominski He holds a PhD in Human Movement Sciences and a degree in Physical Education from Santa Catarina State University (UDESC). He is a university professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Sport and Exercise Psychology (LAPE/UDESC). he is doing scientific dissemination on social media there podcast available on Spotify. Author of Physical Exercise and Science – Facts and Myths.