Hacking Your Negative Exercise Habits
Exercise; We either seem to love it or hate it. It seems like some people are just naturally born as being more athletic and sports-driven while others simply just don’t fit into the category of “athletes” and rather find exercise annoying or treat it as a chore they know they should do but don’t like to do. Well, I believe that both of those assumptions are wrong. I believe that through the right shit in mindset, the implementation of correct habits and tailoring exercising to our preferences is the correct way forward in making people believe and understand that everyone is able to become physically fit - while also enjoying the process.
Proven by a multitude of existing studies and more that are in the process, scientists are now starting to unravel the array of benefits exercise can bring to our physical, mental, and emotional well being, so it is our job to implement a sustainable exercise habit/routine into our life.
Want to know how? Keep on reading to find out.
I want to first begin by defining what “exercise” even means, because from the majority of people that I have encountered in my life, they seem to have a misconception of what exercise actually is. Exercise, for many, is associated with going to the gym, more specifically either running on the treadmill for hours on end or lifting heavyweights. Now, I am a big fan of going to the gym and if you are too, then great, but exercise is most definitely not only just defined by going to the gym and doing endless cardio and weight training. The gym can be so much more, and so can exercise.
Exercise can come in hundreds of different forms and types, ranging in intensities, time lengths, techniques, and results. Below I have listed four of the main categories of exercises we usually sort exercises in.
TYPES OF EXERCISE GROUPS:
Endurance exercises: These are high-intensity cardio-based activities such as running, sprinting, high-intensity workouts, dancing, aerobics, and swimming that use up a lot of energy and increase our stamina and coordination skills.
Strength training exercises These exercises are specific for toning our muscles and focusing on slower and more controlled movements, such as weight lifting, using resistance bands, walking up the stairs, and carrying heavy objects.
Balance exercises: These are slow and controlled movements that target our main balancing muscle groups, and involve using a balance ball/board, doing exercises on one leg, yoga and many martial arts.
Flexibility exercises: Usually implemented before and after endurance and strength training in order to warm our bodies up or to stretch out and dissipate the lactic acid that has gathered in our muscles after an intense workout (Which usually results in muscle soreness the following day). These types of exercises include dynamic (before activity) and stationary (after activity), as well as gymnastics and martial arts.
The reason why going to the gym is usually associated with the word “exercise” is because, at a place like a “gym”, we have the chance to do all four of these types of exercise groups, which makes it very convenient for people and one of the reasons why gyms are so popular. Some physical activities can fall into two or even more groups depending on the intensity and pace we do them at. For example, swimming done at a slower pace is a great exercise to focus on specific muscle groups but done at a faster rate it becomes much more of an endurance exercise
WHY WE FACE RESISITNCE TOWARDS EXERCISING:
Often when wanting to implement a positive change into our lives, we faced what is called “resistance”. Resistance is a nonliteral obstacle in our life, something that prevents us usually from starting or continuing something, but it is something that we all battle with.
Resistance in our lives usually arises because we see the action that we are trying to implement, as something foreign. The resistance that we encounter at times where we are potentially putting ourselves in an unknown territory, is there to act as a safety caution, where it is warning our bodies that whatever we are wanting to do will likely be hard, dangerous, and uncomfortable. Once we get used to staying within the walls of our comfort zone, our comfort zone actually stars to shrink so we become comfortable with doing and trying fewer and less things in our life - which is exactly what happens to us with exercise. We want to start a regular exercise routine, however, we face resistance towards it because a) it is hard and requires effort and discipline, b) we are maybe not yet at a level where we feel comfortable at executing the exercise and c) we may feel like we don’t have the self-esteem or needed abilities and capabilities to start it. But guess what? All of those 3 doubts are removed once we start what we want to start.
By starting, you learn along the way, adjust your goals, master new skills, and practice new knowledge along while expanding your comfort zone.
Isn’t that what we all want to do?
Below I have listed some common excuses we may come up with to avoid us starting to exercise, even though most us realize and acknowledge that exercise is good for us. It is in human nature to face resistance to anything that is harder or more strenuous than what we are currently doing, as it requires more thought and energy, but overcoming that resistance can have profound and positive long term benefits on all aspects of your health.
EXCUSES FOR NOT EXERCISING:
“I don’t like exercising”
Identify what about the idea of exercising you don’t like and how you could change it. For example, if you don’t like hard physically intensive exercises, perhaps try starting out with something like slower and more controlled strength/resistance training, or maybe you like yoga that is both good for your mind and body.
Pick an exercise or pick several exercises that you enjoy, whether that is a sport like football, basketball, hockey, or tennis or pick another activity like dancing, running, hiking, martial arts, or rock climbing. There is something for everyone, and it’s up to you to find what you enjoy and focus on doing more of those things, while also gradually improving in your skills in exercises you are less comfortable with doing.
“I don’t have the time to exercise every day”
This is often the result of the idea that exercise has to take a large chunk of our every day, but that is simply not true because even just 30 minutes a day can have profound impacts on our health. A small amount is always better than nothing.
Another cause of not having “enough time” to exercise because exercising simply is not high enough on your priority list. I firmly believe that whatever you prioritize in your daily life is what is most important for you to get done that day, so by doing the same with exercise whether that is on a daily or weekly basis, we are on the right path to creating positive change in our wellbeing.
“I am too tired to exercise”
Everyone has moments where we feel tired and exhausted, but how often do we ask ourselves what caused us to feel this way; was it our own actions or something else, and what can we do to get out of the trap of exhaustion. These are important questions to identify.
Some of the most common causes of lethargy or a lack of energy are insufficient sleep/poor quality sleep, an unbalanced and highly processed food diet that makes our blood sugar levels fluctuate, thinking too much all the time and dehydration. Exercise, even though it is seen as an energy-consuming activity, actually recharges our bodies with more energy during the day and makes us more tired in the evening, meaning that we will sleep better at night and have more energy the following day. As counterintuitive as it sounds, exercise can wake you up from a state of drowsiness and fatigue, powering you up with energy.
“My health is not good enough right now to exercise”
We often have the idea that “When we will be….” or “when we will have..:.” then we will be able to pursue whatever is in our intention of doing, however, that in other words, is simply just a method of procrastination.
The same concept can be applied to exercise, where we make unnecessary excuses such as “I am not fit enough to do that”, “I am not flexible enough to try that” or “I can t exercise because I have pain in my arm”. Here it is crucial to realize that in the case that “we are not strong enough” to do a certain exercise or sport, that we will get stronger by doing more exercise, so if we don’t start with any exercise, we won’t get anywhere to a position where we will have a chance to improve our strength.
While it is important to respect our bodies needs when we are ill and listen to it regarding what feels right for it and what doesn’t, it doesn’t mean that we can’t do any exercise at all during this period. Perhaps if our ankle hurts, we might not be suited for running at the moment, but maybe we could replace running with walking or something less intense. Adjust exercise to your current needs and abilities.
HOW TO BUILD A CONSISTANT EXERCISE HABIT
Things to consider, which will help you stick to your exercise habit:
Changing your exercise mindset
Start treating exercise as a gift: It is important to realize that the ability to be able to move your body and to be in a healthy state, is not something that should be taken for granted. There are so many people in this world who are physically ill, missing a limb, mentally unwell or unable to move by themselves, so if you are lucky enough to that your body and mind are well, use that and invest it in exercise because it is something, not everyone can afford to do.
Identify, why you want to start exercising: Everyone has different goals for wanting to start something and the same, goes for exercise. Some people focus on physical results such as losing or gaining weight, more muscle definition, etc. , while others prefer to integrate exercise into their life because of the mental benefits that come from it such as increased energy, clarity of thinking, and having a more positive mindset.
Starting with what you have: We often think that we need to have the newest running shoes and most prestigious gym membership or that we have to be in a certain shape for us to start exercising, but all of those thoughts are just a form of procrastination that is preventing us from starting. The best way to combat this is to just start with what you have around you; furniture, outdoor space, indoor space, and people that you can be active with.
Not being too harsh on yourself: Everything that is usually worthwhile to implement requires time, energy, and effort making it hard. While doing any action that is hard for us, we will likely have moments where we will struggle keeping on track and even experience thoughts of quitting, it is important that in the case that we do go off track, it doesn’t mean that we completely quit, but we simply pick ourselves back up and continue onwards. Stopping temporarily and continuing is better than stopping permanently.
Personalizing your workout
Type of exercise: Chances are that if you like and enjoy your exercise regime, then you are much more likely to stick to it. So it is up to you to identify what kind of physical activity you enjoy thinking, and again don’t only feel constrained to the idea of going to the gym. Feel free to add variety into your exercise regime and keep it exciting but also challenging for yourself.
Clothing: Perhaps you are the type of person who gets motivated to exercise by the clothes you wear or the gear you use, which is great. Find something you feel good in while allowing you to stay practical and flexible.
Audio: Some people enjoy listening to music during their exercise, however, it doesn’t end there. Instead of music, you also have the option to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and speeches - all of which can add value to your life alongside being physically active.
Scheduling your exercise
When will you do it: it is important to in advance roughly determine the time we plan to be active because it is up to us to set exercise as a priority for ourselves and whatever we prioritize in our day, we will usually get done.
What sort of exercise will you do: This is another decision that is good to make in advance because believe it or not, but our brain can only make so many well thought out decisions in a day before it starts resorting to irrational choices. Therefore, by picking our workout in advance, we save our brain energy and time, which can instead be spent on making more important and impactful decisions during our day.
How long will you exercise for: When deciding on the duration of our exercise, it is important to be realistic with ourselves and also not to start to overwhelmingly huge, since our goal is to gradually build progress and increase our performance through regular practice.
Rewarding yourself afterward
Exercise really becomes a repetitive habit once we fall in love with the process of doing it, because we get pleasure from its results. In the case of personal benefits, exercise offers a myriad of health benefits for our mind and body, both of which can act as rewards to continue the habit.
Mental benefits of exercise: Exercise releases chemical endorphins into our bloodstream, which are known to stimulate a more positive outlook on life, thus increasing our self-esteem, as well as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression rates on a long term basis, as was proven by several studies. Apart from endorphins, exercise recharges our mind with more energy, greater clarity of thinking, as well as showing vast improvements in sleep quality which has been scientifically shown to greatly improve our memory.
Physical benefits of exercise: Several studies have shown that people who exercise have lower rates of chronic diseases are generally at a healthier weight, have a greater bone density as well as having increased flexibility and strength.
Having accountability
Social connectivity: Through a social basis you can stay accountable and on track with your fitness goals by working with someone else or a group of people that encourage and care for your progress, as well as perhaps getting involved with a personal trainer that will make your health and progress their priority.
Progress tracking: Nowadays there are plenty of fitness tracking applications and gadgets you can buy to help keep you on track with your exercise habits as well as connecting you to an online community of people that will keep you motivated to exercise.
Designing your environment accordingly
Our environment plays a huge role in either the continuity or cessation of our habits, so it is important as to how we design it so we enforce the correct habits.
Examples of environmental design: Preparing your exercise clothing and gear in advance, keeping around a gym bag or running shoes in convenient places such as a car or in a hallway, preparing healthy meals and snacks in advance, and fueling your body with the correct food.
DISCRETE WAYS TO BE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
Using your cleaning chores as a way to be active
Opting for stairs when we can, instead of the escalator or elevator
Opting for walking, biking or any other nonmotorized transport method, instead of relying on vehicle transport like cars and buses
Taking breaks during work, to get up for a quick stroll and stretching our legs, especially if we sit at a desk for the majority of our day
Try seeing if there are any lunch break or coffee spots next to your workplace, that are within walking distance
Organize or propose ideas for active team-building with your coworkers, that can be either indoors or outdoors
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