Struggle to find the motivation to workout? You’re in good company. And it doesn’t mean you’re lazy, according to Harvard biologist Dr. Daniel Lieberman. He explains it’s totally normal for the way humans naturally evolved to behave, because while we evolved to be physically active, exercise is “voluntary physical activity for the sake of health and fitness.” And until recently, he says nobody did that. Hunter-gatherers didn’t need to spend extra energy going for a five-mile jog, but in 2021? We need exercise.
To fight your instincts to stay on the couch, start with being kind to yourself and know that you’re inherently hardwired to avoid working out. And then use these science-backed tricks to make it happen:
- Set easy goals - Reaching achievable targets keeps people motivated, according to Mark Davis, a researcher at the University of Bristol. In a study, he gave half the participants a fitness goal to walk 25-hundred steps a day and the other half an ambitious goal of walking 10-thousand steps. And those with the easier target were 27% more likely to keep exercising after reaching their goal.
- Workout with your partner - In another study, 92% of couples who hit the gym together continued to do so after a year, but on the flip side, couples who worked out separately had a 50% dropout rate.
- Mix it up - Getting bored with a workout is a big reason people stop doing it. Research from the University of Florida finds people who vary their workouts are 15% more likely to exercise regularly than those who stick to one fitness routine.
- Don’t forget an exercise playlist - Music can help you exercise longer and more intensely without even realizing it. According to a new study from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, music helps you overcome mental adversity more easily when going for a run or jog.
- A cool down is crucial - Research from Springfield College in Massachusetts finds that people who cooled down for five minutes at the end of a bike workout rated it easier than when they did an equally intense workout that didn’t include a cool down. The findings suggest if the last thing you do is enjoyable, you’re more likely to repeat the workout.
Source: Eat This, Not That
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