Look Forward to Your Workouts Knowing How Great You Will Feel After Them.
If you are afraid of training, you may be looking at it the wrong way. Think about the moment you leave the gym: how will you feel after this workout? Relaxed, successful, refreshed?
Focusing on short-term rewards is a better daily motivator than your long-term goals, according to psychologist Michelle Segar. Jane Brody writes of her research in the New York Times:
While it seems counterintuitive,research has shown that people whose goals are to lose weight and improve their health tend to spend the least amount of time exercising. This is true even for older adults, as shown by a study of 335 men and women between the ages of 60 and 95.
Dr. Segar and others have found that immediate rewards that improve everyday life – more energy, better mood, less stress, and more opportunities to connect with friends and family – offer much more motivation.
“I like to think of physical activity as a way to revitalize and renew myself, as a fuel for better enjoyment and success in what matters most,” she said.
I use a variation of this technique: I remind myself that I (almost) never regret a workout, but I often regret missing it.
Dr. Segar also recommends choosing exercises that we can do with friends or family so that we don’t feel like we are losing social interaction by going to the gym alone. Follow the link below to learn how to view exercise as fun, not work.
Rethinking Exercise As A Source Of Immediate Reward | The newspaper “New York Times