If the idea of exercise seems more attractive to you than the reality, you will identify with Jessica Howard. She had always nurtured the vague intention of running a marathon, but had struggled to get off the sofa. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 run, I didn鈥檛 move,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚 was a couch potato.鈥�
This all changed when, as a student at Bangor University in the UK, she took part in a special module on offer there that aims to tackle a key challenge many of us face when it comes to exercise: motivation. It turns out that there are tricks we can use to help us break bad habits and reach our goals.
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This article is part of a series on fitness that answers eight questions about exercise and its influence on our bodies and minds. Read more here.
Summoning the will to exercise is a huge challenge for most people (see 鈥淲hy we don鈥檛 like to exercise鈥�, below). This is particularly problematic in higher-income countries, which have twice the levels of inactivity compared with lower-income ones, and where many people aren鈥檛 .
Certain barriers, such as ill health or a lack of suitable space and resources, can seriously restrict our capacity to exercise. For many, however, the battle is internal: we struggle to carve out the time. We may fully recognise the long-term benefits for our physical and mental health, but get drawn to things that bring more immediate rewards without the need to break a sweat 鈥� like slouching in front of the TV. At the heart of this is the idea of 鈥�delayed gratification鈥� 鈥� a common barrier to many behavioural changes.
The 鈥淏orn to run鈥� module at Bangor aims to find ways to overcome this, by teaching students how to build new habits more effectively, specifically focusing on the goal of running a marathon. 鈥淭he idea is that, by employing certain psychological theories and techniques, you can achieve challenging goals that you would not have thought possible,鈥� says , the module鈥檚 organiser. 鈥淧art of achieving difficult goals is being able to motivate yourself when you have setbacks, don鈥檛 feel like it, have competing interests and so on. This module teaches the ways to work through those challenges to stay motivated.鈥�
Nudge yourself
A good place to start is with little psychological tricks known as 鈥渘udges鈥�. The aim is to remove any inconvenience that might offer an excuse to opt out. You might put your running shoes by the front door the night before your morning jog, for example. 鈥淪o when the alarm goes off, you don鈥檛 think about it 鈥� you鈥檝e nudged yourself into behaviour change,鈥� says Garrad-Cole.
It also helps to be aware of the different forms of motivation and their effects on behaviour. Extrinsic motivation comes from external incentives. You decide to run a marathon because you think it might look good on your CV, for instance, or to support a charity. Intrinsic motivation, in contrast, comes from the activity itself. If you learn to find pleasure in exercise because it helps to clear your mind and combat stress, that would be an intrinsic motivation. Research suggests the latter is more likely to help us form a new habit, such as regular training.
Another key theme of the module is 鈥溾�� 鈥� whether you believe the qualities necessary, say, to run a marathon are innate and immutable or that they can be nurtured over time. You might assume that you don鈥檛 have the necessary reserves of willpower to do the training. People with 鈥渇ixed鈥� mindsets tend to interpret any failure as a sign that they don鈥檛 have it in them to succeed. People with 鈥済rowth鈥� mindsets are 鈥� which helps them achieve greater success in the long run.
Our mindsets are malleable: learning about the brain鈥檚 capacity to change and adapt to new behaviours can help us adopt a growth mindset.
One more practical way to stay on track is to create a training plan that can be broken into sets of larger and smaller objectives using SMART principles 鈥� which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. If your aim is to improve your running, that might include signing up to a parkrun each Saturday or using an app to set realistic targets to increase your total distance each week.
Holding yourself accountable
Finally, there is accountability. The Bangor module begins in January and by the Easter break, many students are training regularly. The holiday period presents new challenges, however, as they lose the structure provided by regular lectures, seminars and group runs.
Psychologists refer to that external support as 鈥渟caffolding鈥� and one of the key lessons is that you have to construct your own.听You could use a tracking app, for instance, where your performance is visible to others. This can help you feel answerable for your actions, and to get encouragement when you stick to your schedule.
The results speak for themselves. In the first year the course was offered, none of the students had run a full marathon before 鈥� and many, like Howard, barely exercised at all. By the end, the majority completed either a full or a half-marathon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible watching these students change,鈥� says Garrad-Cole.
Surprisingly, she has found that the module helps improve the participants鈥� self-compassion 鈥� their ability to treat themselves kindly when they face disappointments. This is important, since self-compassion and is associated with better mental health.
This approach certainly worked for Howard, who has since completed a number of marathons and become a running coach. 鈥淭he module changed my life,鈥� she says. The lessons she learned could do the same for you.
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Why we don't like to exercise
Inactivity is pathological: it can literally kill us, eventually. So why do so many of us struggle to find the motivation to exercise? Given its huge health benefits, you would think that we would all be champing at the bit.
The problem lies in the term "exercise", argues at Harvard University. We never evolved to exercise 鈥� we are hardwired for moderate exertion throughout each day, not triathlons or treadmills. And there was never any evolutionary selection pressure to make us like exercise. Our ancient ancestors had to cover long distances every day in order to survive, so not exercising was never an option. On the contrary, there was probably an evolutionary advantage for those who avoided needless activity when they could, conserving precious energy.
Alison George
