The Mindset for Exercise Motivation & Consistency
If you lack motivation and consistency when it comes to exercise, some coaches will tell you to change your mindset from “I have to work out,” to “I get to work out.”
But I don’t think that’s good enough.
You may have already noticed that recognizing your ability and choice in the matter is typically ineffective.
However, it’s possible to go further than appreciating your ability to move. What if instead of, “I get to work out,” you could get here:
“I want to work out.”
I know, it seems like a stretch. But I want to show you how you can use your mindset to start enjoying exercise more so that you can stop forcing yourself to work out and start looking forward to moving…
How?
With what I call a Joyful Movement Mindset.
But before we talk about what Joyful Movement Mindset is and how to get one, I want to see if you recognize its opposite: a Dreadful Movement Mindset.
Dreadful Movement Mindset
How much would agree with the following statements?
It's difficult to get myself to exercise.
Exercise is unpleasant.
I dread exercising.
The challenge of exercise is annoying.
I do not enjoy exercising.
You may not feel aligned with all of these beliefs, but if you lean toward agreement with a few of these statements, you probably have come to dread exercising…or at best, you can get yourself to do it, but don’t find much enjoyment in it.
The reason discussing your beliefs when it comes to exercise is important is because of how your thoughts influence your feelings.
In other words, your thoughts can make exercise more or less enjoyable—which is of vital importance because if you associate exercise with negative feelings, you’re going to develop an aversion to exercise.
Let me show you how this works. If exercise is difficult, which thoughts do you think would be more helpful?
“I'm so out of shape.” “I'm so weak.” “Everything hurts and I'm dying.”
OR
“I’m taking the first step.” “This is making me stronger.” “These are signs my fitness is improving.”
As you might have noticed, both sets of beliefs have some truth to them. Changing your mindset is not about twisting the truth. It’s about what you’re making the challenge of exercise mean based on your explanations for why certain circumstances arose.
When you choose to assign value to the difficulties of movement—feeling out of breath, for example—you’re increasing your positive associations with exercise, thus making it more likely that you’ll choose to do so again. This is the beginning of developing a Joyful Movement Mindset.
Joyful Movement Mindset
A Joyful Movement Mindset sounds like:
It's easy to get myself to exercise.
Exercise is enjoyable.
I look forward to exercising.
The challenge of exercise is exciting.
I like exercising.
In order to develop more positive associations with exercise, which will help relieve the friction associated with working out, we’re going to look at three different types of value movement can provide you.
Utility Value: The RESULTS You Get From Movement
Utility value focuses on the beneficial results you get from exercise. For example, are you getting stronger, faster, or improving your markers of health?
If you don’t recognize the utility value of exercise, you may deem it to be “not worth it.” This, in turn, makes you feel justified in not exercising, strengthens your identity as someone who avoids hard things, and stops you from trying new solutions.
To help yourself recognize the utility value you assign to exercise, you can ask yourself what you’re gaining and why those things are important to you.
These new thoughts will help you focus on what's rewarding about the process.
Attainment Value: Your IDENTITY as an Exerciser
Attainment value relates to how you believe engaging in exercise shapes your identity, and the importance you attach to it.
Lacking attainment value can lead to you feeling stuck, hopeless, and incapable. In a Dreadful Movement Mindset, it often sounds like, “I can’t do this,” “I’m weak,” or “I don’t belong here.”
To increase the attainment value exercise holds for you, you may want to consider what core values movement fulfills and how it supports those values.
In addition, you can identify who you want to be. For example, “I am someone who is capable of taking on challenges.”
What does engaging in these challenges, or in movement itself, say about who you are and how you exercise your character strengths?
Intrinsic Value: The Inherent PLEASURE of Exercise
While you may value the results you get from exercise and the person it will help you become, you may have already discovered that these thoughts are not enough if you find workouts to be difficult or unpleasant.
Intrinsic value, which is the inherent pleasure of exercise, is perhaps the most important of the three components of a Joyful Movement Mindset.
Lacking a sense of intrinsic value, you’ll develop an aversion to exercise and give up even before your body has a chance to show you it can grow stronger.
In order to increase the pleasant associations you have with exercise, it will be necessary to swap your negative mental filter for a positive one.
During exercise, note: What feels good? What do I enjoy about this?
It may also be helpful to remember that you can feel both pleasure and discomfort at the same time. Or to think, “This is supposed to be challenging AND I enjoy being challenged.”
When you focus on the intrinsic value of exercise you’ll make room for ease, joy, and anticipation, which is what’s lacking from a Dreadful Movement Mindset.
Changing your mindset is the primary aim of Food Body Self®, which combines the harmony of a peaceful, healthy relationship with food, positive body image, and a Joyful Movement Mindset.
But I want to be clear:
The goal of developing a Joyful Movement Mindset is not to never have a bad workout, to blame yourself if you don't enjoy it, or to walk away today loving exercise.
What I want you to take away is that your thoughts about exercise create your exercise mindset and that you can learn to enjoy exercise for its own sake, by training yourself to think about exercise differently.
By doing so, you’ll develop a positive association with exercise, which is the wellspring of intrinsic motivation and consistency.