Tricking Your Brain into Loving Movement: A Psychologist's Approach to Exercise (True Crime is involved!)

Exercise doesn't have to be difficult or boring when you approach it with the right mindset. A psychologist shares practical strategies for incorporating movement into daily life, focusing on mental shifts rather than complex routines.

• The best exercise is the one you'll actually do
• Motivation often comes after action, not before
• Keep exercise clothes and shoes readily available for spontaneous activity
• Ask "when will I exercise?" instead of "if I will exercise" 
• Use walks as transition time between work and personal life
• Create special incentives like podcast-listening only during exercise
• Focus on being "the boss of your brain" rather than relying on motivation
• Consult with your doctor about appropriate exercise targets for your health

Take care and remember to pause and take a deep breath.

Opening Music by Jeremiah Alves from Pixabay

Closing Music by Aleksandr Karabanov from Pixabay

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Though we might know the importance of exercise , there are so many things that come in the way , so I just thought I'd do this quick episode to get you thinking about ways you can integrate more exercise in your everyday life . Hello

Why We Struggle With Exercise

Speaker 1 0:19

, welcome to another episode of Wellness Minutes . This is just a friendly reminder to pause and take a deep breath . So here's the thing I hate exercise . Newton's law of motion describes my relationship with exercise An object at rest stays at rest . Also , with a busy schedule , the thought of exercise seemed extremely boring , the complete opposite of what I actually wanted to do after a busy day at work . But after a few conversations with my doctor , I realized that I really needed to change something . I realized I needed to implement what I know to be true Motivation is not a necessary prerequisite for us to do something . We often feel motivation after we experience the rewards of doing something . I realized I had to exercise first and wait for the motivation to come later . When it comes to exercising , I'd like to share something I learned from Dr Kelly McGonigal , who's a psychologist and has written this great book called the Joy of Movement . Dr McGonigal talks about how the best exercise for you is the exercise you will actually do . I find that really helpful to remember

The Joy of Movement Perspective

Speaker 1 1:35

. I push myself to think about exercise I will do , setting myself up for failure by planning an elaborate routine that I cannot follow .

Speaker 1 1:43

I tried to make exercise easy for myself . I started dressing up

When, Not If: Changing Your Mindset

Speaker 1 1:47

in clothes that were easy to wear on a brisk walk and I kept my exercise shoes in the car . I could go for a walk anytime , anywhere , I just needed to wear the right shoes . I sometimes kept my swimming clothes in a gym bag in the car so that if I ever was in a place where I could suddenly go for a swim , my bag was right there . If I ever was in a place where I could suddenly go for a swim , my bag was right there . Secondly , I stopped relying on my mood to decide if I will go for a walk . I stopped asking myself will I be able to go for a walk today ? Instead , I asked myself when will I walk

Psychological Approach to Exercise Habits

Speaker 1 2:20

today ? So not if today , so not if , but when .

Speaker 1 2:24

Thirdly , when I started working from home during the pandemic , I noticed that a walk was a very good partition between work and home . So after my last meeting , if I went for a walk when I came back the second half you know , the home life part of my day could just start . The walk time also seemed to replace my commute time . I could use it to call my friends or family or listen to podcasts . I made myself promise that I

Final Thoughts and Breathing Reminder

Speaker 1 2:54

could listen to some podcasts only on my walk .

Speaker 1 2:57

Sometimes the suspense over what was going to happen next on a particular podcast episode made me actually look forward to my walk every day . So I'd be sitting in a meeting and then I'd recall oh , I'm supposed to go for a walk today . Oh , wow , I'll get to know what happens on that episode . Also , let me confess I listen to a lot of true crime episodes . So yeah , suspense is real .

Speaker 1 3:21

You'll notice all my exercise ideas are about tweaking your exercise mindset , because I'm not a physical trainer , I'm a psychologist . I'll tell you how to get started and develop habits that work for you . I'll get you to figure out ways to be the boss of your brain so that you don't have to rely on your brain to tell you what to do . You can decide what you want to do and have the brain follow . The actual exercise targets that you set for yourself really depend on a conversation with you and your doctor , or maybe you and your Fitbit . Anyway , hope these tips were helpful . Until we meet next time , take care and hope you make the time to pause and take a deep breath .