WHEN IT'S HARD TO EXERCISE

There is no better way to improve your health and quality of life than to exercise consistently. Nothing helps us more to navigate through the path of aging and nothing reduces the symptoms of pain, anxiety, depression and the discomfort of stiffness better. Yet it is one of the hardest things many of us will ever do. I have written quite a bit about it because I know a lot about the pitfalls involved. Just getting started is hard. Then getting back on track when interrupted by things like illness is even harder. Often there are a myriad of ways in which we sabotage ourselves or simply make less than desirable choices. But there are some fundamental realities that can be very helpful.

In this article I would like to focus on 2 helpful pieces published by the New York Times in January, 2022 and featured there again recently. If you link to the articles themselves you may not be able to access them as they are behind a paywall so I summarized their findings for you. The tips really make a difference and take a lot of the toil out of taking this extremely important step in improving your health. They also help you to stay on course, a tricky task.

My own writings on the subject are referenced at the end.

"How to Start Working Out", a short checklist,
published January 26, 2022,
New York Times.

  • Set realistic short-term goals: Be specific in your goals. Make them easily achievable. The accomplishments that result make a big difference.  
  • Put it on your calendar: "Schedule exercise appointments so they become part of your routine. Look at your schedule and figure out the most ideal times for you to exercise each week."
  • But come up with a Plan B: "Even if you have a standing appointment in your calendar, life can get in the way and force you to cancel. That’s fine. But it’s why you should always have a backup plan." Be flexible but make up the effort another time.
  • Find a workout you enjoy: "Think about the type of physical activity that feels fun to you and make it a part of your routine."
  • Set up behavioral prompts: This is an intriguing tip. One I had not heard of before but one that could definitely help, even though it sounds a bit odd. "One important tactic you can use is known as stimulus control, which essentially means altering your environment in ways that push you to exercise. Plan on working out early in the morning? Put on a fresh set of gym or running clothes at night and sleep in them. If sleeping in your workout clothes isn’t for you, try another prompt, like folding and placing your workout clothes near your bed so you see them first thing in the morning."

"When the Last Thing You Want to Do is Exercise",
more in-depth analysis, published January 19, 2022,
New York Times.

  • Don't think of it as exercise: "“If you ask, most people will say they want to exercise for their health, and that’s a great goal, but what gets people actually moving is doing something they enjoy. There’s no perfect activity for everyone."  “Maybe it’s dancing, or it could be a walk in the park. For some people, it might be CrossFit or Peloton." Since the word "exercise" brings unpleasant connotations for many, find a different word to describe what you choose.
  • Bundle your incentives: Give yourself something else to enjoy and anticipate doing while exercising like listen to music. Another example: a photographer who enjoys being outside looks for photo subjects while running.
  • Make exercise a priority: “The number-one reason people give for not exercising is time, and the only reliable way to find the time is to prioritize it. You have to make a decision to put exercise into your day. It’s not just magically going to happen.” "If you think of exercise as optional, you give yourself permission to skip it. Instead, try thinking of it as an essential part of your job."
  • Be flexible: Rigid exercise schedules provide less incentives than giving yourself flexibility in your workouts. "The researchers had expected that committing to specific times would help people form stronger habits. Instead, people who’d been given flexibility ended up going more often. When the group on the rigid program missed their planned workout, they didn’t go at all, whereas the group that had practiced finding the time (elsewhere) continued to do so." I believe it is also important to be flexible in your workout to respond to whatever challenges you face. If you don't feel as well that morning, do something else that feels better. But do something.*
  • Get some support: "The best fitness motivator is a friend. They hold you accountable to show up and they support you when you don’t."
  • Create an environment for success: "Look for ways to make your surroundings more inviting for physical activity. Find or create a place where exercise feels enticing. That could be a gym, a park, a walking path or even just your bedroom with an exercise mat and a fitness app. The key is that your surroundings are priming you to succeed." Put your walking stick in a place where you see it to remind you.
  • Anticipate how exercise will make you feel: "It’s tempting to think you’re too stressed or tired to exercise, but oftentimes exercise is exactly what you need to feel better. You don’t need to feel good to get going, you need to get going to feel good." "Exercise can help you manage your moods and when you’re feeling lousy, sometimes exercise is a powerful antidote. When I get really frustrated, I find that’s a good time to take a walk.”
  • If you slip, try to get back on track right away: "The most effective trick identified in the 24 Hour Fitness megastudy was to incentivize people to get back on track when they missed a session. In this scenario, people committed to coming to the gym on certain days and times, and if they missed one of these planned visits, they’d get a reminder and also a chance to earn extra points if they made their next planned visit. (Participants earned points that they could convert to Amazon cash.)" There's no reason not to reward yourself when you accomplish the same thing. The longer you wait to get back on track the harder it is.

* I personally disagree with some of the recommendation that found rigidly scheduled times ineffective. I think a huge part of establishing an exercise habit is being as faithful as possible to a pre arranged schedule that you choose based on your lifestyle and objectives. Rigidity is never a good idea but a consistent schedule is very helpful to your body (and your mind as well). You can find out more about my own recommendation in my articles referenced below.

My own writings on this subject.

I have been working out every day (or close to it) for almost 50 years, through all kinds of challenges. Here are a few examples.
  • For one entire year I worked out daily lying on the floor because I had plantar fasciitis so badly that I could not rehearse standing up.
  • Another time, while a member of a dance company, for several months I had to practice while sitting on a chair, doing only the upper body motions of a choreography, while a bad cut on the bottom of my foot healed.
  • I just recently returned from a one month trip to the United Kingdom and ended up rehearsing in dance and yoga studios all over the Isle of Man, Bath, Cambridge and London. 

For some reason it has always been easy for me to decide to exercise each day. A big part of that is that I know that it will always make me feel better, no matter what is going on. I have found exercise nirvana. I want share some of how I do that with you.

Many of the lessons I have learned the past 50 years are explained in the articles I have written, including:
  • ​Secrets to Successful Fitness: A summary of how to get started including advice on how to structure your regimen for ease and effectiveness.
  • Basic Fitness Program: Specific recommendations based on type of activity. This article includes how often different activities should be included in your regimen.
  • About Physical Therapy: The importance of physical therapy and the home program. Include therapy exercises in your own workout as they benefit you.
  • Age is Not the Enemy: An in depth analysis of why it is so hard for everyone to exercise. The 4 articles referenced within this include understanding how the brain can interfere with our best instincts.
  • Getting Back Into It: Recommendations on how to restart your exercise regimen after an interruption, whether from illness or time off. This is often even harder than starting in the first place. Several tips ofter unique and effective help.

You can find exercise nirvana too. All of the above suggestions plus my own will help, but you have to get past resistance. Your mind will make up all kinds of excuses why you can't exercise today. Don't listen to it. Exercise anyway, especially if you don't want to. I repeat...

Exercise anyway, especially if you don't want to.
You don’t need to feel good to get going.
You need to get going to feel good.

Published January 1, 2023.