(PS: This article involves references to psychological studies and may create the impression that the author may be a nerd.)
Have you ever begun an exercise program feeling super hyped-up and ready to go, only to have it slowly fade away? You're not alone; you are one of the many people who find staying motivated and focused on exercise a mental challenge. It is often a more substantial challenge than the physical one. So I'm going to help by giving you two tips that will support you to stay motivated. 1- Focus on the Positives instead of Negatives If you can focus on the positive outcomes of exercise rather than the grind of getting yourself to the gym, then you're already one step ahead. I know it might sound cliché, but it works. Richard Boyatzis, a professor of behaviour, psychology, and cognitive science interviewed and scanned the brain activity of several college students to measure how people respond to positive and negative thinking. Half the students interviewed were asked to focus on positive thoughts such as what they'd love to be doing in ten years or what they hoped to gain from their college years. The other half were asked how demanding they found their schedule, the difficulties in making friends, and fears about their academic performance. Results were not surprising; brain scans revealed more significant activity in the student's rewards circuitry when asked to recall positive feelings and happy memories. Students who recalled negative thoughts generated anxiety, mental conflict, and sadness in their brain patterns. Exercise is about progress and not perfection. Picturing those beautifully shaped pecs with every push up instead of focussing on the physical struggle, will activate the rewards circuity in the brain. The brain will associate exercise with positive feelings and happy memories. You could also light up your brain's rewards circuitry by picturing your well-shaped future glutes while you do bridges. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s words are on point here, "Every rep you do is getting you one step closer to your goal" . Maintaining a positive outlook at every workout increases the probability that you will do it all again with enthusiasm. Consistency is the key to success and not perfection. 2- Focus more on Strengths and less on Weaknesses The same study suggests that focusing on your strengths stimulates openness to new ideas, people, and plans. Whereas highlighting your weaknesses produces a defensive sense of obligation and guilt that can shut you down. Can you relate? Both positive and negative thinking are necessary for balanced thought. Marcial Losada, an organisational psychologist, studied hundreds of teams and determined that the most effective teams had a positive/negative ratio of at least 2.9 good feelings to every negative moment, that’s nearly triple. Yet having too much positivity at a ratio of 11 to 1; causes a team to become too giddy to be effective. So what does that mean for you? It means for every moment you spend critiquing yourself, you should take at least three moments to appreciate your small achievements and the efforts you put into those achievements. When you're preparing to exercise and become frustrated because you still can't manage to get ass to grass squats or you are not happy with your push-up form that day, don't ignore your feelings but acknowledge them then let it go. Spend more time appreciating that you showed up ready to exercise and have done your best. Thinking more about the positive aspects and tiny achievements rather than worrying about the current inability to do 10 pull-ups will keep you focused and motivated. Losada's study about balanced thought provides us with valuable knowledge. It is a good reminder that excessive self-criticism undermines confidence and motivation. A little constructive self-criticism can be helpful but balance it with at least three parts of self-appreciation, and you have the recipe for a healthy training mindset. As a trainer I appreciate that positive thinking is not always easy to achieve independently. Strive Fitness trainers are here to help you think positively about exercise, motivate you when you need it and help you understand why your bodies and minds do what they do. So keep up the good work and back it up with good thinking! Contact us for session enquiries.
Resources:
1- Anthony Jack et al., "Visioning in the Brain: An fMRI Study of Inspirational Coaching and Mentoring," Social Neuroscience, 2013
2- B.L. Fredrickson and M. Losada, "Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing," American Psychologist 60, no. 7 (2005): 678-86.
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