Being More Active: Step 3

At each new year, gyms fill with the hopeful. People come earnest and determined to really follow through this year with the resolution to get fit, and stay fit.

How do they do? The data don’t look good.

By Valentines Day, a full 80 percent of people have abandoned their oh so well intentioned resolution. Unfortunately, many assume that they are the problem, when in fact it may just be their approach. This year, let’s take a new path for fitness by avoiding the three main causes of Resolution Dissolution.

Mix it up

Boredom is an activity killer. If your activity routine bores you because you’re doing the same thing the same way day after day after day, you will not be able to keep it up. This is not because of a physical issue, but a basic psychological one.

Avoidance behavior in all animals is a fundamental biological phenomenon. It shapes your actions in ways that are not even on the conscious level. If you are very uncomfortable with something (flying, speaking to groups, driving at rush hour, etc) then your mind will construct reasons why you need to do anything else in the world than that thing.

Now map that onto your activity resolution. Once you get bored with it, and are not actually looking forward to it at all, your mind creates all the reasons why you should not do it, and all the reasons why you’ll certainly do it the next time. Just not this time.

Of course this will get repeated next week, until it becomes forgotten altogether.

The solution is to mix it up. If you want to take spinning classes, do that once per week and maybe take dance lessons another time during the week, and walk with your friends at lunch. That way you’re doing many kinds of activities for your body, plus you’ll be less likely to get bored along the way!