If the benefits of physical activity could be taken in a pill, everyone would be on it.
So many studies show that moving improves every aspect of our health. It’s one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It helps us sleep better; our brains work better, reduces feelings of anxiety and depression, lowers the risk of several diseases, reduces pain and helps us live longer, better lives.
Even though we’re aware of all these benefits, it’s a struggle for most of us to get motivated to move at all.
“It’s a battle against human nature,” explained certified personal trainer Genaro Scampone of New Hartford.
Probably that’s because for most of human existence, people had to be physically active to carry out the basic functions of life, such as finding or growing food. We evolved to tolerate a high level of activity, but also to gravitate towards rest whenever possible to conserve our energy for when we had to move, according to some biologists. We’re wired to be sedentary.
As a society, we no longer move much in the course of our daily lives. But the evolutionary instinct to conserve energy remains. That voice in our head that can always find an excuse not to exercise is completely normal and natural experts said.
Our brains don’t want us to exercise.
Here in the U.S., we’re more inactive than ever. According to the American Heart Association, sedentary jobs have increased 83% over the past several years. Then during our leisure time most of us are still sitting, using a computer or phone, watching TV or playing video games.
With long days working, we don’t have energy left over to even do simple things that help us move more, much less work out. We can always come up with a reason to put off exercising.
If you don’t exercise, the results won’t be good, said Scampone.
“Your body won’t be able to sustain muscle fiber. Your nervous system will deteriorate. They’ll be a systemic atrophy. You’ll lose your ability to balance, cardio will decline, your nervous system will decline,” he added.
Loosing muscle strength and endurance is not good. Your immune system may not work at all well.
How to trick our brains into moving more, given the fact it’s a battle against human nature?
Scampone, who has offered one-on-one personal training for several years, said, “I take the approach that less is more. When I work with someone, I program the exercise frequency to something sustainable. Instead of fighting against human nature, reduce it to what’s doable; maybe one or two times per week. See if you can do this for a year, then it will become a routine.”
Start small: one or two times a week if that’s all you’re really motivated to do. Keep doing it for a year. Then you’ll feel something is missing if you stop.
What workouts are best? “I start with muscles,” said Scampone. “Our muscles have a systemic effect on our bodies.”
In his workouts, he uses the ‘big five’ to start with: One for the lower body, two push-ups for the lower body and two push-ups for the upper body. Specific exercises include leg press pull down, chest press, row, shoulder press. These use all your muscles.
“When you’re exercising, you want to feel fatigue of your muscles,” he added. Fatigue is when your muscle feels weak and tired.
“You don’t want to feel pain,” he stressed. “If you feel pain, stop what you’re doing and move to another exercise. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”
Our brain loves things that are tailored for us. Personal trainers, like Scampone who tailors his coaching to the needs of the individual, often make for better results. And there are apps that do this.
Another way to trick your brain is by making it a game. Your brain likes games, especially if it’s hard to predict or offers intermittent rewards.
Making a commitment to yourself also helps.
“I never ask myself if I want to walk today, because I can always think of a reason not to,” said 93-year-old Grace Chicken of Port Charlotte, Florida. “I just get out there and do it without thinking about it.”
Another way to trick your brain into working out is to reward yourself after you finish. Whatever you’d enjoy more, dinner, watching a good movie, whatever; it’s a way to motivate yourself.
Also, listening to your favorite music as you work out makes it more enjoyable.
Another way to trick your brain into moving more is reframing what counts as exercise. If doing workouts isn’t for you, take time to walk around your neighborhood, pull weeds, in your garden, dance in your living room while you watch TV or go for a bike ride. At work, stand up while you talk on the phone; use the stairs instead of the elevator.
It’s all about moving and finding ways to move that are enjoyable.