This year we have shared a lot of insight into the psychology of physical activity. Over December we are taking a break from producing brand new content, but we will be reminding you of some of the key takeaways from previous newsletters…
1. What are your exercise rules?
We often inadvertently create ‘rules’ in our minds about what exercise has to be in order to be worthwhile. Some common rules are: “I have to do X amount of time”, “it has to feel really hard”, “I have to do a certain amount of exercise per week” or “I have to feel energetic to exercise”. It’s worth becoming aware of how well your rules are working for you. Do they allow you enough flexibility to be consistent with exercise despite the things that get in the way? Or are they encouraging a bit of an ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking pattern that then means you ultimately end up doing less exercise? Read more.
2. Are you enjoying your workouts?
People often focus on the fact they will feel good after a workout. However, research shows that feeling good during physical activity can be more important than how you feel after when it comes to creating long term adherence to exercise. The Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change puts forward that when you experience pleasant emotions during a workout (i.e. you are enjoying it and feeling good), these emotions “tag” the workout with appetitive qualities at a deep biological level. This creates a motive to do the workout again in the future, and increases what psychologists call the “incentive salience” of cues that remind you of the workout (e.g. thoughts about the workout, seeing your trainers by the door, driving past a run route). This means you are more likely to pay attention to these cues and also to experience a positive “gut” feeling about the workout. Read more.
3. What to do if you have a bad day.
If you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle - whether that involves moving more, eating healthier or creating habits that support your wellbeing - it’s inevitable that you are going to have days where things just don’t go as planned and you end up behaving in ways that are contradictory to your health and fitness goals. This is normal. Just as importantly, these isolated incidents don’t actually disrupt your progress by themselves. In reality, having a day of indulgence or lack of activity is rarely going to have a significant impact on what you are trying to achieve. However, we often think they do. It is this narrative around the incident that triggers disruptions to our progress. In psychology there is a phenomenon called “mood-dependent memory”, which is the observation that we have better access to memories that match our current moods (e.g. negative memories when we are anxious). This means that it is easy when we have a “bad day” to remember and focus on other bad days, whilst struggling to remember the good ones. Recognise that this may be happening to you. Don’t let one blip overshadow the progress you’ve made, and remember it doesn’t cancel it out either.
Chloe & Hannah
The Psychology of Movement
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