Why We're Motivated to Exercise. Or Not.

heybales
heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Having trouble with a really aggressive changes to lifestyle in order to exercise, and more often than not missing planned workouts?

Some of you may have a harder battle with it, so always good advice to be realistic with goals, especially change of exercise.
You just may need to spend more time on planning, preparing, and doing what needs to be done so no excuses.

But still get out there and do it!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/why-were-motivated-to-exercise-or-not/
The non-runners were slightly heavier, but the two groups’ average body compositions, or percentage of muscle versus fat, were very similar. Both groups also had similarly healthy muscles and good appetites.

Differences in physique were not driving differences in exercise behavior.

.....

And it was here that genetics entered. The scientists compared the activity of thousands of genes in a specific portion of the brain that controls reward behavior, or the motivation to do things because they’re enjoyable.

They found dozens of genes that differed between the two groups.

But genetic profiles will never be destiny, Dr. Booth adds. His study’s findings “are not meant to be an excuse not to exercise.” Behavior, he says, remains a mix of innate tendencies and personal choice. So, even if it is in your nature to enjoy long hours on the couch, you can choose to get up and move.

Replies

  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    Thanks heybales!! I am definitely one of the ones that struggle with keeping to my routine, need to stop letting things in my day effect my workout schedule, just need to go home and do it!! lol
  • andeey
    andeey Posts: 709 Member

    Some of you may have a harder battle with it, so always good advice to be realistic with goals, especially change of exercise.
    You just may need to spend more time or planning, preparing, and doing what needs to be done so no excuses.

    For me, going from no exercise, no sports, no activity at all to in the gym five days a week required me to hire a personal trainer to keep me accountable. Agree totally that you have to do whatever it takes on a personal level to push yourself.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Interesting article. It seems to reinforce what I see in terms of finding something that you can enjoy doing. In my case for example I find that I loathe going to the gym to walk on the treadmill or do a class but I can strap on a backpack, grab a sandwich, some snacks and a bunch of water and go for an all day hike and do very frequently!

    Not everyone likes the same things but if we can all find something we enjoy we will be more likely to "move more" on this journey. It's much easier to force yourself to get out and do something if it is something that you like as opposed to something that you just feel you 'have' to do.

    So for everyone just starting and those who have seem to run out of motivation take a look at what you have chosen to do and if you do not like it find something else ;)
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
    I workout because I love to and it's been a part of my daily routine for years:).

    What I did at first was lay my clothes out in the bathroom and worked out for 21 days in a row! It became a habit that has stayed with me for years:)
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,464 Member
    Interesting. I have to really push myself to exercise, but in the past I've been almost addicted to it. I've always wondered what changed and why it feels so different now.
  • Leigh14
    Leigh14 Posts: 871 Member
    Thank you so much for that! :)
  • fresh_start59
    fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
    Very interesting article!
    "In very broad terms, two elements are especially likely to influence whether we, as individuals, habitually exercise or not. One is physique. Animals or people that are overweight or ill, or who have poor muscle quality or tone or other physiological impediments to activity, tend to be sedentary. If moving is difficult, you don’t do it."

    Sadly, those of us who are overweight, or have poor muscle quality or tone need to exercise if we are going to lose the weight and add muscle.

    It's no wonder that obesity runs in families. It's not just poor diet to blame. This makes this genetic curse a vicious cycle.

    I wonder if that genetic cycle can be broken? I wonder if they'll find a way to exercise those lazy rats so that they produce energetic offspring? Or if that lazy gene will always be a part of their ancestors makeup?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Very interesting article!
    "In very broad terms, two elements are especially likely to influence whether we, as individuals, habitually exercise or not. One is physique. Animals or people that are overweight or ill, or who have poor muscle quality or tone or other physiological impediments to activity, tend to be sedentary. If moving is difficult, you don’t do it."

    Sadly, those of us who are overweight, or have poor muscle quality or tone need to exercise if we are going to lose the weight and add muscle.

    It's no wonder that obesity runs in families. It's not just poor diet to blame. This makes this genetic curse a vicious cycle.

    I wonder if that genetic cycle can be broken? I wonder if they'll find a way to exercise those lazy rats so that they produce energetic offspring? Or if that lazy gene will always be a part of their ancestors makeup?

    10 generations to get gene differences and noticeable manifestation of them.

    I can easily see that happening in humans too, with location and social-economic class allowing it to happen and perhaps aiding it to happen faster.
    I'm not even going to get in to it more as it could be taken wrong I think - but I could see it happening.

    At least normal variety would tend to keep things mixed up. But even their, 2 people who are motivated early on in finding someone do stay trim, but then that resorts back to easier desired mode later, after kids.

    The health motivation already isn't strong enough for many, how long until the mating motivation isn't either, combined with fears of parents in modern society to keep the kids in and safer.

    For some reason I'm picturing the spaceship in Wall-E.

Categories