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Your brain can be tricked and trained into loving exercise and making you
feel like a workout is the best
When you are exercising, your fitness tracking apps do keep tab about your physical activity, but your brain perceives physical exertion as an excessively effort-ridden task. If you wish to workout harder and go a longer way, tweak this perception and become stronger by these easy-peasy hacks.
Pump it up with some rock-solid music -
Listen to good motivating music to pump yourself and workout longer. Prepare your playlist with music you know that helps you power through long routines. Heart and respiration rates beat in coordination to the rhythmic music that you listen.
Kickstart With Easy Sets -
Many of us tend to attack new exercise programs with a lot of enthusiasm which fizzles out by the end of one week itself. Instead of pushing yourself too hard with daily, intense exercises and restrictive diets, set yourself up for success. Set smaller targets and goals which can be achieved without any added hassles. If you haven’t exercised at all, start walking for a few days a week for at least 30 minutes. Once you accomplish this goal, shift to increasing your ability of sticking to one program. Your brain will soon start realizing that exercise is beneficial and does not make you tired after all.
Keep track -
Maintain a notebook or create an excel worksheet of your exercise regimen. When did you exercise, for how long, and at what intensity? All these small details will help you record your exercise data and you will be aware of the small changes and improvements in your body. Plus, you get a journal for keeps!
#FriendsForever -
Schedule your exercise time with your BFF. Social support is a powerful tool which can help boost your confidence and motivate you to work-out more. If you both are committed to each other and are sure about your workout gig, it is less likely that you will cancel your gym trip!
Limber Down Time -
Cooling down time is key to managing your brain to motivate you better. Once you finish your workout sets, give your body time to cool off by either stretching, walking or deep breathing. This helps calm your mind and body and your brain feels relaxed after the workout.
Keep it easy and go with the flow -
Even if your schedule and exercise regime are fixed, build flexibility around the time and place and intensity. Give yourself a breathing space if your exercise doesn’t go as planned or if you do not have time to exercise as much on a particular day. Make conscious efforts to maintain your exercise schedule, but if it doesn’t work, don’t be too harsh on yourself.
Reward yourself -
Consciously make efforts to reward yourself after every workout session. Rewarding yourself helps unblock other painful experiences of exercise. Your brain has the ability to calm down and relax during a workout. Try to enjoy that feeling and pat yourself on the back on completing every set. Know that exercise make you sleep better and thinking of the positive outcomes of a good, peaceful sleep will help your exercise better. Making exercise important for you is the key. Importance means interest and interest causes release of dopamine which means reward for your brain and body. Think: Hello Blueberry cheesecake!
