It’s clear that exercise is good for us, so why is sticking to a workout routine one of the biggest challenges many of us face? Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to stay motivated when it comes to physical activity? The answer may lie in the way our brains are wired.
Our brain contains specialized neural circuits, particularly in the insula cortex, designed to weigh the effort required for any given action against the potential rewards. This innate mechanism helped our ancestors avoid wasting precious energy on fruitless pursuits during times of scarcity.
Regular exercise requires a constant and significant expenditure of energy for gradual progress and seemingly uncertain long-term benefits. This combination of high energy expenditure and uncertain long term payoff is the exact scenario our brain's weighing mechanism is designed to scrutinize.
When our brain's cost/benefit calculators detect an activity requiring considerable and sustained effort, but the rewards are delayed, alarms tend to go off. "Is all this worth it?" our brains seem to ask, driven by that innate tendency to prefer activities providing maximum, immediate rewards for minimum effort. Our intuition prefers the “low-hanging fruit” and in a society where all fruits hang low, this previously beneficial instinct now works against us.
To make matters worse, our brains also tend to prioritize evaluating risks and required effort over potential future rewards when making decisions. This hard-wired risk aversion makes us even more reluctant to take on physically demanding tasks like a daily exercise routine.
While this intuitive and ingrained way of making choices may have helped our ancestors survive, it works against us today when we're trying to motivate ourselves for the purpose of health and fitness. Here are 4 tips for staying dedicated and motivated:
- Track your progress.
Our brains are wired to seek evidence that our efforts are paying off. By closely tracking fitness metrics like weight, body measurements, strength gains, etc., you provide your rational mind with tangible proof that your hard work is leading to real results. Analyzing the data can help convince your brain that the struggle is indeed worthwhile. - Set micro and macro goals
In addition to long-term goals, set a series of incremental, achievable short-term goals. Hitting these short-term milestones provides a frequent sense of accomplishment that can propel you through plateaus and moments of wavering motivation when the big-picture payoff still seems far away. - Surround yourself with like-minded and supportive people.
Humans are greatly influenced by social forces. Surrounding yourself with others who prioritize health and fitness can normalize an active lifestyle and provide mutual support and accountability. Finding your tribe of fellow fitness enthusiasts makes it easier to stay on track. - Trust an experienced Coach.
Having knowledgeable guidance can be invaluable, especially when motivation dips. A good coach can provide expert programming, tips for overcoming obstacles, encouragement through rough patches, and the objectivity to push you when you may be tempted to slack off. Their belief in your potential can help override your brain's doubts.
Although our brain's archaic framework may make embracing exercise a constant challenge, using smart strategies like tracking, goal-setting, socializing, and trusting a qualified Coach can help keep you motivated while outmaneuvering our prehistoric hard-wiring. Understanding the inner workings of our brain's cost/benefit algorithms can help shed light on why we struggle so much to stick to a workout plan. With awareness of our natural inclinations, we can set ourselves up to overcome our brain's hesitancy and make moves toward better health and fitness.