3 secrets to fall in love with exercise

Getting a training routine is rarely simple. It can be difficult to find the motivation. Sometimes it can even feel uncomfortable or embarrassing.

Just ask Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist at Stanford University and the author of the book ‘The Joy of Movement’.

“Because I was not a athlete who grew up, my experience with movement was mainly humiliation,” said Dr. McGonigal on stage at the Well Festival of the New York Times on Wednesday.

Dr. McGonigal spoke with Danielle Friedman, a good contributor, and Robin Arzón, the main instructor at Peloton, about the challenge of enjoying exercise.

To help people who have difficulty getting started, Dr. shared McGonigal and Mrs. Arzón Three specific strategies to turn exercise into a vehicle to experience joy.

Try not to love any time.

Many people think they have to reach a point where they keep every second of exercise.

But Dr. McGonigal said that is not realistic. Even during the most rewarding training courses, there can be moments of pain, difficulty or frustration.

So your expectations shift. Dr. McGonigal shared that her sister, a runner, had come to see the most difficult moments of her runs as her favorite parts, because they were the moments when she felt the most difficult.

Mrs. Arzón said she had started to find joy in the simple action of showing a training, instead of focusing on how her body felt there. Dr. McGonigal agreed: “Sometimes it is ‘good good’ how you feel about yourself afterwards because you persisted – and you are exhausted.”

Strive for Momentum, no motivation.

Mrs. Arzón said she earns her living by motivating people to train. But consistency and routine are more important, she added.

“Motivation is fleeting,” said Mrs. Arzón. “It’s short -lived.” Instead, she said, try to concentrate on obtaining ‘momentum’.

“The habit,” said Mrs. Arzón. “It’s process. It’s schedule.”

And don’t worry if you are not an expert in whatever exercise you do. Just give it your best chance and then give it up again.

“I would rather be bad at running than good in the couch,” she said.

Find a community.

One reason that exercise makes us happy is that it can help to promote connection with others. So try to become a member of a runclub or attend a Zumba class, even if the idea makes you self-aware.

“When we go synchronously with other people, our bodies come into a state – our brains go into a state that neuroscientists call” we fashion, “said Dr. McGonigal. “We come to a state of togetherness that is biologically real, and we can feel it as a kind of trust and closeness and connectedness.”