Adapted from an online discussion.
Dear Carolyn: I’ve had no motivation to exercise for two years. It’s a major mental block with consequences. Any suggestions for accessing some will to change? I’ve been in therapy. Live alone. Thank you.
— Unmotivated
Unmotivated: How do you define exercise? If it’s “fitness regimen,” then that works for some, but for others, it’s repetitive, painful and boring.
Before we declared “working out” was a good idea, people were active as a byproduct of whatever else they were doing: walking, biking or riding places, working, lifting heavy things, dancing, playing games.
Is there anything you could add to your life that’s fun and, by the way, active? Can you go dancing, walk or bike to errands, join a sports league, pick up a volunteer gig that involves manual labor or do something else? Something with a point, of which exercise is merely a consequence.
If that’s not possible, then Plan B is to rearrange your spaces at home or your fridge and pantry to break your habits. Identify ruts, such as the couch and TV and snacking, then break up the enabling furniture arrangements and shop differently to force different decisions. Think of it as a little mental chess vs. your opponent, your sedentary impulses.
There’s the reverse angle, too, that “motivation” is irrelevant to life-sustaining measures, such as going to work. You just go. Right? This is the same thing.
Readers’ thoughts:
∙ First, go to what you liked doing as a kid. Was it biking, dance, team sports? Second, reframe the benefits of it. For me, it is 75 percent for my mental health. Finally, set a goal of five minutes a day to start.
∙ I finally realized the best exercise is the exercise you’ll actually do. I always told myself I could work out at home to free YouTube videos. I never did. I decided to rearrange my budget to go to a fancy gym and boom. I am there pretty much daily, taking all sorts of fun classes.
∙ Start small. Can you stretch while watching TV? Walk up and down some stairs? Walk around the block? Do a five-minute Yoga With Adriene video? A seven-minute workout?
∙ I absolutely won’t let people down who are counting on me. I took up rowing as an adult, and not showing up can mean the boat can’t go out, which affects everyone else.
∙ Maybe you crave distraction? I walk and listen to podcasts, or I meet a friend and talk.
∙ I used to think of exercise as a chore. A friend casually mentioned that running was her “me” time away from kids, responsibility, etc. Suddenly I started to see exercise as a treat for me instead. Huge change!
