Exercise Motivation
In this blog post I look at how to motivate yourself to exercise regularly looking particularly at a form of self motivation called self-efficacy.
Dr Siobhan Graham practicing yoga in Costa Rica, 2015
I have always loved sports from a young age. I was a cross country runner, played Gaelic handball, hockey, rounders and I was always playing football outside our house in Cookstown. In my 20s I got really into surfing. I loved the connection with the sea, the thrill of catching a wave and how great my body and mind would feel after spending time in the water. I later discovered the amazing potential of yoga as a powerful form of exercise and became a yoga instructor.
Now, with two small daughters and a busy GP clinic, I find it hard to carve time for regular exercise and motivate myself to sustain a practice which I know for a fact will keep my mind and body healthy. This is a common problem in our busy lives. The more we get out of the habit, the worse we feel. We think that doing regular exercise is insurmountable and so we give up before we’ve even tried! Below I have outlined some strategies that have helped me overcome this negative attitude to get me back into good habits of regular exercise leaving me with more energy and pride.
Firstly let’s remind ourselves of the fantastic benefits of regular exercise:
If you decided to exercise more how would it benefit you?
Increased confidence and better self-esteem
Weight loss
Improved blood sugar
Better blood pressure
More energy
Improved mood
Feeling fit and stronger
Taking action: Commitment
Making a commitment where something is at stake such as money, your word or your reputation- significantly increases motivation. Don’t be afraid to ask for those around you for support.
Team up with a friend/family member and come up with a shared commitment. “We will exercise once a week for 30mins at a time until ___date.” Then review your commitment and step it up! Regularly check in with one another and support one another.
There are loads of websites and apps to help monitor your commitment. Some require a monetary pledge to charity which means you have to be willing to lose some money if you do not fulfil your commitment!
I recommend inviting a family member or friend to follow your progress- they can see how you are doing which also improves motivation and you are more likely to succeed.
Ideas for maintaining motivation
So you’ve got started, you’ve created a commitment and shared it with supportive family and friends. Now how do you maintain and sustain the motivation?
Sign up to a regular exercise group, in person or online.
Join your local Park Run. The energy in the crowd will carry you. Park Run also keeps track of your times so you can check in on your improvements.
Create time and space: Timetable exercise into your diary. Go to bed half an hour earlier, get up half an hour earlier for a short workout video.
Re-think your routine - can you walk or cycle to work?
Self- prompting: Leave walking or running shoes at the front door; put agreement on fridge.
Keep a journal/notes on how you feel each morning; include what's on your mind.
keep an exercise journal e.g. how long you can you hold a wall squat? How many sit-ups can you do?
Reward yourself after each month- buy yourself something, or go out for a healthy lunch.
Motivational theories
There are more motivational theories than I could list on one page! 'Self-efficacy' is something that helps a lot of patients better understand how and where their motivation comes from. Self-efficacy, was defined by psychologist Albert Bandura in 1989 as: “beliefs in one’s capabilities to find the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to meet given situational demands”. Bit of a mouthful, so here’s another:
Also defined as: "People’s beliefs in their capabilities to complete tasks or achieve goals". (Bandura, 1997).
Increasing Self-efficacy
Past success increases self-efficacy. So, you can say: "I used to exercise almost everyday and felt great, so I know I can do it".
Or you can use the past success of someone like you, a friend or relative. This a vicarious form of confidence, but works non-the-less.
Encouragement from others: either family, friends, or media.
Interpreting your emotions or thoughts as normal or positive and using them to inspire you to keep going e.g. sore muscles after exercising can be considered good as your body adapts to the exercise and muscles strengthen. Or you could interpret it negatively and say " this is causing damage to my body", which doesn’t help!
In many countries around the world you will see people in the local parks exercising daily. It’s not a big deal and people are very comfortable exercising together in public.
Self-efficacy is self-belief
The word ‘belief’ is powerful. But how do we really believe in ourselves? Reading each of the components to self-efficacy above can help us encourage our-selves to be positive.
Another useful tip is to talk positively. Try saying " I am going to do exercise every day", instead of, " I should or I must do exercise every day". And remember, when you do what you said you would do, treat yourself to something nice!
Don't forget to keep reviewing your progress with a daily note to yourself. It's encouraging to look back at what you have written and how you've changed.