How I Maintained a Regular Exercise Regime for Over 2 Years
Let me tell you a bit about myself. In my other post, I talked about how I went from being a carb-addicted maniac to eating high-protein foods and thriving from it!
Well, another thing you might not know about me, which is a common trait among all of us humans, is the natural tendency we have to avoid exercise. I read 'Exercised' by Daniel Lieberman, and I really recommend this book to anyone else that hates exercise. I found it really motivating and not at all condescending towards those who did not exercise regularly or didn't like it. The long story short is that exercise was something we basically never evolved to do because it expends precious calories. However, as our society evolved and calories became abundant, we, as humans, never really adapted to this as we are still "evolved" to conserve calories. So, knowing this made me feel a lot less guilty about my exercise-aversion.
What really motivated me to start exercising regularly was having a goal that felt genuinely important and came from within me. During the time that I decided to participate in regular exercise, it was during the pandemic, and I was starting to feel sluggish from the lack of movement while being in lockdown. I also was doing something very difficult and mentally taxing at this time: I was learning a new language. I needed to learn it to at least B2 proficiency, fluent in other words. This was not at all an easy task, as any of you who have tried to learn a language would know. I wanted to do anything and everything possible to improve the efficiency of my progress in language learning, as this endeavor cost me both time and money.
I read that certain foods, which contain omega-3 fats, blueberries and most importantly, exercising, improved mental acuity. In fact, exercise improved mental acuity in such a way that it absolutely trumped all the other little things I could do. I felt like if I was going to improve my studies, avoiding the one thing that would improve my studies the most did not make any sense, so I decided now would be the time to get started. Because I had such a strong aversion to exercise, I decided to start in a way that I knew would motivate me the most: video games. I love video games. I'm the biggest nerd for all things video game-related, so I decided that I would try to find some video games that would give me some form of exercise, and I found the game 'Ring Fit Adventure'. People described it as a 'Legend of Zelda' RPG kind of game, but it involved exercising to defeat enemies and progress the story, which I loved! I would love if one day AI evolves enough that we could have 'Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' or 'Trials of the Temples of Knowledge', but with immersive physical running around. I would get so fit while being immersed in a video game I loved! But anyways, I digress. I began playing this game, and it was a really easy and gentle way to ease me into exercising. Once I started to feel the exercises were too easy, I began a Chloe Ting challenge, which was much more challenging! Once I started on exercise videos on YouTube, I began seeing more of these videos recommended to me (thank you, algorithm!). I am also a big YouTube addict, so watching YouTube videos while I exercised also felt like a way to reward myself and get into a good habit. If you have any habit that you want to form, it's always super helpful to pair them with something that you already enjoy. For me, it was YouTube and video games, but for you, it may be something completely different. That, combined with having a real, internal motivation for exercising, was what really helped.
What kept me consistent?
Changing up my exercise routine. I think that exercising, like many things in life, can get stale after a while, so I would change my exercise routine. After trying 'Ring Fit Adventure', if I felt bored with that, I changed to Chloe Ting challenges, then other fitness videos on YouTube that I liked, running in parks, and group fitness classes at my apartment building (which is a great way to meet friends, by the way!). There are endless ways in which you can get fit! You have to try out many different things and see which ones you genuinely enjoy. Going to group classes worked for me, because I saw everyone else working hard, which motivated me to do the same. Running was fun because I loved that I could run with my partner and I loved the parks we ran in. It was a great way to give my eyes a rest after a day of staring at a screen and to see nature. Also, my internal motivator is always there. I feel better when I exercise. I notice it not only in mental acuity but also in the quality of my sleep, the way I feel in my body, and how I move. And when I travel, I tire less easily (even carrying a backpack full of stuff all day!). I feel that exercise has really opened the world up to me in ways that weren't possible before. There are a million other health benefits to exercise that I did not mention here, and again I highly recommend 'Exercised' to really read into all the ways that exercise can also change your life!