Exercising to lose pain or to lose weight or to change our body shape immediately implies that we are defective and that we are not good the way we are. When our goal to exercise is to change something we don’t like about ourselves, be it pain or our body shape, it turns the activity into a chore. As soon as you turn a behaviour into a chore, you engage a rebellion system, you turn that activity into resentment of the very same goal that you actually want.
What’s my basic controversial message? Don’t exercise to achieve a goal in the distance future, whether it is to lose weight, eliminate pain, change your body shape or to prevent a disease at some point in your life.
So what’s my alternative recommendation? Exercise ONLY for the present moment – to experience the immediate positive changes, such as better mood, more energy and perhaps a sense of accomplishment. The same reason kids play in the playground …just for the fun of it!
In an ideal world, physical activity would be as enjoyable as eating a piece of cake. Does one really eat a treat with the intention of some reward in the future? No, one eats desert to experience the immediate satisfaction of eating a desert and that’s it! The mindset of eating desert is not that of “sacrifice” or “self-punishment” or “will-power”- one simply eats desert to experience the joy at that moment.
Sadly too many no longer consider exercise as being a desert but view it as punishment. What if, just what if that was possible to make exercise like a piece of cake? I believe it is POSSIBLE, but one needs a whole new mindset to exercising. The key to sustainable exercise is to feel good WHILE doing the activity. Not thinking, I am going to punish myself for now so I will feel good when I’m done the exercise or at some point in the future.
No one wants to be told what to do, whether it is your doctor, therapist or yourself saying that you SHOULD exercise. When we have a mindset of “I SHOULD exercise”, then you will automatically want to rebel against it and will find a number of reasons to not do what you should do. Versus doing something because you WANT to do it by CHOICE!
If this topic interests you, then I strongly suggest my online course Dismantling Body Shaming!