Exercise more (even a little) this year
In episode 2 of “Small Changes, Big Results” we discuss the importance of fitness, health, and exercise. Experts weigh in on effective strategies for fitting in your fitness goals.
Transcript
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
There are limits to my exercising because of my knees. I walk. This is difficult here where I live,
because there are hills and-- there are nothing but hills and curves.
I have a walking machine downstairs that I use now and then. But the truth is that I hate it.
When there are trees around, when there's sunshine, when there's air, when you hear birds, that's lovely.
When you hear [WHIRRING] that is not lovely. Actually, I'm probably going to sell the damn thing.
I'd just as soon walk. And I know I can't run, I can't jog. That's out. I'm not 90 for nothing.
[WHOOSH] [CHIME MUSIC] Goal-setting is such a problem for so many people because what
we do is we get excited, we set a goal, and then we realize that it never comes to fruition. So what we tend to do-- and I'm definitely someone that does
this as well-- is that we're not specific enough. We're just not specific enough with the goals that we set.
Be as specific as you can. As opposed to saying, I'd like to go to the gym some more, say, you know, I'm going to go to the gym three times
a week for 20 minutes per session. That's a specific goal. So number one, be much more specific,
is, it allows us to focus on the goal more. And it makes it more attainable. Number two-- make it something that you
can measure or quantify. If your goal is to lose a little bit of weight, remember, specific-- I'm going to lose 5 pounds this month.
So you have something quantifiable that you can compare to at the end. This way, you know when you succeed.
Number three-- make sure that it's realistic. So listen I would love to learn how to play the piano in a month.
That's not going to happen, right? So set realistic goals, right? So make sure that you're taking into account
your hobbies, your enjoyment, your time, your availability, your lifestyle. And make sure that the goals are realistic,
because you don't want to set yourself up for failure. Another really important point when it comes to motivational psychology and attaining those goals is to set
goals that are small enough that you can attain them in small pieces. So we're going to go back to that example from the beginning.
I want to go to the gym three times per week for 20 minutes each time. It's quantifiable.
It's doable. It's realistic. And it's a small goal that you can accomplish and reward yourself for and then move on from there.
The other one that I really, really like-- this is number five-- is accountability. Share this with somebody. Share this with a loved one, a friend.
Share your goal with them, because now, it's not in your head anymore. It's a thing. It's real. It's out there in the universe.
And someone else is going to say, hey, are you following up with your goals? Are you doing that? It makes it real. And then the final one that's really, really important--
and this is a very big part of motivational psychology-- is make sure that when you attain your goal,
you have a reward. This is psych 101, guys. This is behavior and consequence. Maybe my reward is I'm going to have a pizza.
Or, I'm going to go out for ice cream. This way, you reinforce that. And trust me when I tell you there's some deep stuff going on in there that's
subconscious that's going to continue to drive those goals forward. And I'm almost positive that if you do these, you will absolutely be well on your way
to attain those goals that you used to procrastinate and never get done. [WHOOSH] What I want people to do from the minute of their birth
to the minute of their death is to stay mobile. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
The contraction of skeletal muscles, which I'm doing right now with my arms-- I'm contracting my biceps-- the very action of skeletal muscle contraction
is amazing for your metabolism. It will level out your glucose levels so you don't have these huge spikes, which
cause all kinds of inflammation and free radicals and disease. Skeletal muscle contraction has also
been found to cause the transcription or the making of the longevity protein, which
is called klothos. But listen, it doesn't stop there. Contraction of skeletal muscle also
causes the transcription or the making of a protein that travels to your brain and helps build hardiness.
So take a break right now, get up from your seat watching this video, and move, because we want you to have
the gift of mobility, which leads to longevity and health. [WHOOSH] [UPBEAT MUSIC]
Fitness and exercise really seems to make everybody's, you know, list in some way or another when it comes to goal-setting, et cetera, every year,
maybe even every month or every week, depending on who you are. What's the psychology behind, you know,
fitness or exercise sort of making that top list all the time? Yeah, so you know, moving your body,
especially in ways that are pleasureful, have really been shown to improve all health outcomes.
Everything from cognition to shifting cholesterol levels to reducing blood sugars and blood pressure.
So when we talk about finding these sustainable patterns of movement, we're really tying that in to improving people's health outcomes.
Here I go with the unpopular statements. If you've made the same New Year's resolution every year
for the last two to three years, let it go. It's time to change it to something new, because if you've not done it in the last two to three years,
chances are, you're probably not going to do it this year. And that is going to continue to perpetuate this feeling
of pressure, you know? You're pressuring yourself to accomplish something that you've already established you're not going to do.
And now I'm not saying that so that, you know, people feel bad about themselves. I've done it myself, you know? You have these goals every year.
I'm going to start doing this. I'm going to run more. I'm going to start to be more active. I'm going to cut out, you know, the desserts every night
for dinner, all of those things where, if it's something that's not happening, it's time to take the blame off of yourself
and examine the goal itself, right? This has nothing to do with you. A lot of the times, we feel it's us. We're bad, or we're unable to complete this task.
It's like maybe the task is flawed. [CHEERFUL MUSIC] So my very favorite workout tip
is realizing that we don't have to have a full hour a day to get our workouts in. I know as a busy mom--
I have four kids-- if I need to plan on a full hour in the gym, it's just not going to happen. I have the best tip ever.
It's called, try Tabata. This is a four-minute workout. It's 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off of any move of your choice.
You repeat that eight times, and within four minutes, you have the most incredible workout. So for example, let's choose Burpees.
I'm going to do 20 seconds of work-- 20 seconds of Burpees-- and then 10 seconds off. I'll repeat that eight times.
And trust me, by the end of four minutes, you will be so surprised at how rocked you are. [WHOOSH]
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
That change in psychological mindset is the direct connection to improved performance.
So I had the opportunity to talk with some of the world's fastest runners, gold medalists out of Trinidad, the fastest sprinters in the world.
And I went in asking them, what are you looking at? Is there some way that you have a superpower of perception that I might be able to learn from?
And what I learned in those conversations is that these individuals run their fastest when they assume a narrowed focus of attention,
when they keep their eyes on the prize-- in this case, the finish line. That's a strategy. That narrowed focus of attention is a strategy that all of us
can learn and can adopt and integrate into our exercise practices. We can all imagine a spotlight is shining just on a target
up ahead, and we're not paying any attention to what's in our peripheral vision. What we found in our research is that when we directed people's focus of attention in that manner,
they were able to engage in a challenging exercise 23% faster. They moved faster, even though the distance was the same.
That's a strategy that people can use when we're not there with our stopwatch, keeping track of what they do. When we gained access to what's going on into their health
and fitness apps, what we saw is that people who have been trained to use that narrowed focus of attention,
they went on more walks. They took more steps. They walked faster in the same amount of time. We increased the frequency and the efficiency
of their exercise. Now, the strategy of narrowed focus of attention isn't magic. Instead, what it's doing is taking advantage
of that power of perception to gain control over our own psychological mindset. People who use that narrowed focus of attention saw
their targets-- those finish lines-- as closer than they would otherwise. And when it seemed closer, it now seemed more feasible.
They felt like they had the resources that they needed to meet that goal. It didn't seem so difficult for them. They felt more empowered, and they
had a greater sense of self-efficacy to actually get there. That's the reason why they could walk faster, walk farther, feel
like they defied their own expectations for themselves, and try again. [WHOOSH] [PEACEFUL MUSIC]
Hi, I'm Dana Taft. And I'm a yoga instructor. I have some pointers for you as you ease into yoga.
This is great for anyone who's just starting off, all beginners, all are welcome. The first thing I want to bring to your attention
is that yoga primarily is about the breath. And in our society today, you would
be surprised how much our breath can be restricted. So let me show you how we breathe in a yoga practice.
This is a yoga breath we call Ujjayi Pranayama. And it's a breath that's gonna warm up
your body from the inside out. A funny way to think of this breath is like the Star Wars character Darth Vader.
It's going to sound almost like an ocean wave, where you're going to breathe in through your nose. And your exhale is also through your nose,
but you'll feel the fiery breath come out from this part of your throat. So lightly lay your hand over your throat,
breathe in through your nose, breathe out through your nose.
You notice the sound as you breathe in? And you notice the feeling under your hand as you breathe out?
As you do that breath, also bring your attention to the muscles in your face. You want to relax the jaw, relax around your eyes,
and even in your mouth. Relax your tongue. So do that Ujjayi Pranayama breath with me--
in through your nose, out through your nose.
You notice that your nostrils do not need to flare, your shoulders do not need to move up and down,
and your stomach isn't noticeably moving out and in? It's all here in the throat.
And as you sit and do that yoga breath, you might also notice your body warming up.
It's because you are doing yoga. [AUDIO LOGO]
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