How to be more positive about exercise

On the days we grumble about moving, we need to rewire our thoughts. This is how:

Be conscious about your attitudes

Back to that self-awareness Dr Windgassen was referring to earlier: “Listen to those negative thoughts and ask why you feel them,” says Dr Windgassen. “Are you really tired, or are you feeling lethargic but know that once you start you’ll actually enjoy it? Giving yourself that opportunity to change your relationship with the activity that you’re choosing to do as opposed to kind of blindly going into it with all of these unarticulated feelings of resistance will give you the best outcome,” she says. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with rest when that’s what our body is calling for. But we need to be realistic about what the body wants, and what our thoughts are telling us to do.

Choose the right movement

For some extra encouragement, it’s OK to opt for exercise that is hard to grumble about. “If we’re picking something that’s really not going to serve us at that moment, our thoughts will be much worse. Don’t choose something that you know is going to prove the negative mindset, something that you know you never enjoy or does feel particularly gruelling. A good compromise is picking a form of movement you really love, like walking or dancing instead of a formal ‘session’.”

The power of thinking positively about exercise