Why Do You Exercise?

Philosopher's Notes
The Optimizer: Why Do You Exercise? (Meaning Matters!) 

“As it turns out, research shows that even reasons that sound very sensible and important may not lead us to the results we’re seeking. Some years ago, my colleagues and I conducted a study in which we examined the impact of people’s reasons to start exercising on their actual involvement in exercise. We first asked the participants to state their reasons or goals for exercising, as I just asked you. Then, to uncover their higher-level reasons for exercising, we asked them why they cared about obtaining those particular benefits. My colleagues and I found that 75 percent of participants cited weight loss or better health (current and future) as their top reasons for exercising; the other 25 percent exercised in order to enhance the quality of their daily lives (such as to create a sense of well-being or feel centered). Then we measured how much time they actually spent exercising over the course of the next year. The answer may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true: The vast majority of the participants whose goals were weight loss and better health spent the least amount of time exercising overall—up to 32 percent less than those with other goals. Think about that for a moment: Our most common and culturally accepted reasons for exercising are associated with doing the least amount of exercise. How can this be?”    Michelle Segar, Ph.D. from "No Sweat"
 
What a fascinating study!! 75% of the participants said their primary reason for exercising was to lose weight or to get healthier. Sounds reasonable, eh?

Segar tells us that although those are *good* reasons to exercise, they are not EFFECTIVE reasons. They lack the meaning that truly motivates us. So, what motivates us?

Let’s look at the 25% who exercised way more. What motivated them? As Segar tells us, they exercised to enhance the quality of their daily lives—to create a sense of well-being, a feeling of being energized and centered. They found a way to get *immediate* gratification out of their exercise—which is a LOT more effective than pursuing some future, abstract target.

As Segar tells us: “Human beings, it turns out, are predisposed to choosing immediate gratification over long-term benefits.”

She describes the “lose weight” and “get healthy” goals as too fuzzy and in the future, too abstract and clinical and calls them the “Wrong Why.” When we lead with those Whys, our exercise become a chore—which then leads to a failure. Who does chores with sustained enthusiasm?!

The alternative to making our exercise a chore? Create a better "Why"? centered on more "now" and tangible immediate gratification and make exercise a gift you’re giddy to give yourself.