Exploring Exercise Motivation

We are truly meant to walk 12 miles a day, considering the average foot transit of people in africa.

I think finding something that adds creativity to exercise for example, a skateboard, a bicycle, in my case a unicycle. To get you out the door and trying new tricks while you traverse your local space. I'm always finding new features in my town that become little jumps or rails to ride.

That and the addition of headphones, some music, some rythmn, careful with traffic of course. But it makes the whole experience come alive when you have a beat.

Then it is a mental as well as physical journey and you get to meditate while working out, think about things. I feel like I go to specific places in my town to "think" about particular things.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Great questions! 🌝

1. In what creative ways have you added exercise into your daily routine?

• I use the Tiny Habits approach. 🌝
• I created an exercise Tiny Habit "recipe"
  which is in the format:
  - After I ______,
  - I will ________.
  - Then celebrate (esp. during habit building phase).
  
  
• For example, here is my Tiny Habit for exercise:
  
  - After I turn on the microwave oven,
  - I will do 2 squats and countertop standing pushups.
  - Then celebrate! Yay! 🌝 (to help "wire in" the habit).
  
  
• Here is a storyboard of my Tiny Habit recipe:

• The benefit of making a Tiny Habit is
  it has a very consistent trigger (situation and place) and very consistent simple easy action to do
  (no decisions required, just do it).
• Design the Tiny Habit habit so it is extremely easy to do.
• So easy that
  it takes almost no motivation!
• That is another secret! 🌝
  
  
• Once the habit gets "wired in" over time and becomes an automatic compulsion, you can always do more but it is always optional, never required.
• That's the secret to keep the habit alive.
• The habit will then grow bigger naturally.
  It really works! 🌝
• Now I do even more.
  See all of the fun exercise videos I posted below for proof.
  
  
• To learn more about Tiny Habits,
  search the free 7Cups Community Growth Paths here: https://www.7cups.com/path/modifier/ 🌝
• Click "Community"
  and enter the search term:
  Tiny Habits
• Also search for Zumba, or Dancercise, or stretching or Tai Chi or whatever you want!
• I've posted all different types of exercise moves and songs to pick from! Yay! 🌝
• Here is a good really fun one for beginners to get started:
  https://www.7cups.com/path/exercise/walking-stretching-videos-ad-free-yay-1681421836/

2, What helps you when you don't feel like exercising?

• I know I will feel better right away if I just get started.
• I think of how a little exercise will help me get good sleep tonight and help keep me in a good mood. 🌝

3. Have you experienced the benefits of exercising with a group or partner? How did it impact your motivation and accountability?

• Yes, I've done a lot of group exercise of many types. It was always motivating to make me show up and have fun too. It becomes a habit. You just do it.
  
  
• For example, walking, aerobics, and other sports at work during lunch or after work or on weekends has always been fun.
  
  
• Also great for professional advancement!
• Making friends with managers while exercising can help your career a lot! 🌝
  
  
• It also helps build confidence.
  - You feel more confident when you learn complicated moves that, at first, seemed very difficult, and then quickly became easy and automatic.
  - You feel more confident being part of a group that meets regularly.
  - You feel more confident growing your social skills and seeing others are just like you in many ways.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

I have found the amount of time that I am comfortable with and need for exercising regularly. I have ensured that I don't need more than that time. I have also limited the total amount of days to a minimal amount. I do not have to workout on set days each week either. It varies depending on what my week is like. I squeeze in the workout when I have time in those days.

When I don't feel motivated, I am able to push through it because I value routine and sticking to it. The longer that I've been in my workout routine, the easier it is to still get it done. I also think about why I workout and the results that I get.

I do not exercise with a group or partner but, I have done both. I think it is helpful for motivation, feeling obligated, and making it more enjoyable. I don't like relying on others for it though because, they may not always be available to workout. This can lead to falling out of a routine.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

In what creative ways have you added exercise into your daily routine?

I think of exercise more like movement now rather than some strenuous obligation. I have added yoga into my routines. I also look for geese when I am near the lake. I am looking for more ways to make it a healthy part of my center.

What helps you when you don't feel like exercising?

Just showing up to myself to exercise is all I ask of myself. If I can only do 5 minutes of movements, that's fine. As long as I try and give some effort. It gets easier every day. Also reaching out to a friend for encouragement is always nice.

Have you experienced the benefits of exercising with a group or partner? How did it impact your motivation and accountability?

I found it more stressful having to coordinate workout times and it interfered with my habit-forming. However actually working out with someone else was nice for the company and shared experience. Now, I just have an accountability buddy. We are on our journeys together but do not workout together. We just update each other when we have had a good day and encourage each other when we don't.

@SoulfullyAButterfly Something that motivates me to exercise is my children, being able to be active and thus being able to share in the parks with her.

I wish it weren’t the case but the only reason I exercise is to lose weight. As much as I like a good walk outdoors or, pre pandemic, a nice elliptical burn, the only thing that motivates me to actually do those things is weight loss. I KNOW all of the amazing other benefits but I don’t internalize any of them and so they don’t truly motivate me. I feel like this stops me from really getting the mental health benefits—which I need very much.

@SoulfullyAButterfly finding the motivation to exercise can be a challenge, but the benefits are well worth the effort. By focusing on the physical and mental benefits, the feeling of accomplishment, and the social aspect of exercising, individuals can find the motivation needed to make exercise a regular part of their routine☺️

@SoulfullyAButterfly I love how exercise brings you to perfection if not a better person. After finishing each of exercise session instantly I feel better body and mind even more so when I do regularly. But, very important not to exercise too much to the point of exhaustion because not only you won’t do anything done after that you might also need take useless supplement you don’t need at the first place. I started small. Well, not to small I think. After a couple or few exercise session I got to know how much works for me for each session for best result such as, clearer mind, more elastic body not frigid, less ache from up to toe, somehow I move faster and smoother, reflexes get better, and eyes see a little bit clearer. Do exercise is amazing!

I usually have a half hour or within 2 hours every few days, we call it slow days. That's when I exercise. I don't go to gym instead I use the floor and chair. When sitting down I usually exercise my neck down to my shoulders, hands, and waist. Also up my legs one by one up to 90 degree. Other than that, when I feel lazy it is usually when I laying down on my bed do not want to do anything, so I would move around on it just move and keep moving after that finished by tidy the bed up.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

1. In what creative ways have you added exercise into your daily routine?

• I pay attention to my body.
  Whenever my body hurts from sitting to much, I get up and move on purpose.
  
  I feel for the pain as a signal that my body is telling me:
  Hey! It's time to move because I'm sitting too long and it's causing damage.
  
  
• Whenever I get up for any reason,
  I see it as an opportunity to also add in some exercise moves along the way.
  
  I think to myself:
  "I might as well exercise a tiny bit as long as I'm up".
  
  Then instead of just walking to the other room, I'll do some fun exercise type moves along the way in bursts.
  
  The moves usually are my favorite aerobic or stretching type moves that can be done while on my way walking.
  
  
• Before sitting back down, sometimes I'll do some squats just before I sit.
  
  If I've been inactive a lot, I'll do maybe 10 quick squats before sitting down. It just takes 10 seconds.
  
  
• I do micro-workouts:
  
  For all the moves above, I accentuate the muscle flexing on purpose. That way, the muscles get a better workout and they get pumped-up.
  
  I found that flexing the muscles firmly on purpose actually helps the muscles get bigger even without using any weights.
  
  But I have to flex the muscles very firm. More intense than just stretching. Then I notice results later.
  
  Another reason I do micro-workout bursts is they're proven very effective for better health.
  Google it and see.

pre strokes I hiked 12 miles three times per week with a friend, motivation: to not tick him off because I couldn't keep up. Before that walked 5 miles per day with my daughter motivation: to help her lose weight. while smoking, walk 1000 steps per cigarette: motivation-was trying to quit smoking because my grandson asked me to. post stroke...breathing and talking exercises, eye exercises, shoulder and ROM exercises, motivation, because I have to show therapists some progress, In other words, I am mostly motivated by other unless it is swimming or kayaking, which I do just for me.