Admit it, you’ve hit that snooze button one too many times, haven’t you? I know I sure have. As much as I exercise and as much as I preach exercise is good, which it is, I too have had my bouts of laziness and sleeping in. Well, according to a recent study, it turns out, we might be wired to be a bit lazy.
Researchers from Canada and Switzerland show that even though we think we want to be active, there is part of our subconscious mind that is more prone to conserving energy. There are different hypothesis for why, one is that as we evolved, we always needed to be alert and aware of danger. One of the best ways to conserve your energy is to be still.
For the study, researchers connected 29 young healthy volunteers to head pieces with electrodes that would determine impulses of your mind. Subjects were asked to choose the active person first, then the sedentary person. Everyone was quicker to the active person, but when they were asked to move toward the sedentary person, the subconscious went faster. This type of test is known as the “approach-avoidance task” and as Gretchen Reynolds from the New York Times says, “is thought to be a reliable indicator of how people consciously feel about whatever is depicted on the screen.”
“To me, these findings would seem to indicate that our brains are innately attracted to being sedentary,” says Matthieu Boisgontier, who led the study from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada along with Boris Cheval at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Here are you 5 Tips to get over your Laziness:
Stop listening to your mind.
So often we’ll hit that snooze button because our mind, that crazy culprit, says we’re tired or we just don’t feel like it. What would it be like if you just didn’t listen to your mind for those moments? You’d be in amazing shape, eating healthy, and happy and a pig in… well, you get the idea.
Make your workouts non-negotiable.
Nowadays we’re all so busy with appointments, side hustles, social outings and social media, what’s left for our own well-being? It’s so easy to say, I have too much work, or I’ll do it later. And of course, we never do. Put your workouts on your calendar and stick to them!
Meet a friend.
Accountability can be the best way to get yourself to show up. Whenever I have to meet a friend at an ungodly hour for a swim or run I’m always going to show up because I don’t want to disappoint my friend. If I didn’t have anyone to meet, I might skip the workout or do a shorter workout, or even do it later.
Do something you enjoy.
Another great reason to workout, because you love doing it! Don’t get on a bike if you hate it and you love rowing. Get on your rower. Go to spin class, enter that triathlon. Whatever you like to do, do it. You’ll be much happier, reap those rewards, and do it more often.
Give yourself a reward.
Speaking of rewards, now that you’ve worked out, assuming you did, give yourself a reward. It can be a great meal, healthy of course, some time to relax, a massage, a celebration. Give yourself something as a reward, then you can begin thinking about the reward and less about the negativity of getting up early or getting to the gym.
If you or someone you love needs some assistance, I’m happy to help, send me a message @teddymconald or here on my blog. Thanks for reading. Exercise, eat right, and have fun, life is short!!
Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@britozour
