Let’s talk about . . . our mind-set when it comes to fitness.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported on a Stanford University study that shows a fascinating link between how much we think we exercise . . . and how we feel about ourselves — which, of course, has implications for our physical health. (You can click this link to read the Washington Post article; I’ve gift-shared the article, so the paywall should be removed.)
In the study, researchers measured participant activity with trackers (like FitBits) to measure steps — but not all the trackers were providing accurate data to the participants. Some of the trackers showed higher step counts than the participants were actually taking, while others showed lower-than-actual step counts. There was also a control group whose trackers showed actual numbers. At the end of the study, the researchers discovered that the participants who perceived that they performing at or better than expected (whether by boosted or accurate step counts) reported better moods, higher self-esteem, and the incorporation of healthier habits into their lives. Measures of their physical wellness had also improved (resting heart rate, for example). By contrast, the participants who’d been “tricked” into thinking they were not getting as much exercise reported darker moods, lower self-esteem, and smaller increases in physical health indicators. These results are significant — because all of the participants were actually getting the same amount of exercise!
“The study shows that our mind-sets about our exercise habits ‘can change our motivation and goals,’ even if those mind-sets don’t reflect reality, said Alia Crum, an associate professor of psychology and director of the Mind & Body Lab at Stanford University and the senior author of the new study. ‘They can even change us physically.'”
— Washington Post
This new study supports findings from an earlier study of hotel workers. In this study (also from the Mind & Body Lab at Stanford), a group of female hotel room attendants considered themselves inactive and expressed regret that they weren’t getting enough exercise. After researchers helped them see how much activity they were actually getting while they worked, the hotel room attendants all experienced significant gains in physical health markers.
It turns out that . . . “our mind-sets about our exercise and health can become self-fulfilling. If we believe we are too inactive for our own good, our health and well-being can suffer, no matter how active we actually are. If, on the other hand, we begin to think of ourselves as active people — who exercise when we change the sheets or walk down the hall — our moods, health and even our fitness can rise.”
— Octavia Hedwig Zahrt, PhD, as quoted in The Washington Post
So.
What does this mean for us, and what can we do to enhance our own mind-set about exercise?
That’s my challenge to you this month . . .
Discover how active you really are!
Because your mind-set matters! If you think you are active enough, you will likely make other healthy lifestyle choices – and reap healthful, physical benefits. But if you don’t think you are active enough, well. You likely . . . won’t.
Here’s what I challenge you to do: For the next week, keep track of your exercise and activity. As in . . . write it down. Include your formal exercising, of course, but also include other “life activities” you engage in that “count” as activity . . . vacuuming, for example. Or lugging laundry. Working in your garden. Changing beds. Cleaning a closet. If you have a tracker, use it to keep track of your steps or the minutes you exercise — anything to help you get a good sense of your actual activity level.
And then . . . contemplate your results. There are no right or wrong answers. Just use your results to think about this: Does it feel like you’re active enough to age the way you want to, to improve your health, to help you avoid disease, to keep yourself mobile and happy?
If the answer is YES, then celebrate. Feel good about your efforts. Maintain a positive mind-set about your fitness level — and keep up the good work! If the answer is NO, then figure out how you might be able to add a little more activity – and what kind – to your days.
Try it!
See what happens!
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2023 Monthly Fitness Challenges
#1 – Create your own fitness plan for 2023
Looking for Monthly Fitness Challenges from 2021-2022? I’ve moved them! Now you can find them in the Field Notes section of the blog (just click on Field Notes in the top menu) and look for Monthly Fitness Challenges 2021-2022.
This is a really great idea, Kym. I read the WaPo article and yes… at times I feel like a slug! Sigh. But your reminders about lugging laundry (for me it is up and down two flights of stairs) and all the other bits I do… next week I am going to be diligent about writing things down and see what I come up with! I will share my results on Friday! XO
Ha! I was thinking of the laundry thing as earlier I stripped a bed (upstairs) and took it down (2 flights to the basement) to wash. Then I put clean sheets on the bed. Yesterday I spent several hours vacuuming and dusting (really?) and scrubbing the kitchen floor. It all adds up and it also all takes away from time I might have to go walking or whatever. It’s easy enough to forget that those “chores” do count as exercise. Having said that, I still don’t think I get enough and I’m on a road to improving that. Thanks for the article – I’ve read similar words about people and dieting. Sometimes it’s just a big mind trip!
Have been using Map My Run to track actual walks for the last several weeks. Told my husband I’d like a fitness tracker to see how much I do outside of that (in home childcare, I move a LOT). Today he found one at a yard sale. It is charging now. What a nice coincedence to find your note on tracking leading to better understanding of how much we actual move. 😉
I often congratulate myself when I lug dirty laundry down two flights of stairs and then take clean clothes back upstairs. (And there’s almost always an extra trip or two to look for an errant sock.) And yesterday I was actually down on my hands and knees to scrub the kitchen floor. (That happens very rarely!) Now I’m wondering where I might be able to get one of those boosted step count trackers!
This is so interesting. I loaned my old fitbit to someone at work who wanted to motivate herself to get more exercise but she gave it back after one day because she was depressed by how few steps she took during the work day. I have used it as a motivator to get up a move during the day and I love seeing my steps add up for my daily walks. I have habit of writing my steps and other exercise (yoga or pilates) in my planner each day. My most active days are those when I have one of the small people over for a few hours. Chasing them around can really add up! My current medical insurance plan actually gives me $$ for having at least 10 days a month with 7500 steps. Such a good idea.
What a brilliant move on the part of your insurance co., Juliann! We’re all motivated in different ways, and I think that could help a whole lot of people develop a good habit. My brother started logging 10,000 steps a day a few years ago…and that practice has seen him through cancer and a divorce (overlapping), to name the biggies. (For him, the motivation was in ‘keeping his streak’!)
Whatever works to feel our best!
Keeping track of my steps and my physical activity has really made it clear how much exercise — both formal and informal — I really get on a typical day. I still try to do a formal workout (run or walk) every day, but I pick up a lot of steps from things like folding laundry, washing dishes, and cleaning the bathrooms.
I do normally track my steps and workout, etc. though I also have to watch and take the results with a grain of salt sometimes. My Apple watch counts all my stitches knit as steps…some weekend are just incredible how “active” I am!😜