We all know exercise can make you physically stronger, but did you know it can also make you mentally stronger? Psychotherapist and SUSF Group Fitness instructor, Sophie Gray explains how you can fit exercise into your busy schedule.
Exercise empowers you and builds your resilience
No matter who you are or what your fitness level, exercise is uncomfortable (to put it mildly). Whether you’re just starting out, maintaining your fitness or extremely fit it can always be challenging. BUT if you keep going, you get better… it may not always be in a straight-line, or happen quickly, but it happens. Although a trainer can help you set the right exercises, your friends can drag you to their favourite classes, or your running group can hold you accountable, you’re the only one who can do the work to improve.
Why is this important?
Knowing that YOU are the one who has achieved the changes is empowering. How many times have you been to the gym (or a class) and thought, “this is impossible”, but you’ve walked out of the class alive, having done everything (not necessarily perfectly)? Imagine if every time you thought, “THAT WAS SO HARD”, you also recognised that, “IT WAS TOUGH, BUT I DID IT.” This helps you develop self-efficacy: your belief in your ability to do something. You start to perceive yourself as someone capable of coping with uncomfortable, difficult, and seemingly-impossible situations.
Willpower (‘mental strength’) is like a muscle; it can be strengthened with regular ‘exercise’. So, when you choose the gym on days you’re tired, or choose to finish RPM even though your legs are burning, you strengthen your willpower. That can generalise to choosing to stop procrastinating, making healthier choices, or even doing things you’ve been putting off (going to the dentist, anyone?!). These actions are self-reinforcing - they’re rewards in themselves - so you’re more likely to repeat them and make choices that align with them. Sort of like that friend of yours who started going to one BODYATTACK class a week and is now a full-on meal-prepping, early-rising, health nut (we’ve all got one!)
But how do you fit it in?
There’s a quote I love, “the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off” and it applies here: you will find a way to fit exercise into your life if you want to. External changes will make it easier, but we can’t always rely on those. Exercise has to be on your priority list.
This is difficult for anyone to hear, about anything they feel they can’t do, because we are hearing something else. With exercise, that ‘something else’ could be: “You’re not doing enough. Other people prioritise exercise but you don’t. You *should* want to fit it in. You must be lazy…” and so on.
It’s easy to get defensive, so we generate excuses. Although they’re valid, they don’t resolve the underlying problem. One issue is that we don’t feel in control of our lives, which is sort-of true and sort-of not true. When events like injuries happen, they’re often out of our control, but that doesn’t mean we have zero control - we are in control of the next steps and our reactions.
This doesn’t mean you have to be happy. It means you choose to do something to improve a difficult hand. Although we can’t make a bad situation perfect, I believe it’s better to take control of improving things than doing nothing whatsoever, don’t you?
So, if exercise isn’t a priority, how do you make it one so you can take control of improving (not perfecting) your life? Here, it’s worth looking at your value hierarchies; these are hierarchies comprised of actions (micro-routines) that help you to achieve your values. To be a priority, exercise must be a micro-routine enmeshed in a value hierarchy, so that your reasons to do it are meaningful. Rather than answering the question, “why does exercise matter?” with an external expectation or standard, you see how exercise can help you to achieve a higher goal or purpose. “Because I should” - “Because I want to lose weight” - “Because I want to be fit.”
Why?
To stay physically and mentally healthy to avoid disease and infirmity?To prove to yourself that you can achieve a difficult goal?To have more energy to run around with your kids?
What values do these help you achieve?
Being a contributing member of society?Being a person who can inspire and help others?Being a good parent?
Now, if you map out how exercise fits within your value hierarchy, you don’t always have to choose it. Sometimes ‘contradictory’ micro-routines are necessary to achieving your values. Resting and relaxing, for example, also help you stay healthy, avoid burnout, and give you energy for your kids. Rather than black-and-white thinking, find a balance of micro-routines that help you achieve your values - remember, nothing is perfect, you’re aiming to do the best you can with what you’ve got.
For more info, head to: Sophie’s Think Gray Psychotherapy blog or Facebook page.