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fitness, walking, step count, 10000 steps, exercise, weight loss, health , weight management, pedometer
10,000 Steps a Day: Everything You Didn’t Know
 10,000 Steps a Day: Everything You Didn’t Know 960 539 Emilie
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We all know what it means: walking 10,000 steps is the recommended daily step count to prevent obesity or prevent regaining weight after a dieting or weight loss program. 10,000 steps is approximately the same as 5 miles a day for the average walker. This level of walking has a load of tremendous benefits, from weight management to lowering blood pressure, from reducing stress to improving sleep. Here are 4 ways the 10,000 step goal might have different effects than you knew.

10,000 might not be enough for weight loss. Most people that google calorie loss information will find that walking burns 100 calories per mile, meaning that 10,000 steps a day burns about 3,500 calories per week. This, however is based on the false assumption that walking and running a given distance burns the same number of calories. A study cited by Runner’s World demonstrates that depending on how strenuous your activity is, 10,000 steps a day may burn anywhere between 2,500 calories and 4,300 calories per week. A pound of fat requires 3,500 calories to be burned (more than the number of calories you are likely to burn in a week if all your steps are accomplished through walking). So if you’re walking 10,000 steps a day and treating yourself to some icecream at the end of the week, odds are you are only maintaining your weight. In order to achieve weight loss, some of those 10,000 steps need to be achieved more strenuously (through running, speed walking, hiking, or playing games). Or, you can try to increase your daily step count to increase that calorie burn. Research has shown, for instance, that overweight adolescents should actually be aiming for 11,700 steps a day to reach moderate-to-vigorous activity standards.

There’s a gender difference post childhood. This same study that Runner’s World calls to attention demonstrated that the same number of calories burned for women were on average lower than those for males. More specifically, males burned an average of 124 calories per mile when running, and 88 while walking, whereas the females burned an average of 105 calories while running a mile and 74 walking. This difference may easily exist due to weight and BMI differences between the average male and average female. However, another recent study also demonstrated a difference in step count between the genders: showing that although both genders tend to have a lower step count as they age, this step count reduces much more steeply in females than in males.

Having a sedentary job isn’t the end of the world. Recent research analyzed groups in terms of both their job style (sedentary or non-sedentary), and their physical activity level (active or non-active). Believe it or not, those with both non-sendentary jobs and an active physical lifestyle did not have a significantly higher step count or lower BMI than those with a sedentary job yet active physical lifestyle. The only difference seen in BMI and step count was for those that have both a sedentary job and are inactive. So remember that just because you have to sit at a desk all day, you can still be appropriately active!

Using public transportation helps your step count. Not only does public transportation help the environment and decrease wear and tear on your car, it has been shown that people who use public transportation actually have a greater step count than those who use private vehicles. This shouldn’t seem surprising, as those with public transportation often have to walk to their bus or subway stop. If you are unable to use public transportation to get to work, try using public transportation whenever possible (like going out to dinner or running errands). Otherwise, try parking your car in the back of parking lots, and always take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or if you have street parking, try parking your car further down the street instead of right next to your house, forcing yourself to walk to your car each morning. Small changes like these will quickly increase that step count.

Overall, the 10,000 step goal is a great one, with a wide array of health benefits. So get walking!

Adams, Mark A., Susan Caparosa, Gregory J. Norman, and Sheri Thompson. "American Journal of Preventive Medicine." Translating Physical Activity Recommendations for Overweight Adolescents to Steps Per Day 37.2 (2009): 137-140. Web.
Tudor-Locke, Catrine, Nicola W. Burton, and Wendy J. Brown. "Leisure-time Physical Activity and Occupational Sitting: Associations with Steps/day and BMI in 54–59 Year Old Australian Women." Preventative Medicine 48.1 (2009): 64-68. Web.
Barreira, Tiago V., John M. Schuna, Jr., Emily F. Mire, Stephanie T. Broyles, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Catrine Tudor-Locke, and William D. Johnson. "Normative Steps/Day and Peak Cadence Values for United States Children and Adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006." The Journal of Pediatrics 166.1 (2015): 139-43. Web.
Burfoot, Amby. "How Many Calories Are You Really Burning?" Runner's World. N.p., 18 July 2005. Web.

 

daniel goldstein, ted talk, motivation, long term goal, future
How to Resist Instant Gratification and Reach Long Term Goals
 How to Resist Instant Gratification and Reach Long Term Goals 960 640 Emilie
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Daniel Goldstein, who is in charge of the blog Decision Science News, is an expert in how we make decisions that impact our future. He focuses on the impact of economic and financial decisions, but his research analyzes the way in which we make all kinds of decisions. In his Ted Talk, “The Battle Between Your Present and Future Self,” he discusses the way in which we are less in touch with our future selves than we might think. Although we all know that one day we will get old, and that our present decisions will later effect us, we see our present selves as more “us” than our future selves, and thus show more loyalty to our present selves.

If we eat junk food now, we will gain weight in the future. If we don’t exercise now, our heart and muscles will be weaker later down the road. If we don’t save money, we will have less money for retirement. Often, we do not think of these things as definite. We figure we can exercise more later, or save more money at a later point. But in reality, these are just tactics for us to avoid the reality that our future selves are a direct result of our present. And when forced into a decision, we show more allegiance towards our present selves than future selves.

The key to reaching those long term goals is to remember that we are just as much our future selves as we are our present selves. Protecting and helping yourself in the future should be just as much a priority as helping yourself today. For this, we can try several tactics. Goldstein suggests simulating outcomes so that you can directly see the correlation between what you do today and what happens in the future. For instance, create example investment plans that demonstrate how the amount that you save now influences how much you will have later. Or create model exercise plans that demonstrate how this will impact your health later down the road. If you are a more visual learner he suggests using apps or images. For example, show yourself pictures of apartments you will be able to afford depending on how much you have saved for retirement. There are also apps that can make it look like you have aged or gained weight.

Overall, if you are finding it difficult to keep those long term decisions, do whatever you need to do to simulate future outcomes. And remember, your future is directly impacted by your present!

Jason Fried, Tedx Midwest, Ted Talk, Productivity, Workplace, Interruptions
How Your Workplace is Secretly Killing Productivity
 How Your Workplace is Secretly Killing Productivity 960 638 Emilie
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Jason Fried, who wrote Rework along with co-author David Heinemeier Hansson, is an expert at reanalyzing the way we assume our workplace is productive. In his Tedx Midwest Ted Talk, he takes an inventive look at what allows us to work productively. Shockingly, he claims that working within the office actually hinders us from being productive or accomplishing any meaningful work. Instead, we must wait until we get home, or work at some other time of day in order to successfully accomplish tasks.

But why is this? Fried argues that work can only be done productively when people are given long stretches of uninterrupted time. He compares work to sleep: if someone was constantly interrupting you as you were trying to sleep, would you ever be able to reach a deep sleep? Of course not. Work, he says, is the same. Work can be done efficiently and effectively when we have been working for long, uninterrupted periods. The problem arises when we have constant distractions that rip us from any productive flow state which we have entered.

The reason why the workplace reduces productivity is the same reason why so many of us worked productively in the library or coffee shop back in college: people are the most productive when they do not have distractions, or the distractions they have (email, Facebook, instant messaging) can be answered on their own time. The workplace uses constant check-ins and meetings with the idea that this will keep everyone working, therefore increasing productivity. However, with these constant interruptions, most people enter the office each day and never end up having even a few hours of uninterrupted time. By the time you account for brief check-ins and un-wanted conversations, most of us rarely have a full hour of uninterrupted time during the day. This means that we aren’t ever able to work on anything thoroughly and deeply.

Fried’s suggestion is to limit interruptions that demand people to acknowledge the meeting or check-in at a specific time, and to increase communication which people can check on their own time. By using email, instant messaging, and collaborative platforms like Slack, it is easier for workers to finish what they are doing, and to then work on these other forms of communication when it is productive for them to do so. Fried further suggests that we should decrease check-ins and meetings, reduce personnel in meetings to only the essential people needed, and that we should establish weekly or monthly “No Talking Afternoons” in which no one in the office is allowed to talk to one another in order to decrease interruptions.

So if you’re looking for ways to increase productivity, start making changes that allow your workers longer and more frequent periods of uninterrupted time. Remember that the most important thing is to make the workplace a location people want to work because it allows them to accomplish their tasks efficiently.

festival, new jersey, new jersey beer and food festival, whitesbog blueberry festival, battleship beer festival, sip into summer, washington lake park wine festival, rocks ribs and ridges festival, state fair meadowlands
5 Great Fairs and Festivals in Jersey this Weekend
 5 Great Fairs and Festivals in Jersey this Weekend 960 686 Emilie
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Last week we brought you a list of our top picks for things to do in Jersey for the weekend. This weekend has so many amazing fairs and festivals going on, and we wanted to tell you about all the best ones!

The State Fair Meadowlands. This weekend is the first weekend for the state fair meadowlands! The fair extends from June 23rd to July 10th, however it is closed this Sunday. Saturday the fair opens at 2 PM and will close at 1 AM (although the box office closes at 11:30 PM). Saturday is offering several free shows, including the Steve Bayner Hypnotist Show, Rosaire’s Royal Racing Pigs, Commerford’s Education Petting Zoo, and free concerts throughout the day. The fair also has a huge variety of games and rides. Tickets are $9 for 12 and under, and $11 for 13 and over. It is located in East Rutherford, NJ.

7th Annual Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival. As the name suggests, this festival is devoted solely to the enjoyment of Rock and Roll and delicious ribs. Both Saturday and Sunday doors open at 11:30 AM, and bands start playing at 12:30. Bands include Kansas, Blues Traveler and The Outlaws, and “ribbers” include Texas Smoke BBQ, Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ, Pigtails BBQ and Skin & Bones. Cost of entry is $45 per day in advance, $50 at gate, or $80 in advance weekend pass (tickets do not include cost of food). The festival is located at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.

“Sip Into Summer” Washington Lake Park Wine Festival. With samples from some local Jersey wineries, food trucks, arts and crafts, and live music, the Sip Into Summer festival is sure to be a great event. The festival will be open from 12 PM- 6 PM on Saturday, and 12 PM- 4 PM on Sunday. 21+ tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate, below 21 are $5 each. Visit their website for more information and a list of participating wineries. Festival is located in Sewell, NJ.

Battleship Beer Fest. The Battleship Beer Fest this coming Saturday is aboard the Battleship New Jersey, the oldest battleship in our country, and allows people free access to tour the ship. Gates open at 12:30 PM and the festival ends at 4:30 PM. Tickets are $45 and include 15, 4 oz. samples of local craft beer. The battleship beer fest is located in Camden.

33rd Annual Whitesbog Blueberry Festival. This Saturday and Sunday you can attend the Blueberry Festival from 9 AM to 5 PM at the Historic Whitesbog Village (in Pemberton Township). Each day you will experience festival food, arts and crafts, vendors, food trucks, wagon tours, and live musicians playing everything from country to folk to blues. And of course, there will be blueberry picking and all of the blueberry pastries and foods you could dream of! The festival will go on rain or shine!

The New Jersey Beer and Food Festival. Located at Crystal Springs Resort in Sussex County this Saturday, the festival offers a range of craft beer (over 150 types) and food (cooked open fire style). Enjoy your beverages and meals as you listen to music by  Philly Cover Band and Lima Bean Riot, all while playing lawn games and enjoying activities like hot air balloon rides. Tickets for the festival are $75, but other events include a Chef and Shorts event, Beer and Chocolate Seminar, and Hops and Yoga, all of which occur before the actual festival and each cost $45. The actual festival is from 3-7 PM.

 

 

getaway, weekend, vacation, new haven, connecticut, chesapeake bay, maryland, rehoboth beach, deleware, washington DC, quinebaug & shetucket rivers valley
Best Weekend Getaways if You Live in Jersey
 Best Weekend Getaways if You Live in Jersey 960 623 Emilie
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We all wish we could go on more vacations than we actually do, but work and school tends to get in the way. But here at United EVENTures we believe in getting in short and fun vacations wherever we can. So we comprised a list of the best weekend getaways that are easy to reach from NJ. Pack your bags and head out Friday night, and come back before work Monday morning!

Washington, DC. DC has so many things to do and see, from national monuments, to great museums, to shopping, to trying to find the best cupcake in the city (try the famous Georgetown Cupcake, as shown on the TLC show DC Cupcakes, Sprinkles, or The Sweet Lobby). The best part? Amtrak offers direct train rides to DC from several places in NJ (such as Trenton and Princeton), and the train rides are only slightly more than 2.5 hours long.

Rehoboth Beach, Deleware. One of the most well visited places in Deleware, Rehoboth has amazing coastline. The beaches have great boardwalks, and the city is full of amazing seafood (Henlopen Oyster House and Fins Fish House & Raw Bar are particularly amazing). Fishing is also very prevalent, and there are many great hotels and inns to stay at. Rehoboth is also well known for their Jazz Festival in mid October, so if you can’t go this summer, head over to Rehoboth then!

New Haven, Connecticut. New Haven is the perfect weekend getaway if you’re looking for some outdoor recreation. The city is located alongside the coast, where beaches and boardwalks are plentiful. Additionally, there is a ton of walking, hiking, and biking trails. Or, if you want to see the Connecticut Open (Warm up for the US Tennis Open), come visit between August 19th and 27th.

The Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay area has an endless number of things to do. Try visiting Annapolis (Maryland’s capitol) complete with great dining and a view of the city’s waterfront. There are also many historical sites located nearby, like Fort McHenry (which is approximately a 37 minute drive from downtown Annapolis). For more ideas of what to do in the Chesapeake Bay Area, take a look at VisitMaryland.org.

Quinebaug & Shetucket Rivers Valley. Located in Connecticut, Quinebaug & Shetucket is listed as a National Heritage Corridor, and encompasses 35 towns within the valley that help preserve the land. It is a great place for hiking and biking, and also has nearby historic sites and museums. For information to help you plan your trip, visit The Last Green Valley.

 

sunrise, solstice, morning, new jersey
Why You’re Going to Want to Watch the Sunrise this Week
 Why You’re Going to Want to Watch the Sunrise this Week 960 720 Emilie
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You might think a sunrise is the same any day of the year, but you would actually be mistaken. According to EarthSky, sunrises and sunsets are actually longer in duration close to the winter and summer solstice. That means that within the next 6 months, now is the only time to see such a long sunrise! Not to mention, Wednesday is perfect sunrise weather. The sunrise will occur at 5:25 AM in Oradell, NJ where we at United EVENTures are located, but times will change slightly depending on your location. The morning is supposed to be clear and sunny, and only 63 degrees, so you will feel comfy with a light sweatshirt and cup of coffee.

Thursday will also be a great morning for watching the sunrise. The sunrise will still be longer since we are close to the solstice, but the morning will be partially cloudy. Although it might sound counterintuitive, having some clouds in the sky actually adds more dimension to the sunrise, and will make it prettier to look at. This can especially hold true when a sunrise occurs right before a storm hits. Thursday morning will also be in the low 60s, but beware! It’s supposed to start raining right after sunrise, so you’ll want to get back inside quickly. The Thursday sunrise will also occur around 5:25 AM.

Additionally, starting Thursday morning you should keep your eye out for a daytime moon. This is because the moon will have entered its waning gibbous phase, in which the moon will not travel the same path as the sun during the day. The daytime moon will be seen throughout the end of June and throughout July, but once August 2nd hits it will disappear once again.

water, games, outdoors, heat, summer, activity
Beat the Heat with Cooling Outdoor Activities
 Beat the Heat with Cooling Outdoor Activities 960 720 Emilie
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With today being the first day of summer, and the temperature reaching the mid 90s, you might be picturing a summer in which you barely leave your air conditioned house. But just because it’s hot out doesn’t mean that you can’t get some exercise outside. Hot temperatures open up a door for activities that wouldn’t be half as fun otherwise! So grab a water bottle and some water proof sunscreen, and head outside for these great activities!

1. Water Gun Fight. Water gun fights are great because they let you cool down even though you’re running around in the heat! Grab your water guns and even some water balloons. Try forming teams and have an ongoing summer competition amongst members of your family.

2. Visit some waterfalls. Take a hike at Van Campens Glen. It’s a shady trail, and only 1.6 miles round trip, so you won’t mind hiking it even on a hot day. Plus, the hike reaches a small waterfall and gorge, perfect for cooling you down! Or, go to Buttermilk Falls, which stands as the highest waterfall in NJ at 200 feet. There is also a pond at the end, and the best part is the hike can be as short or as long as you want it! There are stairs going to the waterfall right next to the parking lot so that you don’t have to hike at all, or you can choose hiking routes that are 5 miles, 6.4 miles or 7.5 miles long.

3. Play flashlight tag or play with fireflies. On these warm days, sometimes it’s best to get outside when the sun has set. Try some nighttime games once the temperature has cooled down by playing flashlight tag or chasing after fireflies! What better way is there to welcome in the summer?

4. Give your dog/car a bath. Grab some water and suds and give your pooch or vehicle a much needed bath. It’s just a matter of time before you have as much water on you as your dog or car does! You’ll walk away feeling productive, but also cooled down. Or if you don’t want to give your dog a bath, try getting a small kiddie pool and play with Fido in the pool!

5. Rent a canoe or kayak. Try renting a boat at the one of many jersey canoe and kayak rentals, such as Mick’s Canoe Rental where you can kayak on the rivers of Wharton State Forest, or the Princeton Canoe and Kayak Rental which provides you access to Carnegie Lake. These rental places provide you both the boats as well as places to actually use them!

6. Play Marco Polo even if you don’t have a pool! As long as you have a yard and a water gun, you can play Marco Polo. The person playing Marco can use a water gun, and instead of tagging people, they simply need to squirt others with the water gun. Soon everyone will be wet and having fun!

7. Make a giant DIY Slip N’ Slide. The DIY Slip N’ Slide by The Relaxed Home School uses some simple, easy to get items like a plastic roll and pool noodles in order to create an amazing slip and slide! This will give you a higher powered, much larger slip and slide than one you would buy at the store, and without breaking the bank!

8. Tie Dye some t-shirts. Grab the tie dye and get creative with t-shirts or bandanas for your whole family. It’s sure to be a fun activity, and you can hose each other down afterwards to get any dye off of you. Better yet, make some smoothies or lemonade to drink as you make your shirts.

 

happy, how to, good day, fresh start, happiness
How to Make Every Day a Good Day
 How to Make Every Day a Good Day 800 667 Emilie
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We all wonder how to make each day as positive as possible. The internet is littered with articles about the best morning rituals and daily activities- from meditation, to tea drinking, to exercising- we tend to hear the same suggestions that will supposedly revolutionize our lives. The problem with these methods is that it gives us a to-do list, which when completed, should bring us happiness. This premise relies on certain assumptions: that drinking tea will make us healthier or more relaxed, and that meditation will make us more introspective and in tune with ourselves. However, assuming that these methods are the proper methods for each unique person is a drastic leap.

Instead, we need to be looking at the end goals, which will allow us to create a custom plan for ourselves. For instance, do not necessarily spend months meditating every day with the goal of becoming more in tune with your self and your surroundings. Instead, understand your goal and experiment with methods for reaching it. Perhaps the way you are best able to be in tune with yourself and others is through writing, or painting, or hiking. We must realize that we are all different, and thus reach the same end through different means.

This point is made well by Peter Drucker in his Harvard Business Review article, Managing Oneself. Although Drucker applies these ideas in a business sense, versus applying these ideas for personal growth, the point remains the same. He mentions how we all learn differently, work differently, have different values/focuses, etc. He says that many people are not aware of their natural tendencies, but think that they are. You can read the entirety of his article here at hbr.org.

Drucker suggests that in order to truly understand your personal tendencies, the most effective solution is to keep a journal, or use some other self reflective method over time. By noting the way various scenarios effect you, you will be able to look back with more objectivity than subjective feelings within the moment. You will get to see if drinking tea really made you more relaxed, instead of simply thinking I really feel this green tea relaxing me. The same idea can be applied to the pursuit of happiness. Focus on the goals you would like to achieve (like relaxation) and try methods for yourself. Keep a journal and eventually, you will learn what is actually the best method for you to personally use.

Overall, while we strive for each of these goals, we must remember that there is no “one size fits all.” Reading lists about ways to improve family communications or life purpose will certainly give you ideas on how to find those things, but they are not the only methods, and they very likely may not be methods that work for you.

For instance, improving physical health does not mean 30 minutes of cardio a day and weights 3 times a week. It does not mean interval training or intense workouts to try to get that “beach bod.” What it does mean is altering your exercise regime and diet in a way that makes you feel physically in-tune with yourself. If you are always out of breath, try some cardio. If you are always stiff, try some yoga. Focus on diets and exercises which target ways in which you can feel better, not the latest fitness craze.

Similarly, improving mental health does not mean doing de-stressing exercises or creating goal lists for yourself. It may mean this, but not necessarily. If you have been feeling restless recently, try engaging yourself in a new, more challenging job or project. If you feel worn out, try seeking a more positive, rejuvenating environment to spend part of your day in.

No matter what part of your life you are trying to improve, remember to keep that journal. Write down how each activity makes you feel. Down the road you can see if any effects were truly there, and how long lasting they were. And more than anything, remember not to force anything which isn’t working for you. Meditation doesn’t have to make you feel relaxed, Interval Training doesn’t have to make you feel physically healthier. Each one of us is different, so remember to start focusing on the results, and not just the trends.

Photo Courtesy Yann (talk) - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7866365
weekend, jersey, drive in movie, strawberry picking, hiking, tubing, deleware river, princeton festival
5 Things to do in Jersey this Weekend
 5 Things to do in Jersey this Weekend 960 640 Emilie
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With the weather getting warmer, we can’t wait to get outside in our spare time. So we decided to bring you our top 5 favorite things to do this weekend in NJ that will get you fresh air in the outdoors.

1. Go tubing on the Deleware. With the warm weather expected this weekend, why not go tubing on the Deleware River? Just like a giant “Lazy River,” tubing is a fun way to cool down on a hot day (it’s going to be 87 degrees this Sunday)! On the Deleware you’ll hit a few small rapids, just enough to make you speed up through a few sections of the river. However, it’s still very gentle, and the small rapids are easily avoidable. Both double and single tubes are available, as well as different length trips. You can go tubing with River Country Tubing, located on the PA side of the river, or Deleware River Tubing located on the Jersey side. Whichever group you tube with, you can stop for icecream, hotdogs and snacks at The Famous River Hot Dog Man, located on the side of the river and accessible only from the river.

2. Take a hike. Jersey has so many great hikes, and many of us have hiked so few of them! Perhaps my personal favorite jersey hike is Pinwheel Vista, which offers a lookout from Wawayanda Mountain. It’s cool because you get to see so many different things on the same hike. You will start on a boardwalk through a marshy area, cross a suspension bridge, go through cow fields, cross a train track, and eventually, hike up the actual mountain. The difficulty ranges greatly, with a lot of the hike being a casual stroll. But once you hit the mountain, it will rise steeply and quickly. However, it’s still very doable for those who don’t regularly hike. This is a well traveled hiking trail (with everyone from casual day hikers to AT thru hikers) so it’s a good one to do before high schools let out for the summer and the summer hiking season gets really busy. Length: 7.3 miles. Parking: N41 14.084 W74 28.852. If you aren’t interested in Pinwheel Vista, try a hike at the Delaware Water Gap, Hacklebarney Park, or a range of other nearby trails.

3. Go to a Drive-In Movie. While not technically in Jersey, Becky’s Drive In sits right on the edge of Pennsylvania. One of the few drive-ins left in the area, Becky’s has multiple screens and each ticket will allow you to stay through multiple movies. This weekend, screen 1 will be showing Finding Dory and Alice Through the Looking Glass, and screen 2 will be showing Central Intelligence followed by the Conjuring 2.

4. Strawberry Harvest Festival. This is the last weekend for Alstede Farm‘s Strawberry Harvest Festival! Both Saturday and Sunday, Alstede will open at 11 AM and close at 5 AM. Here you can pick your own strawberries or buy some of the farm’s fresh made treats: including strawberry shortcake, pies, fudge and icecream. There will also be pony rides, hay rides, a moon bounce and more!

5. Princeton Festival. Head over to the Princeton Festival in central Jersey. This weekend you can listen to the opera performance by Peter Grimes, or listen to the organ recital by Kristiaan Seynhave. After attending the performances, walk around the beautiful town and Princeton Campus, go shopping, or grab some icecream at The Bent Spoon.

 

 

physical, activity, exercise, motivation
Why Your Exercise Motivation is Low: And How to Fix It
 Why Your Exercise Motivation is Low: And How to Fix It 960 685 Emilie
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Exercising more is one of those things that we all know we should do, but is difficult for many of us to follow through on. Even though we may want to exercise, finding the motivation to actually do it can be a challenge. But the key to motivation starts by first understanding the reasons behind your lack of motivation. By understanding exactly why it’s difficult for you to get moving each day, you will soon be able to hit the gym with far more ease. The best part? Not one of these methods gives you a time duration or number of reps you must hit each day.

1. Gender Differences. Research has shown that males tend to report greater exercise motivation than females. After devising various motivating reasons for exercising, it was shown that this gender difference results for primarily two reasons. Although males and females find similar motivation for reasons like improving body image, males find greater motivation to exercise with the goal of 1) improving their sex life, and 2) having more energy to do chores around the house.

How to Fix it: Identify multiple reasons you want to be in shape. In order to close this gender gap, try trading some chore roles with your SO, so that both of you are engaged in more physically demanding chores that might encourage you to exercise. Additionally, both genders can try writing out different reasons for exercising: improving quality of life, decrease risk of disease, controlling weight, lowering blood pressure, sleeping better, improving your sex life, having fun with family and friends, feeling relaxed, feeling happier, etc: and identify which are the most important to you. Finding several important motivating factors makes it easier to self-motivate than simply exercising because your doctor told you to or because you want to fit into that bikini. It is easy to lose motivation over one goal, but more difficult over several strong and varying goals.

2. You’re only intrinsically motivated. When it comes to exercise, most of us are fueled by intrinsic motivation. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. However, while this intrinsic motivation encourages us to exercise for several important reasons, it decreases the amount we care about exercising the second our intrinsic motivation goes away.

How to fix it: Increase your extrinsic motivation. There are several ways to do this, the most obvious may be setting external goals. Take out that pedometer or Fitbit and challenge your friends. Or agree to take that new kickboxing class with someone. By doing these activities with friends, you are more likely to follow through. If you like exercising on your own, use personal motivators: for instance, make yourself run to Starbucks for your next coffee run (using a latte or frappe as a reward). There are now Craft Beer Races: 5ks which reward you with craft beer and live music once your run is complete. Whatever motivates you, use it as a goal for yourself! Any goal that rewards you for exercising will act as external motivation. Another way to increase your external motivation is by focusing on the disease diminishing effects of exercise. This is an incredibly important aspect of exercise, but we often forget about it, focusing instead on our physical appearance or ability to feel happier post-exercise.

3. Your exercises are focused on weight loss/shape. A lot of us fall into this trap. When we exercise, we focus on exercises that focus on our physical weight or shape so that we feel better about our physical appearance. But research shows that although exercise normally increases positive body image, this is hindered when our exercise is focused on physical appearance. This can make it more and more difficult to exercise the next time around.

How to fix it: Change your focus. Even if your main goal is to alter your body weight/shape, stop focusing on this in your workouts. It will make it more and more difficult to workout each subsequent time, and overall, you will achieve the appearance benefits you want more quickly by being regularly active than sticking to a specific, unenjoyable workout schedule. Instead, choose exercises that you enjoy and get your blood pumping. There are plenty of more enjoyable activities you can pursue that help your cardio or strength, without focusing on a certain number of reps.

4. You’re not working out hard enough. This is probably the opposite of what anyone will tell you when you’re trying to get the motivation to workout more. They will tell you to start small, and that any activity is better than none. And this is absolutely true! Perhaps counter-intuitively, however, motivation for your following workout session will be higher if you worked out more intensely last time. Perhaps this is because vigorous activity leads to more enjoyment benefits than lighter exercise: such as release of endorphins.

How to fix it: Focus on fun. I’m not about to tell you to have a really hard workout every day with tons of burpees and push-ups. In fact, that’s the exact opposite of what sounds enjoyable or motivating. Instead, I will tell you to focus on what activities are fun, because the more you are enjoying yourself, the harder you are going to workout. Go play tennis or some ultimate frisbee with a friend. Go outside and play with your dog, or have a water gun fight with your kids. Just the other day our Director of Technology, Brian, put his Fitbit on his young son, and he proceeded to rack up over 20,000 steps that day! If you’ve ever seen a child outside playing, you will see them run around, then stop when they’re tired, and then get right back to running. Start focusing on fun instead of how long you “have” to be doing the activity for. You will break a sweat in no time and end up being more active. Choose activities you want to do or learn, not a 30 minute block of time you have to be active.

5. You’re choosing the wrong exercise program or activity. A lot of trendy exercise programs aren’t sustainable. This is because people participate in them because they’re simply the latest craze, not because they actually enjoy the activity. When choosing a new activity or program, several key factors have been found to be motivating: that the activity is 1. Interactive, 2. Challenging, 3. Competitive, and 4. Social.

How to fix it: Find an activity that is interactive, challenging, competitive and social. This is certainly a long and difficult list to meet. However, it is not impossible. Challenging does not necessarily mean physically demanding, it could simply mean that the activity encompasses difficult skills to master. These other attributes: interactive, competitive and social, are best met through different games. Try getting a few new heart-pumping games for your wii fit, or join a nearby casual sports league. If these don’t appeal to you, just grab some friends or family to play a game at a nearby park. Any activity that has a competitive aspect built in (no matter how casually competitive) it will make the activity more fun and engaging.

6. You’re comparing yourself in the wrong way. Comparing yourself to others or valuing innate athletic talent is a surefire method to decrease your motivation. We already know the negative emotional effects of comparing yourself to others, but it also drastically harms your motivation. This is because the more we compare ourselves to others, the more we look at athletic ability as innate (thinking someone is just naturally faster or stronger than you). But in reality, we can greatly improve our athletic ability if we are motivated to do so.

How to fix it: Work towards your own goals. Focus on improving upon your personal goals. Set a step count each day, and slowly try to increase it. Work towards exercising within your optimal heart rate zone. Work to increase the time, intensity, accuracy or skill level of your workout. Whatever you do, stop comparing your own workouts or your physical appearance to others. Remember that everyone has a different athletic background, and other people have played more sports or spent more time on cardio or weights than you. Start looking at being active as a skill to achieve instead of something some people have and some people don’t. The more you work at it, the better you will become.

So get out there and start sweating! Remember to stop focusing on how long your workout is or the number of reps you’ve accomplished, and start focusing on the fun of the activity. From setting goals and rewards for yourself, to being aware of your reasons for being active, these suggestions are sure to get you more and more active with each day!

Lowenstein, J.A.S., K. Wright, A. Taylor, and N. J. Moberly. "An Investigation into the Effects of Different Types of Exercise on the Maintenance of Approach Motivation Levels." Mental Health and Physical Activity 9 (2015): n. pag. Web.
Homan, Kristin J., and Tracy L. Tylka. "Appearance-based Exercise Motivation Moderates the Relationship between Exercise Frequency and Positive Body Image." Body Image 11.2 (2014): n. pag. Web
Al Kubaisy, Waqar, Mariam Mohamad, Zaliha Ismail, and Nik Nairan Abdullah. "Gender Differences: Motivations for Performing Physical Exercise among Adults in Shah Alam." Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences202 (2015): n. pag. Web.
Moreno, Juan A., David Gonzalez-Cutre, Alvaro Sicilia, and Christopher M. Spray. "Motivation in the Exercise Setting: Integrating Constructs from the Approach–avoidance Achievement Goal Framework and Self-determination Theory." Psychology of Sport and Exercise 11.6 (2010): n. pag. Web.
Breland, Hazel L., Hon K. Yuen, Laura K. Vogtle, Katy Holthaus, Diane L. Kamen, and David Sword. "The Process Associated with Motivation of a Home-based Wii Fit Exercise Program among Sedentary African American Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus." Disability and Health Journal 6.1 (2013): n. pag. Web.