Building Motivation and Committing to an Active Lifestyle

The Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines recommend what a healthy 24 hours looks like including parameters for movement, sleep, and sedentary behaviour. For people ages 18+ they recommend 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week that can be broken up into 10-minute bouts throughout the day. With this goal of aiming for 150 mins of exercise per week, we will discuss the impact of motivation on exercise and different ways of incorporating movement into one’s lifestyle.

There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors such as a reward or avoidance. For example, some people may be motivated to exercise if they are working towards a 1^st place prize, and in the same vein, they may be motivated by competition. Another example of extrinsic motivation is through avoidance. This can look like someone joining an exercise program because their partner keeps telling them to go or taking part in exercise to avoid developing a chronic condition that runs in their family. In contrast, intrinsic motivation comes from being motivated by one’s own values/goals/satisfaction. For example, someone may exercise because they like feeling accomplished after completing a workout. They could appreciate the benefits associated with exercise such as feeling stronger and having better quality sleep. In summary, extrinsic motivation comes from external sources and intrinsic motivation comes from satisfaction from within.

These two types of motivation can have different effects on adherence to exercise. On one hand you have that person who joins that exercise class to satisfy their partner’s wishes. Although, what happens when their partner forgets to remind them to go to the class? Or even our other example with the competition. What happens after winning first place for the 10k step challenge? These external motivators can waver and may not always be present. On the other hand, take the person who likes feeling accomplished after a workout. In this case, their motivation comes from the act of doing the exercise rather than relying on an external source to reward them for exercising. The intrinsic motivation coming from one’s own values/goals/satisfaction has a much higher chance of compliance and adherence to exercise than external motivators. One of the best pieces of advice when it comes to being consistent with exercise is to think about what exercise can do for you and hold on to that reason every time you are met with being unmotivated.

How exactly do we achieve the 150 minutes of exercise per week as recommended by the Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines? There are several ways to tackle this recommendation. First and foremost, you can break up the 150 minutes into the week and even break them down into 10-minute bouts and sprinkle them into your day. This can look like taking a 10-minute walk after lunch, following a quick HITT exercise program, or even taking your pet for a walk. There are many ways you can achieve the 10 minutes of exercise, and you can get creative with it too. A good place to start is thinking about what your daily routine already looks like and see where you can dedicate time for movement. Not into structured exercise? Try a mindfulness walk outdoors. It’s too cold outside for a walk? Try a fun dance lesson. The point is exercise is more than working out at a commercial gym. You can add different elements as well such as going for daily walks with your neighbour/family member/pet. This adds a layer of accountability in that someone is also looking forward to spending time with you. Having someone with you when you exercise is the perfect example of two birds with one stone because you can see it as socializing all the while taking part in exercise going for a walk. Overall, the 150 minutes of exercise can be achieved by making exercise enjoyable and realistic to what works for you.

The types of motivation and incorporating exercise into your daily routine go hand-in-hand. Ideally, you would want to have that internal motivation built up strongly enough to help you be consistent with your exercise routine. However, that is not always the case because there is so much more that affects a person’s exercise habits. There are socioeconomic layers that intersect and ultimately affect one’s willingness and adherence to exercise. It is important to note that motivation and exercise greatly affect each other but there may also be other factors in the mix. Whereas the most critical point to get across is that any type and duration of exercise matters. Even if you could only carve out 5 minutes out of your day to walk, that is still 5 minutes you dedicated to exercise, and it is something you can build on. Therefore, focusing on any amounts of exercise that you are able to do, even in small doses, is something to be proud of and is one step closer to maintaining an active lifestyle.

Working with a Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin) can help with creating an exercise routine that works best for you. Kinesiologists have an extensive background in exercise and human movement in addition to behavioural studies. R.Kin’s understand how to increase intrinsic motivation and can use techniques such as active listening and motivational interviewing to support their clients. Moreover, they can use evidence-based research to support exercise recommendations when it comes to creating an exercise program that works best for their clients. Kinnected Chain offers Kinesiology services among other health-related programs and services. If you or a loved one want to talk about exercise and work towards a healthier active lifestyle, contact Kinnected Chain and we would be more than happy to help you. We look forward to supporting you on your health journey.