By Tyler Palmquist
It is well documented that regular exercise has profound benefits on our mental health. Yet only about 25% of Americans engage in regular exercise that meets guidelines (Yaseyyedi, 2020). So why is it that so few Americans engage in regular exercise when it has such tremendous mental and physical benefits? At this point in history, it would be difficult to believe that this phenomenon is due to a lack of education or awareness. So what then is the problem?
While I believe the problem to be multifactorial, I will address some common barriers that I often hear, as well as present some simple protocols to help you take steps to improve your mental and physical health through physical exercise.
OVERWHELMING
When we come across difficult times, we often look for a quick fix. When we are stressed or struggling with our mental health, the idea of putting in work or doing something difficult can seem overwhelming. To many individuals, the thought of exercise seems to be too difficult or painful. I often hear something like “I hate exercising” or “It’s not really my thing.” My response: “If you don’t enjoy exercise, you’re doing it wrong.”
We, as humans, are born to move. We are designed to be active and to exercise. Our bodies and brains are wired to be at our best when we are living an active lifestyle. However, people often try to go from 0% to 100% real quick. Often, when people decide to start exercising, they do something like go out and run 3 miles as fast as they can. This is a recipe for disaster. This method will no doubt result in your brain and body screaming at you to “Stop!” and “Never do that again!” The key is to take it slow. Want to start running? Start with a long walk and slowly progress to running a mile at a comfortable and fun pace. The trick is not to view exercise as a means to an end, but rather to view it as an enjoyable activity in and of itself.
I used to view running as a necessary evil for cardiovascular fitness. Then one day, I went on a long run in the woods with my friend. He was a much more experienced runner than I was and encouraged me to “Go slow to go fast.” Meaning, you have to log a lot of slow, easy miles as a foundation before you can even think about building speed. During this run, we ran at a slow and easy pace. What I found? It was a heck of a lot more fun than what I was doing on my own.
Today, I run ultramarathons. I don’t run them because I have something to prove to myself or because I want to challenge myself and test my limits. I run them because they are fun. It’s that simple. People often comment on how disciplined I must be to train for an ultra. My response is always that, believe it or not, I’m not really all that disciplined. In fact, it’s something I’m trying to work on. Running doesn’t take discipline if you love it.
Running may not be your preferred mode of exercise for many reasons, but my point is this: stop trying to work up discipline and willpower and start to learn to love exercise.
LACK OF TIME
The second most common barrier to exercise that I hear from clients is this: “I just don’t have time.”
My response is typically to ask my client to pull out their phone and check their screen time, or suggest that they cancel their Netflix subscription because they must not be using it. However, I have never had a client actually pull out their phone. They know what I’m getting at, and you do too. The truth is, I think we all would be quite surprised if we were honest with ourselves about how much time we spend doing things that are not even in our top ten list of priorities.
In order to solve problems in our lives, we must be honest with ourselves about what the problem actually is. In the case of exercise, it is rarely a lack of time that is the issue. Rather, it is a lack of priority that is to blame.
Our brains are hard-wired to take the path of least resistance. When we are tired, stressed, or want to change our emotional state, our brains instinctively instruct us to scroll Instagram, play a video game, or binge mindless television. These actions give us a quick but temporary boost of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that make us feel better for a time. However, this habit comes at a cost. This easy-to-access pleasure actually makes us feel more tired, more stressed, and in a worse mood in the long run.
Ask yourself: Have you ever felt energized, joyful, and refreshed after “doom scrolling” for an hour? For me, it leaves me feeling lethargic and makes the tasks that I need to get done feel more difficult.
What happens, then, if you start to replace these habits with a quick workout? At first, it may take some willpower to get out the door. However, after a few sessions of exercising the “right way” (see Part I), your brain will begin to “rewire.” Instead of craving these easy but fleeting sources of “feel good chemicals,” you will start to crave a jog around the block. Once your cravings and desires shift, so will your schedule, and you will find yourself with plenty of time to exercise. Like we discussed in Part I of this series, the key to exercising regularly is not about discipline. It is about changing our desires.
Tyler Palmquist is a licensed counselor at Belfry Counseling Center in Vestavia. He helps clients deal with a variety issues especially anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and couples therapy.
