WE’RE on the fourth month of the year. Had we been religiously following our fitness “resolutions”? We could be daring and flaunting our swimsuit-ready bodies, Boracay Island closure notwithstanding. But like all promises, most are predestined to be broken. Instead of hitting the gyms and lifting weights, we sit at bars and coffee shops, lifting mugs of beer and cups of coffee.
As always, when January comes, there is this excitement about getting rid of all the excess poundage on our bodies and, hopefully, becoming the sex symbols we always desired. But after Sinulog, Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang, with all the celebration, food and booze, the dream of the super bod hibernates – and then, there’s always next year.
More than half of the people who get in exercise programs quit within the year, according to an article on Men’s Health magazine.
Someone said that “motivation is what keeps you going.” Obviously most of us, me included, have to get acquainted with this thing and the lack of it is the major culprit. We all know the benefits of getting fit but we don’t have the will to sustain it.
The average person exercises about 115 days a year. It might sound impressive but it is only twice a week. The same article said that 70 percent of men interviewed considered themselves fit, but upon further testing, only about 15 percent were really fit.
We all have the best intentions, the best gyms, the best programs, maybe the best outfits, but if we lack the determination and motivation, what we’re doing is an exercise in futility. Fitness experts say we tend to lose interest because we’re doing it because we think we must, not because we like or enjoy it.
The “no pain, no gain” mantra might not be applicable to beginners. If it hurts, discomfort follows, so why push it? It is natural to stop if we’re uncomfortable with it and don’t like it already. There are days that we don’t feel like doing it but are forced to do so because of the monthly gym fees and, to some, added expenses for personalised instructions. We’re just going through the motions, not enjoying it. But if we enjoy what we’re doing, we look forward to the next session – and, maybe, that attractive someone on the treadmill.
For us to like and stick to our routines, fitness researchers developed SDT – self-determination theory, and they shared three things to get us motivated:
* Autonomy. Nobody else made the choice but you. There’s no one else to blame but you if things don’t prosper according to plans.
* Competence. You have actual or have a working knowledge of what you have started and had gotten better doing it.
* Relatedness. The activity connects you to someone close.
It’s when you feel like just lazing around the house watching a new Korean telenovela and your spouse magically appears clad in exercise outfits and asks you to run around the track oval together. You gladly come along because you also like and enjoy running. This is autonomy, competence and relatedness in high definition.
We’re not getting any younger and those of you who belong to my age group – growing up with the music of The Beatles, Santana, Spyro Gyra, Earth, Wind and Fire and the like – our knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows have become lounge areas for this thing called arthritis, and it is achingly annoying. We need the will and determination to prevent these unwanted tenants who make our joints their hangouts.
We could have all those fancy exercise equipment at our disposal but if we don’t enjoy it and don’t base our activities on the SDTs, we could be joining the statistics that says more than 45 percent of men use their fitness equipment as something to hang their clothes on. So, whatever happened to good, old and cheap plastic hangers?/PN
