This is a topic close to my heart. I keep coming back to it, and I will continue to repeat it in the future.
Beliefs
If we understand our beliefs about exercise, our bodies, and our needs, it becomes easier to support ourselves in helpful ways.
If you believe you must exercise for more than 60 minutes for it to count, it can feel difficult on days when you only have a 23 minute window. With this type of mindset, success becomes polarized: either you achieve it or you do not.
A rigid idea of how long an exercise session must be or what it must look like can become a limiting factor.
It can also send you on an emotional roller coaster:
“I’m so happy I was able to exercise today.”
or
“I feel bad because I did not have enough time.”
Every movement counts
We know that every movement counts, and even short bouts of activity can offer benefits. The body is not a slot machine: you do not need three matching symbols in a row to earn a reward.
If you open up to different time frames and types of activity, it becomes easier to succeed, even on days when you do not have time for your usual exercise plan. If a run can become a walk, and a walk can become a run, you have a 100% success rate.
The perfectionism trap
It is the same with the fixed belief that you need to be pain free, energized, or in any other “perfect” condition before exercise can happen.
If you can let go of the idea that perfect conditions are necessary and instead trust the power of consistency, your body will adapt, brick by brick.
Now, you do you
How can you create more options around time? For example, a 33 minute session instead of 75 minutes.
How can you create more options around exercise content? For example, yoga instead of Hyrox.
How can you create more options around context? For example, exercising outdoors instead of going to the gym.
To all PTs and coaches:
How can you create more options in your exercise descriptions? Focus more on consistency and less on perfection. Most of your clients are not Olympic athletes. They are trying to get through the week, keep their jobs, have a social life, and feel better about themselves.
// Magnus Ringberg
