The first suggestion is to try to start thinking of yourself as a fitness buff and actually do things to make yourself start thinking this way. So for example when you are waiting for the morning train, you could glance at fitness magazines instead of what you usually look at. Or you could occasionally buy an inexpensive fitness-related chochke, for example a wrist gripper to keep at your desk at work. Make an effort to look at other peoples’ bodies and note who appears more fit.
So on a cold dark morning when you are deciding whether or not to go the gym, the reasoning should be “I am a fitness buff and fitness buffs go to the gym every day” as opposed to “I want to be stronger/fitter so I should go to the gym.”
The second suggestion is not exactly a goal substitution but it’s a pretty similar concept—what I would call a tie-in. Tape a blank piece of paper to the wall of your office or bedroom. After each workout, draw another tick mark on the paper. For nerdy people, there seems to be a lot of satisfaction in accumulating points. So you are basically tying the goal of getting strong/fit to the goal of accumulating points.
Make an effort to look at other peoples’ bodies and note who appears more fit.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity. However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Actually, I try to keep appearance out my mind when I exercise because I’ve had issues with body dysmorphic disorder. Instead, I identify as someone who’s into, say, urban cycling. Now I notice when other people are carrying a bike helmet with them when they’re in a shop, for instance. I feel like a part of a group, and this feeling of identity encourages me to keep biking.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct. Some thin, healthy-looking people don’t exercise, and some people who are overweight are actually quite healthy according to other measures of fitness, so I’d shy away from using appearance as a proxy for fitness.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity.
That’s not exactly what I was saying, although your point here is correct too I suspect. My point is that fitness buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ bodies just as car buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ cars and gun buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ guns.
However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Well that’s a different issue. But I do think there’s more of a problem with people putting not enough mental energy into fitness than too much.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct.
You can make a decent guess about a person’s level of fitness based on their appearance. To be sure it will not be perfect. Besides which, the point is not to be a perfect judge of fitness—the point is to find ways to tweak one’s goals in order to have sufficient motivation to go to the gym regularly.
Thanks! The scariness of self-modification didn’t really sink in until I read your comment. I think I can generalize that advice to the other things I’d like to do as well.
Yes, I have a couple suggestions.
The first suggestion is to try to start thinking of yourself as a fitness buff and actually do things to make yourself start thinking this way. So for example when you are waiting for the morning train, you could glance at fitness magazines instead of what you usually look at. Or you could occasionally buy an inexpensive fitness-related chochke, for example a wrist gripper to keep at your desk at work. Make an effort to look at other peoples’ bodies and note who appears more fit.
So on a cold dark morning when you are deciding whether or not to go the gym, the reasoning should be “I am a fitness buff and fitness buffs go to the gym every day” as opposed to “I want to be stronger/fitter so I should go to the gym.”
The second suggestion is not exactly a goal substitution but it’s a pretty similar concept—what I would call a tie-in. Tape a blank piece of paper to the wall of your office or bedroom. After each workout, draw another tick mark on the paper. For nerdy people, there seems to be a lot of satisfaction in accumulating points. So you are basically tying the goal of getting strong/fit to the goal of accumulating points.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity. However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Actually, I try to keep appearance out my mind when I exercise because I’ve had issues with body dysmorphic disorder. Instead, I identify as someone who’s into, say, urban cycling. Now I notice when other people are carrying a bike helmet with them when they’re in a shop, for instance. I feel like a part of a group, and this feeling of identity encourages me to keep biking.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct. Some thin, healthy-looking people don’t exercise, and some people who are overweight are actually quite healthy according to other measures of fitness, so I’d shy away from using appearance as a proxy for fitness.
That’s not exactly what I was saying, although your point here is correct too I suspect. My point is that fitness buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ bodies just as car buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ cars and gun buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ guns.
Well that’s a different issue. But I do think there’s more of a problem with people putting not enough mental energy into fitness than too much.
You can make a decent guess about a person’s level of fitness based on their appearance. To be sure it will not be perfect. Besides which, the point is not to be a perfect judge of fitness—the point is to find ways to tweak one’s goals in order to have sufficient motivation to go to the gym regularly.
Thanks! The scariness of self-modification didn’t really sink in until I read your comment. I think I can generalize that advice to the other things I’d like to do as well.