One evening last week, I had planned to go for a run before dinner. But then, I got tied up answering an email, and before I knew it, my window to exercise had shrunk. Instead of just doing a shorter run, I decided to skip it altogether.<\/p>\n
This all-or-nothing approach to exercise is common and keeps many people from meeting their fitness goals, said Michelle Segar, a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n
In a small recent study<\/a>, Dr. Segar and her co-authors found that, when subjects weren\u2019t able to work out in the exact way they wanted, they often did nothing instead. While having an all-or-nothing mind-set has been studied more extensively in other<\/a> contexts<\/a>, it hasn\u2019t been formally studied<\/a> much in relation to exercise until recently. But Dr. Segar argues that it can be a major barrier to forming an exercise habit. She calls it the \u201cperfect workout trap.\u201d<\/p>\n The trap can take different forms, she said. It can prevent people from getting started, if they\u2019re waiting for the stars to align so they can exercise in one specific way, and it can also prevent them from maintaining a fitness routine. But for most, the key to starting a fitness habit \u2014 and sticking with it \u2014 isn\u2019t more discipline, it\u2019s more flexibility, she said.<\/p>\n People often blame themselves when they fall short of their exercise goals, she said, but this kind of all-or-nothing thinking is often baked into popular messaging around exercise.<\/p>\n Many fitness influencers and trainers promote a \u201cno excuses\u201d approach to fitness, and some popular challenges like 75 Hard<\/a> and \u201cstreaking<\/a>\u201d stipulate that, if you miss one workout, you have to start from scratch. But for some people who struggle to exercise, the medical recommendation<\/a> that adults do a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and two strength training sessions a week can feel out of reach, and end up discouraging them, said Rick Richey, a master trainer for the National Academy of Sports Medicine who is based in New York. \u201cPeople see that and they go, \u2018Well, I can\u2019t even get the minimum, then why do anything at all?\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can\u2019t bend, then it\u2019s easy to break,\u201d Dr. Richey said. By training yourself to view workout plans as adaptable, you can set yourself up to exercise more. Here\u2019s how to make this mental shift.<\/p>\n Remember that something is better than nothing.<\/p>\n Maybe, in an ideal world, you would carve out extended windows of time to exercise in the exact way you\u2019d like, several times a week. But life often intervenes, Dr. Segar said.<\/p>\n \u201cI encourage an \u2018all or something\u2019 mind-set,\u201d she said, in which any amount or intensity of physical activity is a win.<\/p>\n Even small doses<\/a> of physical activity can benefit your health, and light intensity<\/a> exercise<\/a> such as walking or stretching can lower your risk<\/a> of heart disease, manage blood sugar and improve mental health. Doing a single set<\/a> of resistance exercises a few times a week can improve your muscle strength.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the goal is to be healthier and have greater well-being, it all counts,\u201d said Darlene Marshall, a personal trainer in upstate New York who has also studied positive psychology. If you need an extra nudge to get going, she said, think about how you will feel after you\u2019ve finished, say, dancing in your living room<\/a> or doing a set of squats, versus doing nothing.<\/p>\n Have a backup plan.<\/p>\n When you plan your workouts, also plan for how you might adjust them if something unexpected gets in the way, said Dr. Edward Phillips, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s contingency planning,\u201d he said. This can be as simple as deciding in advance that if you aren\u2019t able to run you will walk, or if you aren\u2019t able to go to the gym you will do body-weight exercises at home. You might even tell yourself that if you can\u2019t make it to a workout class on time, you will go anyway and \u201cgive yourself the grace to show up 10 minutes late,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Dr. Segar recommended coming up with a \u201cmenu\u201d of workouts of different lengths<\/a> and intensities that you can turn to if your original plans fall through.<\/p>\n Focus on the long game.<\/p>\n Finally, if you have a tendency to let a missed workout \u2014 or even a stretch of inactivity \u2014 wreck your routine, remind yourself that staying active consistently, over the course of many years, is what matters for long-term health and well-being, Dr. Richey said.<\/p>\n \u201cLife will always get in the way,\u201d he added. \u201cSo just know that that\u2019s going to happen, and acknowledge it.\u201d The key is to avoid saying, \u201cI missed a few days, I missed a few weeks, I guess I won\u2019t come back,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n When you do, especially if it\u2019s been a while, set yourself up for success by setting small goals, he added, and celebrating when you achieve them. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do the 150 minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cJust do something that you didn\u2019t do yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n Shifting your mind-set<\/a> to focus on what you can do, versus what you can\u2019t, can also motivate you<\/a> to keep going, Ms. Marshall said.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Dr. Phillips added, any physical activity \u201cis a gift you\u2019re giving to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One evening last week, I had planned to go for a run before dinner. 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