Train to Ingrain

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to help you get past that fear and or

uncomfortable feeling that many people have when first beginning a workout regiment.  I tell many of my clients that walking through the gym door is the hardest part of the workout.  Many people avoid working out because there are many excuses that keep them from even getting to a facility.  And there are even some who have made it to the gym, but abandon their exercise plans shortly into beginning the routine because of that uneasy feeling they get when starting something new.  What I believe will help you stay the course is the reminder that we all go through this at some point in our lives…particularly when it comes to a new physical activity.  Whether it be a baby who is taking their first steps, or an elite athlete practicing a movement over and over again, eventually that physical activity gets ingrained in the brain, and it becomes “second nature.”  Repeating a physical activity, even an exercise routine, will eventually cause physiological adaptations in the brain, nervous system and your muscles.  And not only will it become physically easier to do because of these physiological adaptations, but will be come mentally easier as well.  Not only starting a training routine, but staying the course will eventually cause it to become easier as it gets ingrained into your brain.

I was recently reminded of this mind-body connection as I was watching my two year old son learn by practicing threading an object onto a string.  As part of a class he is in, which focuses on motor skills development, he had to try to thread small foam objects onto a string.  At some point, we all develop this skill, which otherwise seems like such a simple thing to do.  But as I watched him, I realized just how much goes into doing something so simple.  I watched as he carefully tried to put the objects onto the string one at a time.  Unless you are closely watching someone who is doing this slowly, you don’t get to appreciate all of the different fine motor skills and hand movements that are required to complete this.  But as he tried over and over again, this simple task, which at first was very difficult to him became easier and easier to do.  After great concentration and effort, he eventually learned to complete the task in a second nature sort of way.  He was so proud to show the teacher what he had completed!

If you start and continue an exercise routine, you will develop the similar abilities to both perform the physical task, as well as the positive feelings that come along with it.  First, any physical activity is hardest to perform and causes the most discomfort when first learning it.  But, with repeated practice, the activity becomes easier and eventually second nature.  Second, the more that we repeat something, the easier it becomes from a routine stand point…so getting to the gym on successive occasions cause that task to become easier as well.  Think about how much you enjoyed brushing your teeth or eating vegetables when you were a child…you didn’t want to do it on your own.  But over time, it became easier and more enjoyable.  And then there is that mental/emotional component; the more familiar we are with doing something, the more enjoyable it becomes.  Over time, going to the gym no longer becomes a chore, but an enjoyable activity because you will be able to see the results of your efforts.

Repetition of a physical activity is needed for the learning and development of that task.  On both the physiological and mental levels, doing something over and over again allows it to become both easier and more enjoyable.  Do not get discouraged when starting a new exercise routine; rather be optimistic that with time it will get easier and easier.  Just like walking, it might even become second nature.  Training to that the physical activity gets ingrained into your nervous muscular systems is a great way to reach a fit new you!