How to embrace a fitness mindset
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To build an effective workout habit, you have to start by changing how you see yourself.
ILLUSTRATION: ZARA PICKEN/NYTIMES
Christie Aschwanden
- Mindset matters for exercise. Framing activity as fun, social and healthy can make people less likely to skip workouts and more likely to build habits.
- A 2023 study of 162 adults found that people who thought their step counts were enough had better mental and physical health than those shown low counts.
- Social support and simple routines, like laying out clothes or walking with friends, help make activity automatic.
AI generated
NEW YORK – If you have a job that makes you sit at a desk most of the time, by the end of the working day you might feel stiff and exhausted.
At that point, “it might seem overwhelming to drum up the energy to then go work out”, said Danielle Boles, a behavioural psychologist who studies the impact of mindset on behaviour. But what if you could flip that state of mind around?