Each year, millions of Americans embark upon a fitness journey to improve their health, lose weight, or simply get into better shape. But the sad fact is 30% of people fail to accomplish their goals, and 40% don’t even reach half their objectives. According to The Joint Chiropractic, research reveals the reason why the odds appear to be stacked against success.
The main obstacle in our way towards a new fitness and health routine is setting our goals too high without considering easier-to-manage milestones along the way. It’s also important to consider the obstacles that may have sabotaged our efforts in the past so we can avoid them going forward, say experts. For many people, these can be the poor health habits we’ve cultivated that can be harder to break the older we get.
“If you’re like a lot of folks, just the idea of making a life-long commitment to exercise and healthier habits can seem overwhelming,” says Bryce Wylde, a leading health expert in integrative and functional medicine from Toronto. “I’ve coached many patients who honestly didn’t believe they had what it took to stick to an exercise program. I’ll let you in on a little secret I shared with them. You need the highest amount of grit on the front end. Then it gets easier.”
Wylde has developed what he calls the “chemistry of commitment,” a formula to help ensure the right ingredients are in your recipe for success.
“So, if the biggest exercise hurdle is the commitment to start, what is the chemistry of commitment? It is learning to fire up the portions of your brain that will help you stay motivated and focused,” he says.
Here is the recipe for commitment to exercise:
• Food. Cut food cravings by eating foods that are rich in the amino acid L-tyrosine which is the natural building block of the feel-good hormone, dopamine. “This gives you a consistent low-grade sense of feeling good, and helps you cut your ties with whatever you are craving,” says Wylde. Foods rich in L-tyrosine include dark chocolate, oatmeal, chicken, ricotta cheese, edamame, and wheat germ.
• Psychology. Keep it simple, says Wylde. “Don’t overthink it. Remember, you’re working on the ambition to get off the couch, not train for a marathon,” he says. “If you just make a point of moving for three minutes, three or four times a day, you’re training your brain to make a commitment. The truth is that you probably won’t stop after three minutes. Most people end up doing 10 minutes at a time.”
• Move your body. No gym or special equipment is needed. First thing in the morning, find a staircase and go up and down for three minutes or until you can’t hold a conversation. Then get down on the floor and do three sets of 10 pushups whether on your knees or in full pushup position. At noon, do three minutes of jumping jacks. Find a chair and get up and sit down for three sets of 20. At the end of the day, start with a three-minute light jog. Pick up an object that you feel is heavy to hold in one hand — such as a filled water bottle or can — and perform bicep curls and tricep rows for three sets of 10 each.
“So that’s really it,” says Wylde. “Just follow these three steps and your brain chemistry will be well on its way to supporting your newfound, life-long commitment to fitness.”