Apparently, you don’t “just do it” unless you first decide you can. That’s according to researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada, who found that self-perceived ability has a profound influence on how much you do in the gym. “Confidence in one’s personal ability to carry out exercise plays a central role in the direction, intensity and persistence of health-behavior change,” said lead researcher Sai Yi Pan, MD.
The Takeaway: Don’t make the mistake of convincing yourself that an exercise program may be too challenging. When motivating yourself—or others—to live a more active lifestyle, recall those times in life when you thought a task would be difficult or impossible to do, yet you performed it relatively easily. It’s not always pain for gain.
Get Active! By the Editors. The Active Life. Exercise and Fitness.
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