With only a couple of weeks of restrictions left, its fun to start thinking about all the simple and favorite things to do when we’re free. Because, as it turns out, the simple things are the most favorite. As shown in the video above the daily traffic at beaches and parks has increased exponentially during the COVID restrictions.
For many, returning the gym is greatly anticipated. Regular gym attendees know that gym time is more than mere exercise. Gym time is time away from home and work, its time with like minded people, time to focus on the physical self and a place that you leave feeling better than when you arrived.
For many, the months of isolation have instigated a new regular exercise routine. For some its been a return to regular exercise after possibly years of work, family and life taking priority. And there’s nothing like a global health crisis to start thinking about health.
The restrictions and the lack of freedom seem to have created a general heightened awareness of our bodies, a recognition of how precious they are, how simultaneously they are strong and fragile and there has been a collective need to nurture and protect our body and to keep it active and functioning and moving around in our individual environments.
Historically, lack of time, is cited as the biggest barrier to exercise. But is it just having more unoccupied time during the covid restrictions that has spawned such a fusillade of exercise? Exercise has become a priority, a daily need, escape and form of relief in many lives for the first time.For those who have been exercising at home alone or with one permitted other be that coach, partner, friend, sibling, child or dog, the hardest part of returning to some semblance of normal life might be maintaining the new exercise momentum. Across the globe, exercise has held the top spots as one of 4 essential reasons to leave the home. In the most affected parts of Europe, the first restriction to be relaxed was letting people outside to exercise. Exercise it seems is essential to life.
Here in Australia, health experts and government officials have encouraged physical activity for both the physical and psychological benefits exercise provides. And this Pandemic has, if nothing else, elevated a general awareness of our health, our bodies and how to look after them as well as an increased or awakened appreciation for freedom to move our bodies around in the world.
What motivational fuel will fan the flames of this new love affair with exercise. Many health promotion campaigns have tried to get populations more physical active and up until the last 3 months, less than 50% were achieving the recommended levels of physical activity. It will be interesting to see post pandemic statistics on impact the restrictions have made to that percentage.
Motivation, what gets us moving, is different for everyone and can vary daily according to mood, sleep, stress etc. etc. According to Jensen et al. (2019) “...explaining sources of motivation to start or maintain a program of regular exercise is challenging.”
Many behaviour change methods, models and theories exist, none provide guaranteed outcomes or have universal appeal. However, looking at some hard evidence it seems, regarding exercise, self driven motivation works best...
‘Self-regulation and intrinsic motivation, that is, motivation driven by a desire to exercise because it is naturally satisfying as opposed to doing it in order to look better or avoid punishment, has shown to inspire frequent physical activity’ (Ball et al. 2017).
Another similar theory;...‘Self-leadership, which involves individuals performing tasks and achieving goals through self-motivation and self-management of thoughts and behavior has been successful in motivation to exercise’ (Neck & Houghton, 2006).
Having formed some kind of new and somewhat stable relationship with regular physical activity over the last 3 months, now is the perfect time to explore the motivation behind it. So when the last of the restrictions do finally lift and a variation of the old normal becomes the new normal, exercise will be a well and truly entrenched habit. Ideally the motivation will be innate, based in fond memories of freedom, self care and release and the day just won’t feel complete without it.
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