Happiness theory and my Exercise routine
The other day at the end of my class, people got quite hyped up to make time to do something for themselves. Few of them made a commitment to start going to the gym. Sounded like a great idea! But experience tells me that, by the next class more than half will report that they didn’t have time or motivation. So what would help to be more successful? I found this answer for myself and surprisingly enough that aligns with happiness theory!
Find an activity(exercise or something else) that
- You enjoy; the reward is instantaneous as well as comes with a long term positive impact.
- It is a small stretch for you (in terms of time and effort).
A few years back I was experimenting with my exercise routine. None of those I tried sustained for very long as I didn’t enjoy them. One day I noticed my friend went for a walk after she dropped her daughter at school. I got curious and joined her. We had a good chat and a walk. And then we kept doing it for a while. Eventually, she changed that routine but I continued. Some days I walked alone some days I found a friend. I loved it either way, with a company I enjoyed the quality conversation, without it I got to contemplate my strategic thoughts. Making time for the walk wasn’t a big issue as it was right after dropping off my daughter. All I had to change was to start the day 30 minutes late. Now talking about the reward, the lone time with nature is always a gift. Especially this morning, when I had such beautiful scenery with a soothing breeze on my face, I couldn’t ask for more!