The Hindu Business Line : Bored with workouts?

I’m not losing any more weight,” you pout as you pedal furiously on the stationary bike. “I think my body has got used to exercise and is not responding anymore,” you huff disgruntedly as you heft your dumbbells. “Doing the same workout is boring,” you complain as you crunch away at your abs.

Please don’t lower your morale by being such a wet blanket. Don’t create negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Your statements are falsehoods anyway. Every time you do a cardio exercise like cycling at an aerobic speed, you rev up your metabolism and burn fat. If it were true that your body doesn’t respond because it has got used to exercise, well then, the sun too should stop shining brightly because it has got used to rising every morning! A good, solid routine is not boring, it is your mindset that is unhealthily restless. Sure, you can go through ‘dry’ periods when nothing seems to happen. But these are precisely the times to show character — continue to exercise patiently, steadily, wholeheartedly. Disappointment over not attaining something is quickly followed by despondency, discontent, which then sharpens to a sense of grievance and injustice. This peaks to a rebellion where you walk away in a huff from the activity. Then, as the adrenaline level drops, you experience inertia, dullness, emptiness.

On the other hand, a trained, developed mind continues on the exercise path voluntarily, freely without any pressure from expectations. It loses itself in the workout movements and experiences calmness, a quiet joy. And your aspiration to get fitter, slimmer, healthier attains a clarity free from negative reactions, rebellion and empty justifications of the rebellion. When the mental path is so clear, it is much easier to proceed and progress.

Meanwhile, see yourself with the positive things that have happened to you ever since you started exercising:

■ You are healthier.

■ Your nagging aches and pains have vanished.

■ Your stamina is higher.

■ Your clothes are looser.

■ Your temper is sweeter.

■ Your body has better tone.

■ You recover quicker from any illness.

■ Your joints are more flexible.

Am I asking you to look at the exercising life through rose-tinted glasses? No! I’m showing you how to purge mental poisons like boredom and frustration.

Could it be that we don’t know how many positive feelings there are on the higher range of human emotions? Well, then, let us get to know at least 13 of them from psychologist Paul Ekman. They are: kind amusement (from the chuckle to the belly laugh); contentment (a calm kind of satisfaction); excitement (in response to novelty or challenge); relief (following upon another emotion such as fear, anxiety and sometimes even pleasure); wonder (before something astonishing and admirable or that surpasses understanding); ecstasy or bliss (transporting us outside ourselves); exultation (at having accomplished a difficult task or undertaken a daring exploit); radiant pride (when our children earn a special honour); elevation (from having witnessed an act of great kindness, generosity or compassion); gratitude (the appreciation of a selfless act of which one is the beneficiary); rejoicing (in someone else’s happiness); delighted enchantment (a shining kind of contentment); spiritual radiance (a serene joy born from deep well-being and benevolence). Positive emotions broaden our intellectual field where we become open to new ideas and experiences. They make us feel in control of our life’s situations, propel us to do more (including more reps in our exercise session). Such determination powers you with confidence, motivation and a driving energy to hit your dumbbells. Throw out useless thoughts like “I have to…” as if you are a slave. If you want the best in you to flower and flourish, it’s the “I want to” attitude that gets you there. From boredom to enthusiasm is ultimately a matter of how much value you place on your growth, health and well-being.

(The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’)

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