This Simple Trick Will Make You Want to Work Out Right Now

Whether it’s slashing seconds off your Fran time or making the winning shot, thinking about a positive exercise memory can motivate you to exercise more, according to a new University of New Hampshire study.

Researchers found that college students who were asked to recall positive exercise memories performed more workouts the following week than students who were prompted to think of negative exercise memories or no memories at all.


While the researchers aren’t exactly sure why recalling positive memories makes you hit the gym more often, they think it might help boost your self-identity as someone who is in shape and fit, which can motivate you to follow that type of lifestyle, says study author Mathew Biondolillo, a doctoral student in psychology at UNH. Plus, positive memories remind you how it felt to perform the event, and instruct you on how to repeat the action again. Harping on a negative experience, however, only informs you what you couldn’t do, says Biondolillo.

What’s the difference between a positive and negative exercise memory? A positive memory is completing your first 5K, and then feeling happy as a result. A negative memory is crashing and burning on your first 5K, and then realizing you should have trained harder. When in doubt, go for the memory that puts a smile on your face.

So next time you’re torn between working out or sleeping for an extra half hour, think about all the times you kicked ass at the gym. Do this, and you should have no problem getting your butt out of bed.
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article source: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/simple-trick-will-make-you-want-work-out-right-now