When it comes to exercise, most people just don’t want to put in the effort.
A new study from New York University shows there may be a new way to motivate people to exercise harder and longer, however.
According to their findings, now published in Motivation and Emotion, people who focused on a specific target while exercising, such as a tree or landmark off in the distance, ended up exercising faster than those who didn’t focus on anything. In turn, they seem more encouraged to exercise–a fact that researchers say could motivate more people to work out.
“People are less interested in exercise if physical activity seems daunting, which can happen when distances to be walked appear quite long,” says Emily Balcetis, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University. “These findings indicate that narrowly focusing visual attention on a specific target, like a building a few blocks ahead, rather than looking around your surroundings, makes that distance appear shorter, helps you walk faster, and also makes exercising seem easier.”
In the study, researchers looked at a theory called “attentional narrowing,” something which affects a person’s perception of space and distance. Researchers hypothesized that this theory would also apply to exercises that involved traveling short or long distances, such as walking or running. Focusing on an object in the distance would, for example, make it appear closer, encouraging people to walk or run faster, according to their theory.
“Physical activity is an important component of a healthy lifestyle,” says Shana Cole, an assistant professor from Rutgers University. “Interventions that train people to keep their ‘eyes on the prize’ may play an important role in health and fitness. When goals appear within reach, and when people move faster and experience exercise as easier, they may be especially motivated to continue exercising.”
So they set up an experiment to test their theory, recruiting 66 adults split into two groups. Placing a cooler in front of them, they asked participants to estimate how far they had to walk, with one group specifically told to focus on the cooler. From there, the participants walked the distance required.
At the end of this experiment, researchers found that the participants who focused on the cooler in front of them not only perceived it to be closer but walked faster towards it–by up to 23 percent.
“Attentional narrowing might help people exercise more effectively because it makes physical activity look easier,” says Balcetis.
What This Means For You
While practicing attentional narrowing won’t help you start exercising in the first place, their research reveals something interesting about it–it could actually make you walk or run faster. Better yet, it motivates you to keep on exercising, regardless of how tired or exhausted you feel.
“Given the alarming obesity epidemic in America, strategies that encourage or improve exercise may be particularly important for aiding the nationwide effort to combat obesity and promote healthier living,” says Cole.
Readers: How do you motivate yourself to continue exercising?
Sources:
Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize Can Help With Exercise – ScienceDaily.com
Narrowed Attention Produces Perceived Proximity and Increases Goal-Relevant Action – Springer.com
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