Hijack Your Brain For Motivation: The Key to Sustainable Fitness
Imagine this: you've set out to transform your health and fitness, but each time you miss a workout or indulge in food, a wave of demotivation washes over you. This isn't just a lack of willpower; it might be your brain's own system working against you.
Welcome to the world where neuroscience meets fitness - let's talk about the 'habenula hijack.'
The habenula, a small part of your brain, plays a crucial role in how we experience motivation, reward, and failure. It's like an internal critic, signaling when outcomes are less than expected, often leading to feelings of disappointment or even depression. In the realm of health and fitness, this can manifest as a cycle of setting goals, experiencing setbacks, and then feeling an overwhelming urge to quit. Sound familiar?
But what if we could turn this around?
By understanding the habenula's influence, we can hijack it back for our benefit. Here’s how:
Reframe Failure: Instead of viewing missed workouts or dietary slip-ups as failures, see them as learning opportunities. This shift in perspective can reduce the habenula's negative signaling, keeping you motivated.
Set Realistic Goals: Small, achievable goals lead to frequent successes, which can rewire your brain’s reward system, countering the habenula's tendency to highlight failures. Sure, anything is possible, but remember: Your brain predicts what is realistic for you.
Celebrate All Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate every step forward, no matter how small. This positive reinforcement can help mitigate the habenula's focus on negatives. Over time you will rewrite stories and experiences and have undeniable proof that you can win!
Mindful Practices: Engage in mindfulness or meditation. These practices can calm the neural responses associated with stress and disappointment, helping you maintain your fitness journey without the emotional rollercoaster. Visualizing success ahead of time can be a major factor in whether or not you achieve it in your real life.
Sleep and Recovery: Prioritize rest. The habenula influences sleep regulation, and poor sleep can exacerbate negative mood cycles. Good recovery not only aids physical health but also mental resilience.
Positive Social Environments: Surround yourself with a community of supporters, not competitors. Social comparison can activate the habenula in a negative way; instead, let your circle be about mutual growth and encouragement.
Here's how to put this into action:
Track Daily Habits: Start a tracker for your fitness activities, diet, and even moments of mindfulness. Each checkmark is not just a task completed but a victory over the habenula's potential discouragement.
Challenge Yourself: Create a 30-day challenge where you focus on one new habit each week or every 30-days. This keeps your fitness journey dynamic and prevents the brain from settling into a rut of negative expectations.
Reward System: Set up a reward system for yourself. After achieving a series of small goals, treat yourself to something you enjoy - but make it non-food related to avoid negative loops.
Visual Progress: Keep visual reminders of your progress. Before and after photos, progress charts, or even a journal can remind you of how far you've come, countering any habenula-driven pessimism.
Actionable Steps:
Morning Reflection: Start your day by listing one thing you're grateful for in your fitness journey. This sets a positive tone, reducing the habenula's influence from the get-go.
Set Mini-Goals: Break your larger fitness goals into weekly or daily mini-goals. Success in these can be your daily dopamine hit, keeping motivation high.
Mindfulness Moment: Dedicate 5 minutes daily to mindfulness or meditation. This practice can help manage stress responses and keep the habenula from overreacting to setbacks.
Sleep Audit: Keep a sleep diary for a week. Look for patterns or issues affecting your sleep quality, and adjust your routine accordingly. Better sleep equals better mood regulation.
Community Check-In: Once a week, engage with your fitness community, whether it's a group class, online forum, or a simple check-in with a friend. Share successes, not just struggles. Looking for support? I have both 1:1 and group coaching options available. Links to both are at the bottom of this newsletter.
You are a human being and its normal to fall into this trap. My hope is that with new awareness on how to "hijack" your motivation and brain, you will begin to move through the waves of emotion and finally achieve the success in your health and fitness that you deserve.
Have a great week!
P.S. If you found this helpful, share it with friends who might also benefit from understanding their brain's role in their fitness journey. It may be just the thing they are missing in their journey!
-Alex
