Danielle Johnson is devoted to promoting the joy of movement as a wellness physical therapist. She's knows that many people try to get motivated to exercise by what they want to avoid: extra pounds, risk of disease, low energy.
Watch to learn why Johnson recommends a much more joyful approach to exercise — one that will keep you happily coming back for more.
We asked a Mayo Clinic expert: What's the best way to find motivation to exercise?
Danielle Johnson, Wellness Physical Therapist, Mayo Clinic Health Living Program: A lot of people feel that you have to do everything right — you have to be strength training, you have to do mobility exercises, you have to do cardiovascular exercises — if you're not doing everything, then you're not doing anything at all. The fact of the matter is, every little bit helps.
And so if you have five minutes, say you have a break, go take a walk. Find a stairwell that you can go up and down — it all counts. And now that's being supported by the research. A lot of times patients in particular go to a physician they've been told they need to exercise to lose weight or they need to exercise because they have a cardiac condition. It's a fear-based way to get people motivated. But we find it just doesn't work.
Really what works is that people find immediate, gratification or immediate joy, something that they like. Joy is not about how many calories you burn. Joy is not about the weight on the scale or what you're trying to get to. Joy is really about if you're going up the stairs, you can feel your quads working, you can have a sense of how powerful your legs are and how amazing they are for carrying you up the stairs.
Really focusing on what kind of immediate gratification you're getting now is more important than focusing on the future.
Dani Johnson is devoted to promoting the joy of movement as a wellness physical therapist.
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