4 Hacks To Get Your Brain To Genuinely Love Exercise, From A Psychiatrist

Fitness is about learning what we’re made of. It’s about putting our body to the test, and coming out stronger and more confident on the other side. For that, we need gear that’s willing to go the distance—from comfort to performance. Under Armour’s SmartForm Evolution Sports Bra provides strategic support that flexes to fit the exact shape of your body. With a super-soft feel and relentless support, it’s easy to keep your head in the game. Paired with the lightweight and super-breathable Meridian fabric, and get ready to crush your toughest workout yet.

Exercise nurtures the brain—we likely don't need to convince you of the many, many mental health benefits of a regular workout routine. But just in case you need some data: "People who do even 20 to 30 minutes of running per day say that their mood improves1 short and long term," Samantha Boardman, M.D., tells us on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. The problem is? It's difficult to get yourself in the exercising mood! 

Don't ignore the power of subliminal messaging: "Make the behavior you want easier," says Boardman. "If you want to go for a run, [leave] your sneakers out the night before, have your gym bag packed, maybe even wear a [jogging bra] that day if you're planning to go to the gym." 

According to Boardman, positive rewards can help you to stick to healthy habits. She references research on "temptation bundling," a term coined by behavioral scientist Katy Milkman, Ph.D., where you "bundle" an indulgence with a less enjoyable task. In Milkman's 2014 study, researchers gave participants audiobooks they wanted to listen to, but they could only listen to them while working out; as a result, the participants attended the gym way more frequently2.

Allow Boardman to explain the "flake factor": When you have a verbal commitment with another to head to the gym and go for a run, you're way more likely to attend. "You don't want to flake on them, so you're much more likely to succeed," she notes. In fact, one 2015 study found that finding a new exercise companion increased the amount of exercise people took—with an even bigger increase if that new partner was emotionally supportive. 

Yes, workout schedules can help you hold yourself accountable, but being too rigid can actually backfire. "When you have an expectation that's super high, like, I'm going to go to the gym five or six days a week, and you don't make it by Tuesday, you think that week is ruined," says Boardman. "You'll sort of throw it away."

In another 2020 study led by Milkman, researchers found that routine incentives (i.e., paying participants each time they visit the gym within a planned, daily two-hour window) actually resulted in fewer gym visits than flexible incentives (i.e., paying participants each day they visit the gym, regardless of timing). The theory is that when people miss that two-hour window, they think they've already failed—so they throw in the towel and don't head to the gym at all.