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dot NPR dot org. You're

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listening to Life Kit from

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NPR. Hey,

0:22

everybody, it's Marielle. Before

0:24

we jump into the episode, I wanted to

0:26

share some other exciting things that Life Kit

0:28

is working on for New Year's. One

0:30

of the things I love about New Year's is that

0:33

it's a time to reflect and to think about what

0:35

matters to you and what your goals are. And we

0:37

want to know what you're working towards. Send

0:39

us an email at Life Kit at

0:41

npr.org with your New Year's resolution. And

0:43

we might share your response in our

0:45

newsletter. Happy New Year. It's

0:50

early January, which means a lot of

0:52

us are looking to get exercising again.

0:56

And yeah, moving our bodies is incredibly important

0:58

for our health. But how do you find

1:00

the time? You got to put the

1:02

clothes on and then do the exercise, which depending on the

1:04

workout can feel kind of boring. Then you

1:06

got to shower. I mean, that's a lot already. Not

1:09

to mention, you just might not always have the energy. But

1:12

getting into an exercise habit doesn't have to

1:14

mean doing the fanciest spin class or the

1:16

most intense weightlifting workout five times a week.

1:19

The scientific research on movement tells us there's

1:22

a much gentler, more inclusive

1:24

way on this episode

1:26

of Life Kit, how to get started with

1:28

exercising. And PR science correspondent Maria Godoy is

1:30

going to teach us to love exercise or

1:32

at least like it enough to actually do

1:34

it. She'll go over tactics

1:36

to help you bust through the barriers

1:39

that are keeping you from starting or

1:41

restarting an exercise habit. The good

1:43

news is it's easier than you think.

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2:32

You can find it at marygdeoy.com. Get pace

2:34

at npr.org and thanks. I'm

2:41

Marieke Deux. And I actually

2:43

crave exercise. But wait, before you

2:45

say, ugh, she's a fitness freak,

2:47

know this. A year and a half

2:49

ago, I was completely sedentary.

2:53

So what changed? Well, I

2:55

came across this bit of research. The

2:57

research does now show that

3:00

basically all movement counts. And

3:03

anything counts and anything is better than nothing.

3:06

That's Michelle Stieger. She's a sport and

3:08

health ecologist at the University of Michigan.

3:10

She studies how we sustain healthy behaviors

3:12

and she's got your first big takeaway. If

3:14

you want to get exercise, start by

3:17

reframing what you think of as exercise. I've

3:20

been astounded that even up

3:22

until today, very educated people

3:24

don't know, don't believe

3:26

that walking actually quote unquote counts

3:28

as valid exercise. And that was

3:30

a big hang up for me.

3:33

I had all these preconceived notions about what

3:35

kind of exercise was worth doing. All right,

3:38

true or false, you have to sweat for

3:40

it to count for health benefits. False.

3:43

You have to do it in 30 minute

3:45

uninterrupted stretches. False.

3:48

You need to feel the burn or it really doesn't count. False.

3:52

All right. So where are we going to pass?

3:55

Yeah, you're passing again. Perfect

3:57

winner. You get to keep your PhD. But

4:01

even though these ideas about exercise

4:04

or wrong, they're still really prevalent.

4:06

We. Actually heard them from a lot of you. Here's.

4:09

One person we heard from his name is Tom

4:11

Ryan. Eyes and came of

4:13

age are in the eighties

4:15

where things like aerobics, arabs,

4:17

Arnold Schwarzenegger, we're starting to

4:19

really become big and the

4:21

aerobics culture and the weightlifting

4:23

culture of were promoting this.

4:26

Gotta go crazy and really

4:28

just be hard core and

4:30

that's why I thought I

4:32

had to do. Some.

4:34

I also felt sick to

4:36

like numerous the news Six

4:38

dismissal speaker says let your

4:40

preconceptions about a gold standard

4:43

of exercise. Some sleep doing

4:45

it. And. That's

4:47

what gets in people's lives because

4:49

if we don't need to continue

4:52

on some very little to a

4:54

lot and I like only for

4:56

missiles are very little then we

4:58

choose not to do anything when

5:01

very little might be exactly what

5:03

we need. Because the fact

5:05

is you don't have to be a

5:07

marathon out or a gym rat. the

5:10

get health benefits from exercise science tells

5:12

us so much passes moderately insensitivity and

5:14

the extra timeline as we should be

5:17

getting one hundred sixty minutes of at

5:19

each week and support off diseases like

5:21

picture diabetes, cardiovascular disease, even some cancers.

5:24

There's. Actually, there's their duty but

5:26

cool resource called the Compendium of

5:29

physical activities if you say researchers

5:31

to compare apples and oranges when

5:33

it comes to exercise and it

5:35

uses a value called a meth

5:38

or metabolic equivalent just sitting. Doing

5:40

nothing. Is a net value

5:43

of one? Oh, you're working

5:45

out know Rahul metabolic rate.

5:48

By. The Way that loretta

5:50

to Pietro season exercise scientists

5:52

at George Washington University an

5:54

activity that say. Is

5:57

to. That means that.

5:59

Next you will Oh whoa. You're.

6:02

Resting metabolic rate which I'm getting

6:04

up and walking across the room

6:06

is about to that. And.

6:08

The criticized the compendium list and

6:11

met values for all kinds of

6:13

activities. Everything from mopping the floor

6:15

effect three and a half mast,

6:17

a little line dancing which can

6:20

be almost eight minutes. Having said

6:22

that, sit there it is. Oh

6:24

yeah, really is not. Look thoroughly

6:27

through the content. But

6:31

the magic number you want an activity

6:33

to hit is at least three minutes.

6:35

That is correct moderate. Intensity activities

6:37

are defined as those that

6:39

would require between three and

6:42

six net. Loss of

6:44

regular activities do that kind the stairs

6:46

slowly in that format. Climbing quickly

6:48

and it's nearly nine men, which

6:50

means you're burning nearly nine times

6:52

as many calories as he would.

6:54

Be if you're just sitting nothing

6:57

even me her driven content If

6:59

you do with doctors. And

7:02

researchers now know that these little movements

7:04

are up. The sake of it. Like

7:07

putting pennies in a piggy bank. And

7:10

he as you just put three pennies and

7:12

you may think oh this doesn't add up

7:14

to much but at the end of the

7:16

month it doesn't deal. Which

7:18

is great news. Has so many of

7:21

you say the biggest problem for you

7:23

is time. It takes me about forty

7:25

five minutes to get. Home

7:27

from one pick up and kids

7:29

and three thirty cook in every

7:31

dinner after my. An immersive

7:34

The Thursday. For thirty. Years.

7:38

Myself to go to the gym and

7:40

that brings us to our. Second, Big

7:42

take away. Don't think of exercise

7:44

as all. Or nothing. even smoke.

7:47

Thousand Exercise have values and make

7:49

and help you build a fitness.

7:51

So instead think of exercise like

7:53

climbing a ladder, started the bottom

7:55

and work your way up. Also

7:57

allow or is a wonderful model

7:59

for. For initiating.

8:01

And an exercise. Program: When you've

8:04

been sedentary and climbing a

8:06

ladder, you start from the

8:08

first run. Start Small lake, standing

8:10

up from your chair and sitting back

8:12

down repeatedly. Stand up sit down Stand

8:15

Ups and downs. Kinda like you're doing

8:17

squats or to stick a five minute

8:19

walk. It helps to clear sat in

8:21

sugar out his blood. Just. By

8:24

moving and that can help ward

8:26

off diseases like type two diabetes.

8:28

And hypertension. Second wrong with

8:30

these three ten minute bounce.

8:32

our physical. Activity Climbing the

8:34

stairs. Maybe one of those three

8:37

sessions you walk for ten minutes.

8:39

Outside studies show these short bursts

8:41

of exercise can give you similar

8:44

heart health benefits and one longer

8:46

bout and. They. Can also help keep

8:48

you from gaining weight. And. Other words:

8:50

you're getting sitter, even any short

8:53

files. And. Eventually you can build

8:55

up to working out and much longer stretches.

8:57

It. Is hard. but it's doable. It

8:59

is absolutely doable. Actually did it over

9:01

the last year. Loretta and how did

9:04

you do that by going up the

9:06

ladder literally came across this research. Started

9:08

doing little five, ten minute walk, then

9:10

started taking the stairs, then decided I

9:12

like that and doing it longer and

9:14

then starting to use the elliptical that

9:17

was gathering dust in my basement and

9:19

then a slave. Then I got a

9:21

trainer and then I started taking classes.

9:23

and yes, now work out every day.

9:26

Three. So and the and the

9:28

what Is it true that the

9:30

more you accomplish the list that

9:32

was walking up stairs u cel.

9:35

Weapon could take on the

9:37

world was absolutely. Actually I

9:40

did. So. Rate is so

9:42

we call itself or for to see

9:44

road when you complete. Your goals no

9:46

matter how modest those. Goals are

9:48

it creates a ceiling like all

9:50

I can do more. after

9:54

i started exercising i did lose weight

9:56

which was nice and i'm not a

9:59

healthy weight but That's not what's kept me

10:01

going. For me, exercise has

10:03

become the only time in my day

10:05

that's all about me, away from my

10:07

busy job, away from my too small

10:09

and adorable, but demanding children. And

10:12

honestly, with my hectic schedule, exercise

10:14

gives me the energy to keep going. Which

10:17

brings us to your third big lesson, and

10:19

it has to do with motivation. Don't

10:22

exercise because you wanna look better or

10:24

be healthier. Instead, focus on how

10:26

it makes you feel. I know,

10:29

it sounds counterintuitive, but Michelle Seger says

10:31

there's science behind this. I would

10:33

say for the majority of people

10:35

from the work I've done with people

10:37

over the last couple decades, that

10:40

exercising to improve health, avoid

10:43

a disease, or to lose

10:46

weight are not very good

10:48

motivators. She says what

10:50

really works is focusing on the

10:53

short-term benefits of exercise. When people

10:55

actually get an immediate, positive

10:58

experience when they move,

11:00

that that is just about

11:03

the most potent motivator for continuing

11:05

to do it. And there's

11:07

a lot of science on those immediate

11:09

benefits. We know that it helps people

11:11

generate energy. We know

11:13

that it boosts mood. We

11:16

know that improves executive functioning

11:18

and all the tasks associated

11:20

with that focus, creativity. There

11:23

are so many positives

11:25

that happen when you move. Michelle has

11:27

spent a lot of time studying this.

11:29

And she says the reason why wanting

11:32

to lose weight is a bad motivator

11:34

is it just takes way too long

11:36

to see any payoff. The bottom line

11:38

is it's much easier to ingest 600

11:41

calories by eating a quick muffin on

11:43

the way to work than it is

11:45

to burn off 600 calories with

11:48

exercise. It could take you up to

11:50

two hours of walking to burn off

11:52

that muffin. And if your goal

11:54

is significant weight loss, you need to be getting

11:56

closer to 300 minutes of

11:58

moderate activity each week. If

12:01

you're just starting out, that can be incredibly

12:03

daunting. And so given

12:05

the ease of calorie intake

12:07

versus expenditure, what

12:09

we eat really plays a greater role in

12:11

how much we weigh than how much we

12:14

exercise. So instead of dreaming

12:16

of that future beach bod, focus on

12:18

all the immediate rewards you get from

12:20

exercise. When you have more

12:22

energy and you're a happier person, you

12:24

bring that much more enthusiasm and

12:27

energy and performance to your role

12:29

in your work and your patience

12:31

as a parent and patience as a

12:33

partner to someone if that's a part

12:35

of your life. So

12:38

feeling better isn't just

12:40

this selfish hedonic

12:42

thing. It actually is fuel for

12:44

the things that matter most in

12:46

our lives. So next time you're

12:48

doing some kind of exercise and you think, oh, I

12:50

don't actually mind this, stop and ask

12:52

yourself, why do I like this? Is it clearing

12:55

my head? Is it easing my anxiety a bit?

12:57

Did I just need a shot of sunshine? And

13:00

this can be a really empowering way to think

13:02

of exercise. But

13:04

a lot of you told us that part of

13:06

the reason you don't exercise is because you find

13:09

it boring or you're embarrassed to do it in

13:11

public or going to the gym makes you anxious

13:13

or uncomfortable. Like Jess Engel, who left

13:15

us this voicemail. I get on

13:17

the treadmill and I just

13:19

have this overwhelming feeling

13:22

of just needing to leave, needing to run

13:24

away, feeling like I

13:26

can't breathe. It's really

13:29

uncomfortable. Michelle says there's another

13:31

way we can be thinking about this and

13:33

it's your final takeaway. Instead

13:36

of forcing yourself to do something that makes you feel

13:38

bad, figure out what kind

13:40

of exercise and exercise location makes you

13:42

feel good. The big

13:44

goal is to have

13:46

people think of physical movement as

13:49

their ally in life, as

13:51

a strategy I

13:53

dare say even as a friend that can help

13:56

them feel their best on the

13:58

days they feel good and feel better. The

16:00

team also includes Angie Tagle, Audrey

16:02

Wynn, Claire Marie Schneider, and Margaret

16:04

Serino. Engineering support comes

16:06

from Gilly Moon. Special thanks

16:08

to Carmel Ross, Alison Aubrey, and Rachel

16:11

Cohen. I'm Mary Elsigara. Thanks

16:13

for listening.