Unlocking the Power of Pleasure in Achieving Your Health Goals

Let’s talk about Pleasure….

Do you associate pleasure with movement? Do you associate pleasure with your goals??

Maybe, maybe not – but I’ll bet that if the goals/actions you expect to take each day or week are not linked to pleasure, you won’t do them.? Sound harsh?

What has pleasure got to do with reaching your goals? Pleasure is what drives habits. Habits are the actions we take on a daily basis that determine our quality of life, our overall wellbeing. Our habits are built on what feels most pleasurable to us. We always choose what feels most pleasurable.

If it feels best to wake up at 5am and go for a run instead of lingering in bed, we’ll do that. If it feels best to press snooze on the alarm clock instead of going to a yoga class, then we’ll do that.

So pleasure drives our habit. If we change what pleasure is linked to in the brain, we can exponentially increase our motivation for follow through. This is one of the secrets to building healthy habits that stick. ?

This month we are talking about movement – I like that word better than exercise, don’t you?

No judgment …. What has been your movement habit up to this point?? What is your routine?? Do you tend to follow through and go or do you talk yourself out of it, or does it depend on the day?? What gets in the way of following through?

When we’re not moving we tend to stagnate, like water, we’re mostly made of water, so if we don’t move we tend to stagnate, and algae grows, and fungus grows.? When we keep moving there’s freshness.?

Does GOD want us to “work out”?

He wants us to honor Him by taking care of our bodies. Because God wants us to take care of our bodies the Bible affirms, “Physical training is good…” (1 Timothy 4:8). It's good because being healthy and fit will help us better fulfil our God-given purpose in a variety of ways.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,?for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Glorifying God in your body means recognizing that being alive in your body is an immense gift. Let us take each breath with deep gratitude, and revere God through all of our actions. Let movement be an offering of thanksgiving!

(from Joyfulhealth)

What is your experience with movement right now?? Hate it?? Always have something else to do??

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control)

“Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. Each week adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity, according to the current?Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.”

Does that sound like a lot?? It sounds like a lot to me, especially if I don’t like what I’m trying to do for movement.? There’s that pleasure thing.

Do you find yourself stuck in the “should”?? I should go to the gym.? I should go for a walk.? I should do yoga.? I should take up running.?

That’s a lot of “shoulds”!? I don’t want you to go down the “should” rabbit hole of judgment.

If you are not currently “moving”, there’s a reason.? Let’s get to the bottom of it.

I asked earlier what is your current experience around movement?? Now that you have that in mind, what is the experience you’d like to be having?? It doesn’t matter which kind of movement.? Choose one that interests you.? Choose something you think you might like to do.

If you were to do that movement consistently, how would it have an impact on you?

Are you having a hard time coming up with something you’d like to do?? Any movement will work….

So, what kind of movement is right for you?

Make a movement menu just for you.? It’s a list of inspiring movement options for different types of energy levels, time restraints and fitness. When you have an inspiring menu of options for movement ready and easily in view (like your refrigerator), you are far more likely to get moving.?

So, what type of movement does your body want to do today? Let it come from your body and not from your head. The movement should be pleasurable and remember – all movement counts! Even if it’s just 5 minutes. Have fun!?

Here are a few examples: Biking, jumping on a trampoline, jump rope (which is a lot harder for me now than I remembered as a kid!), hula hoop, Yoga, dance, chop some wood, Zumba, jogging or running, hiking (or going for a walk in nature), swimming, gardening, Pilates, walking, horseback riding, tennis or pickleball, basketball, golf, play tag with kids, climbing stairs, cleaning, skiing, lifting weights, Jazzercise, carrying the kids around, or maybe some Cardio Barre.

Anything spark your interest?

Maybe experiment with a few of them.

So, if we can amplify the pleasure sensations that you already have a sense of, and if we change what pleasure is linked to in the brain, then we can increase the motivation for follow through.

What we want to do is match your natural pleasure chemicals (endorphins) with the activity that will get you the result you want. How do we do that? With something called mental rehearsal.

Have you ever heard of a mental rehearsal?? This is a tool used by champion athletes. Athletes imagine the game from their perspective as though they are actually competing. Like a mental trial run. They “mentally rehearse” their performance by breaking it down into tiny components.

You can use this Mental Rehearsal to strengthen the pleasure centers in the brain linked to movement, and we can also use this Mental Rehearsal to give your body an experience of moving, even when it’s not actually moving.

How can a mental rehearsal help?

1. Helps you “practice” overcoming habituated resistance

2. Links pleasure with healthy behaviors in the brain

3. Motivates you to follow through in a way you haven’t been able to do consistently in the past

This is part of the meditation I use for the mental rehearsal.?

“Step into that version of you that is 100 percent committed to moving your body because the body does like to move, it was made to move, not to stagnate. Make a picture if you will, of a future you, in the coming days. Do you see her? Step into this future (name). This is the future you that is 100% committed to making choices in small, manageable steps that will lead you to feel better, healthier, and have more energy. Slip yourself right into her body. She is already having the result you want right now, moving her body consistently and enjoying it.”

If you would like to experience the full mental rehearsal, send me a message or comment on this newsletter.

So ---- how can you use this information on movement to make the changes you want in your life?

Let’s start with the BIG picture.

1.???? DECIDE

Make the Decision (Big D) Be willing to have things be different.?

DECIDE “My health is important.? My health is a priority.”

DECIDE “My wellness comes first.”

Or whatever BIG thing you want changed in your life.? What have you been tolerating?? Digestive issues? Aches and pains? Feeling tired all the time?

2.???? decide

decide (small d) HOW you’re going to do things differently.

How do you want to move?? How often?

Here are a couple examples: do you work from home?? Each hour during the workday, you will get up from your desk and walk the length of the house 3 times; you will walk up and down the basement stairs 2 times once in the morning and once in the afternoon.? Or if you work away from home, stop by the gym right after work for a yoga class 2 times each week.

3.???? Schedule it on your calendar

If you’re like me, if it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t happen.

4.???? Practice the mental rehearsal

Continue to link movement with those pleasure sensors in your brain.

Be open to possibilities – Just because you don’t know how, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

When I got a new puppy 4 years ago, my morning routine was turned upside down.? I wanted quiet time to have my devotion, gratitude, and prayer time.? Well, Deacon (my 3 month old German Shepherd puppy) was having none of that.? He wanted my attention and quiet time meant nothing to him.?

I got so frustrated!? I was not connecting with GOD first thing in the morning AND I was NOT enjoying this little ball of fur that just wanted to play.

I had a brainstorming session with my coach.? How could this be different?? We came up with several ideas and I settled on trying one of them to see how it worked.?

I had my morning coffee and read a short devotional – Deacon was okay with a short time of maybe 15 minutes.? Then I took him for a walk.? Since he was young, I could only go about 15 to 20 minutes.? During that time I could think about the devotional, pray, get some movement in, and enjoy time with my dog.? I just had to be open to possibilities of ways it could be different.

Four years later we are still doing the same routine – although now he lets me have about 30 minutes for my coffee and devotional and we walk 3 miles each morning!? Movement, prayer, and time with the pup!

I enjoy it AND he enjoys it!?

?If you want to implement this strategy but are not sure how, grab your free 20 minute phone call

Button with link https://debraloaderlivingwell.as.me/20MinuteConsultation