Don’t Tell Me What To Do
That voice in our head making a stubborn statement is powerful and insistent. We don’t like to be told what to do. The greatest driver for any behavior change is “intrinsic motivation”, the desire to do something because we want to, not because we have to or because someone else demands it of us. When we choose, we enjoy it more. My mother made me play piano as a child. I didn’t like it. I also wasn’t very good at it. Forty years later, I decided that I wanted to play, bought a piano, and took lessons. I do not play in public because it isn’t about an audience or anyone else’s needs. It is, once again, about me, and making me happy.
People intrinsically motivated practice more, even knowing the difficulty. They exhibit positive feelings about acquiring the skill, as well as a sense of personal control. There isn’t your mother’s voice harping at you, filling the room with oppression, and sucking out all of the air. The intrinsically motivated process information on a deeper level, the work is more interesting, they are more creative, and they do it because they choose to.
Exercise of any form can be viewed the same way, as intrinsic motivation, or torture. It can be frustrating, boring, and repetitive. We don’t want to do it just because it’s good for us, and someone tells us we should. I should eat kale because it so darn good for me, but I don’t like kale, and I don’t want to eat it. On the other hand, I choose to exercise because I like it and, oh by the way, it benefits longevity. I like that.
Exercise is one of the main keys to aging intelligently, with the goal of good health and a sharp mind until the day you drop dead. The price for aging well is learning to like the things that will keep you moving, functioning on a high level, and interesting in conversation. People who feel that they have control over their life are more successful. Obese participants in a weight-loss study who were allowed to make their own choices, participate in decisions concerning them, and were positively encouraged by the staff lost more weight, kept the weight off, and exercised more.
Find something that allows you to move and makes you feel good: walking, riding a bike, jogging, swimming, whatever. Make it something you choose, not your sister or your cousin or your aunt. Keep trying forms of exercise and movement until you find something you like, however long that process takes. If you can find a buddy to exercise with, great. If not, keep trying things. Something will click if you persist. Movement is key to aging well. It is of course, your choice. I won’t be telling you what to do.
That’s Aging Intelligently.