Yahoo News Psychologist says you can trick your brain into loving the treadmill
As the days get shorter, colder, and wetter, many people switch from outdoor running to the treadmill to get their cardio in. While this piece of kit is a great way for people to stay active no matter the weather, many find running indoors less enjoyable as there is less scenery and stimuli.
According to YouGov, 85% of people say they prefer activities that engage their brain, so PureGym has partnered with psychologist Dr Anthony Thompson to develop a set of tips that can actually trick your brain into enjoying the treadmill, even if it's something you currently find a chore.
‘Brain workouts’ are a tactic that psychologists have previously identified as a way to beat boredom and keep you running longer in the gym, with ‘gamification’ being a key aspect of this. Dr Thompson said: “Gamification is when we set ourselves playful challenges to help make a task more interesting. It’s been linked with a host of benefits, including helping us to stick to long-term physical activity routines. Turning exercise into a game can help to end feelings of boredom, and make the activity feel much more enjoyable.”
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Stephen Rowe, Chief Marketing Officer at PureGym said: “Cardio workouts are so important for our cardiovascular health and overall wellbeing. While many people love the added bonus of fresh air and nature that running outdoors can bring, the colder and wetter months in the UK can make this challenging. Treadmills, with their diverse settings and training modes, offer a great alternative – but can sometimes feel less engaging, making it much harder to find the motivation to choose them."
Dr. Thompson says these simple hacks can revolutionise the time spent on a treadmill:
Create your own personal ‘loyalty’ scheme
There are lots of ways in which we can incorporate playfulness into our treadmill routines, and the best part of all is that the power of gamification lies in its simplicity – you can turn anything into a game with a little bit of creativity. Dr Thompson suggests creating your own reward system, in the same way you collect points when shopping at your favourite shops or eating out. Research has shown that gamification with randomised rewards has been shown to be an effective strategy for increasing physical activityand as such, this could be a fantastic way to motivate yourself to keep running this winter.
“Write down a number of rewards onto slips of paper and put them in a jar, they don’t have to be expensive, just something you will enjoy” he explains. “Give yourself something like 1 point per mile or kilometre you run, and once you reach a target number of points, pick out one of your reward slips and treat yourself for hitting a milestone. We collect loyalty points when we shop, why not collect loyalty points for the time you invest in yourself?”.
Match your pace to a shuffled playlist
To keep your run feeling fresh, you can create a playlist with songs with varying beats per minute (BPM) and try matching your pace to each song as it starts. “You’ll want some faster paced songs, and some slower ones in the mix – a good range to aim for is between 120-140 beats per minute for your faster songs” says Dr Thompson. “Each workout will end up being slightly different if you shuffle the playlist each time, helping to keep the game fresh every time you step on the treadmill.”
Practice mindfulness
For people who enjoy practicing mindfulness, the treadmill is the perfect place to incorporate it into your fitness routine. Free from distractions like planning routes and watching out for cars or obstacles in your pathway, you can focus on incorporating mindfulness techniques like breath counting. Studies have even suggested that by using mindfulness techniques like consciously trying to slow your breathing pattern while running, you can ‘trick’ your brain into thinking that exercise is easier than it is.
Dr Thompson said: “Initially, you can start by counting your breaths. As you become more familiar with your breathing pattern you can then turn it into a game by aiming to slow down your breathing by a percentage that feels right for you. The aim of the game is to slow your breathing down without compromising your pace.”
