Exercise is incredibly beneficial for your health. But how can you make yourself enjoy physical activity?
Despite all the benefits of physical activity, exercising is difficult, and oftentimes it's not a matter of a person's physical abilities. Research has shown that psychological barriers play a key role in how much a person is willing to tolerate the discomfort associated with exercise. Personal attitudes and past experiences shape what scientists call subjective tolerance—an individual's ability to tolerate physical exertion. Low levels of this tolerance are the main reason people give up regular exercise.
However, scientists from Florida International University (FIU), led by Marcelo Bigliassi, have proven that this ability can change. Thanks to the brain's neuroplasticity—that is, its ability to adapt to stress—it's possible to gradually accustom oneself to greater physical exertion. The method involves creating a “baseline,” a kind of mental marker, after which future exertions no longer seem so daunting. Even people with minimal physical activity can learn to withstand greater exertion if they first undergo a short test—for example, dunking their hand in ice water.
Cold stress is one way to increase your tolerance to physical activity.
The cold pressor test, in which participants held their hand in water at around freezing point for up to three minutes, became the starting point for Bigliassi's experiments. The participants were then asked to undergo intense exercise on a stationary bike. It was expected to be extremely difficult, but contrary to expectations, most participants rated the exercise as tolerable, and some even described it as enjoyable. Surprisingly, the preliminary stress of the cold stimulus made the subsequent physical effort less difficult to perceive.
Bigliassi believes the brain learns through stress. Physical challenges activate the areas responsible for the threat response, but they also create internal benchmarks that allow for future adaptation. Over time, this raises the bar for individual tolerance. The key, the scientist emphasizes, is to choose challenges that match one's current abilities. If someone hasn't been active for a while and finds it difficult to walk even a few hundred meters, don't immediately set a goal of 10,000 steps a day. It's better to start small and progress gradually.
I suppose I enjoy making people nervous. But that's because I want them to learn to benefit from stress, not fear it. If my work helps someone become stronger and more resilient so they can live a good, long, and healthy life, that will be wonderful. Marcelo Bigliassi
Clearly, the old motivational motto “no pain, no gain” does have some merit. Beyond your comfort zone, there's enormous potential for growth.