Losing weight, a vital part of reversing your prediabetes diagnosis, can be achieved through the combination of proper diet and proper exercise.
The World Health Organization warned back in 2002 that physical inactivity can cause a range of diseases and disabilities, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, among others.
Despite the many benefits exercise brings to the body, global statistics show that 23 percent of adults aged 18 years and onwards have insufficient physical activities.
However, moving from a sedentary lifestyle (e.g. sitting in front of your computer eight hours every day) to developing the habit of regular exercising can prove to be more difficult than what is advertised.
For sedentary adults, often the battleground is in finding the right kind of motivation.
Here are five science-based mind hacks to get you moving in no time:
1. Find an extrinsic reward
This reward goes beyond thinking “this will reverse my prediabetes” or “I will be in a better position health-wise.”
While those are well and good, your rewards have to be tangible. Something that you can eat (e.g. a cookie that comes within acceptable amount of sugar content for the day), something you can touch (e.g. a trinket to adorn your desk table), or something you can see (e.g. watch a new episode of Game of Thrones).
The science behind it: Journalist Charles Duhigg wrote about creating what he calls a “habit loop.” Set a trigger for the exercise (gym bag placed next to your door, ready for pickup going to the gym), go through the routine (gym exercise), and then have the reward. Extrinsic rewards, he believes, are more effective when creating habits.
If you wish to stay away from any food-related rewards, click here for a list of 50 non-edible things you can get for each time you achieve your goals.
2. Modify your belief system
There are a lot of people who think that it’s too late for them to start being physically active. Also, that it’s not in their personality to be motivated to do it.
Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck calls this “a fixed mindset” rather than a statement of fact. This kind of belief assumes that your intelligence, character, or abilities are static. The fact of the matter is that your belief system can be changed.
The science behind it: Studies have contradicted the prevailing thought that success is based on talent. Rather, success is the product of hard work, effort, and perseverance.
With a “growth mindset,” as Dweck calls it, you can change your life if you put in the effort. In this context, if you persevere in establishing a habit of exercising, you can definitely do it.
3. Exercise with someone fitter than you
Other than being more fun, asking a friend, your partner, or anyone in the family to go with you will help motivate you to start and keep doing it. But, according to science, pick a companion who you think performs better than you.
The science behind it: A researcher from Kansas State University compared respondents’ exercising habits when they do it alone, with a virtual partner who performed better, and against a teammate.
The result is a 200 percent increase in workout time and intensity when working out with a virtual partner who performs better. Therefore, find a gym buddy and make sure he/she can outperform you.
4. Play the right kind of music
Music, time and again, has been shown to affect one’s moods and consequently, behavior. This can also be used to motivate you to exercise. However, you have to pick the right kind of music.
The science behind it: Music can do two things for you: reduce your perception of effort in exercising and increase your endurance by 15 percent. The beat of the music should match the heart rate you are going for; meaning, the faster the beat, the better.
When creating your playlist, pick songs with obvious beats to them and has the right beats-per-minute that matches your exercise routine. Here is a sample of a Spotify playlist with songs that follow these criteria.
5. Make it convenient for you
Your willpower can only do so much, since human beings do not have an infinite resource of this kind of motivation. The key is to be proactive about it and make working out easier for you.
The science behind it: According to a Nielsen study, 23 percent of respondents believe that convenience is the second most important part of their fitness experience, with the first being the fun aspect to it.
This means that a huge gym with any and all equipment you can think of is useless. If it is an hour away from you, would demotivate you sooner than you think. Pick one closer to where you are. This will help you learn the habit faster, knowing the place is convenient to go to.
It starts with a single step
A healthy diet and all-natural food supplements for diabetes aren’t enough when it comes to reversing a prediabetes diagnosis. You need to complete the equation by adding exercise to the mix.
It’s easy to get frustrated when you think you are not making progress as fast as you can. Remember: the fact that you are working towards it is already a great thing. Keep at it, and soon you will find yourself losing weight—enough to help you reverse your prediabetes.
