HOW I GOT MYSELF TO MOVE EVERY DAY, AGAINST MY WILL

Yes Yes Yes. I'm actually a lazy sack. I love to indulge in my comfort and cuddle up in my chair.

I can even sit for 1 or 2 hours in the garden and just look in the trees.

How come that such a lazy sack as I have been doing any kind of sport every day for maybe a year?

That does not fit together.

In fact, sometimes I can not believe it myself.

But I've been doing weight training every third day for more than half a year with dumbbells, kettlebells, rubber bands, and so on. That's the hard number with sweat and moans.

Every other day in between, I do yoga for 15-30 minutes at home and, boy, I've become as agile as never before in my life.

And amazingly, I love it. I do it because I like it. This is the most amazing part of it. I really miss it when I'm not on vacation with my weights.

Amazing. Because actually I prefer to spend my time with a good book on the sofa.

But unfortunately reason says yes:

As a desk worker you have to move sometimes. You can not sit or lie all day.

Otherwise your health will go down the stream. Otherwise you'll be fat and sick.

Because sitting is the new smoking.

Crap.

And what I've tried all over the years. Jogging wheel. To jog. Personal trainer. Trampoline. Gym.

Maybe you know the story of suffering. In the beginning you are always fire and flame. You may even exaggerate it and think, now you finally have it. But your everyday life eats your new sport within 3-4 weeks.

All that remains is a feeling of failure and another sports equipment in the cellar.

OK.

How did I solve the problem now?

Very easily. I have departed from the intuitive and normal approach of how all people approach the big "I have to move more" problem.

So do not try to find a better sport, with which it finally works, then to rush me for a short time in this matter.

No.

I have asked myself some fundamental questions.

Questions such as:

• Why is it so difficult for us humans to incorporate new behavior into our lives? What prevents us?
• Why do we fail at this typical header number?
• How does new, lasting behavior actually develop? (Habits)
• Why do some people want to be really stressful and uncomfortable things (like sports)?
• What does psychology say about it?
• How do people who have successfully managed to incorporate new behavior into their lives?
• And out of these questions, I started to research, research and experiment for myself.

A system has emerged, with which I have made myself move regularly.

In a way that is easy, stress-free and painless.

Strictly speaking, the system works precisely because it is easy, stress-free and pain-free.

The system works like this:

(1) You start with real micro steps. So small that you think, "What does that bring?" I started one and a half years ago with 1 Liegestütz per day.

(2) Each time you make your microstep, you celebrate as if you had just climbed Mount Everest. You praise yourself every time like a 2-year-old, who has just gone for the first time on the potty. In this way you condition the movement positively and put in your brain a new connection, which is "movement is fun".

(3) You remember bomb-proofing your microstep every day. So that the thing does not go down in your everyday life.

(4) You will rise after some time. Then you do 2 push-ups, later 3 push-ups, etc. At some point you take a squat, then 2 and 3 and 4. And every time you confirm yourself, like a dog in dog training. Braver Ralf. Fine Ralf.

(5) When you have made the whole thing long enough, you will have an amazing desire to move you. Psychology calls the intrinsic motivation. You want to do it. And when you're ready, you won. Then you can expand your program even further and become more flexible. Then just do it by yourself, which is good for you.

This is, in broad outline, the system with which I have made myself move every day. There are of course still a few subtleties.

You have to find an appropriate way to confirm and praise yourself so that it works for you. We all need something different. Here you have to experiment a bit.

And you have to find a way to remind you that it can not happen in everyday life.

In addition you have to add some new settings, so that the thing works.

For example, the attitude: "Those who are small and slow are more likely to arrive, and often only those who are slow and small-minded arrive."

Ultimately, it is also important to always find the right self-exposure limit, so I challenge myself a bit, but never overwhelm.

Also important: You can never, ever, ever put on will power. I'm a big fan of willpower. But in the case of permanent behavioral changes, it is the wrong approach.

So if you want to bring your life into your life once and for all, try this procedure once.

This species works better than the typical way that somehow everyone else is unsuccessful.

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