If the benefits of Mojo were distilled into a pill, everyone would be lining up for it. It’s a natural mood booster, stress reliever, and energy elixir, all rolled into one. It sharpens our mind, strengthens our body, boosts immunity, and improves our sleep. The best part? No prescription is needed; we just need to make it a priority.
With all the magical benefits, studies show that less than a third of U.S. adults get the government-recommended amount of physical activity (At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week)
So why is it so hard to make it a priority? Our brains are wired to be sedentary. I felt the lure of couch potato living during my recent Colorado hiatus. Laying low and nesting with my sweet daughter, Vivian Grace, and newborn grandson, Theo, for hours on end, watching “Friends”, cooking new recipes, and going for an occasional walk was wonderful. I remember thinking, “I could get used to this”!
After being away, the Mojo nudge to return to class is appreciated. Though I hit a couple of classes, my brain and body seemed to soften while I was gone. It was exciting how quickly I bounced back to my ole’ self. In addition to the brain, muscle, and energy benefits I receive from our weekly forays, I cherish the structure and sense of community you all bring to my life. I also enjoy the “Gigi” bragging rights of having an exceptional VO2 score!
If you are kicking yourself for couch potato tendencies, STOP. You are actually feeding into your natural instincts. Do you want to tweak your lifestyle to be healthier and more challenging? Have more compassion and understanding for the reason your brain resists exercise. You were bred that way.
Via Time Magazine: “Why You Don’t Want To Exercise“
A little history lesson: For most of human existence, people had to be physically active to carry out the basic functions of life, such as finding or growing food. Humans evolved to tolerate a high level of activity—but also to gravitate toward rest when possible, to conserve energy for when movement was either necessary or pleasurable, explains Daniel Lieberman, a human evolutionary biologist and author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding.
In other words, hunter-gatherers weren’t out jogging to burn extra calories. From an evolutionary perspective, “that would be a stupid thing to do,” Lieberman says. “You’re wasting energy on something that’s not going to give you any benefit whatsoever.”
As a society, we no longer move much in the course of daily life, but the evolutionary instinct to conserve energy remains, Lieberman says. “That disinclination, that reluctance, that voice that says, ‘I don’t want to [exercise],’ is completely normal and natural,” he says.
Many people also subconsciously harbor negative feelings toward exercise that go back to childhood. A gym-class embarrassment or unpleasant experience with a youth sports team can make a person avoid working out well into adulthood
How to trick your brain into exercising Lieberman says that simply recognizing the ways our brain sets us up to fail, can give us a better sense of confidence. “When people struggle with exercise, they’re told they’re lazy or there’s something wrong with them.” Replacing guilt and shame with self-compassion—and an understanding of how the human brain works—can go a long way.
Feeling good about your ability is crucial to finding the motivation to exercise, says Sam Zizzi, an exercise psychologist at West Virginia University. He recommends starting small—perhaps dancing or Mojoing in your kitchen just a few minutes per day —and building on that progress over time.
“I love Monday Mojo! It’s the perfect way to kick off my week” Amy Fisher
Cheers to Amy, another extraordinary Mojo friend who has been squeezing Mojo in her life LIVE and virtually for over 12 years. She has two young children, works full time, and knows how much more energy (and life!) she gains when adding a little Mojo to her day. 💜
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