HEALTH & FITNESS with Patrick Harris of Les Mills

Compliance and Adherence to Exercise

In the first issue of Channel I highlighted that most people’s weak links relate more to behaviours, not activities, then went on to explain a cool way to exercise with a deck of cards – so I focused on the activity. See link: www.youtube.com/user/LMTKFitness - Then next it was on the issue of obesity and how New Zealand is at the critical end of that scale – being one of the fattest nations. This month we look at the behavioural strategies that underpin your success to long term adherence to exercise. The following five points are vital to long term adherence to exercise.

1. Self-monitoring
This is simply recording or keeping track of what you do, like a workout or nutritional log being for example. Much like Businesses which often maintain mission statements to define direction and purpose as a form of self monitoring, it helps to keep that same mentality with your exercise program. Many studies have continually demonstrated the beneficial effects of self-monitoring on exercise behaviour - so write it all down.

2. Goal setting
This is a major component of many exercise programs and for good reason – it works. It’s probably no surprise that setting exercise goals helps beginners make the exercise habit stick.
Frame goals around behaviours, not outcomes. A goal-directed behaviour strategy is best. Outcomes are often not under our control, but behaviours are.
Something of interest for you - male and females tend to measure success with different tools. Males tend to be left brain dominant and associate success with numbers and rank themselves within the group (alpha male). Females tend to be right brain dominant and measure success in qualities such as health, more energy, dropping clothes sizes.

3. Program variety
Systematically varying an exercise program (periodization) provides numerous physiological benefits and is done by nearly all high level athletes.
It will be more enjoyable and lead to better adherence in beginning exercisers. Experience has shown me that people who change their exercise mode every two weeks stick to the program better and enjoy it more than those who do the same type of exercise. So planned variety (periodization) is better than instinctual training, where you just train whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like it.

4. Family & community involvement
This is the extent to which a person is involved with people, activities, contests and other events tied to their goals and exercise activities. For example, keeping a weight loss goal your own little secret
is only saying that it will be ok to fail. Tell everyone what the plan is – support is vital. Join a group of like minded people to get inspiration and motivation.
Solution: - Join a Les Mills Team Training Programme such as Les Mills BOOTCAMP®.

5. Education to motivation
Education is a great way to encourage compliance. The more you know “why” the more likely you are to follow through. Continually build connections between your goal and why you exercise – this is a powerful tool in exercise compliance and commitment.
Think about this next time you want to skip your exercise – 90% of your success will be in showing up.
That is what adherence to exercise is all about. Use these behavioural strategies to build confidence and belief in yourself and start record keeping.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” - Barack Obama.
I will leave you with the words of Susan Jeffers – “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”