资料来源：美国科技杂志《TechRadar》（技术雷达），《Front Psychol 》（心理学前沿）。如果您是众多不喜欢运动的人之一，您可能会将锻炼想象成一个痛苦和出汗的艰苦时刻。这是对所有那些不健康零食的惩罚，一种必要的邪恶，但这是一种可怕的经历。
很多人以这种方式看待锻炼，它阻止人们系上最好的跑鞋，或者在Apple Watch上关闭戒指，因为他们无法忍受另一次糟糕的跑步。然而，如果你想让 2023 年成为你有史以来最健康的一年，知道运动不一定是艰难或剧烈的，这是有帮助的。研究表明，做一些你喜欢的事情，很少而且经常，是保持锻炼习惯的关键。
发表在《心理学前沿》杂志上的一篇论文（在新选项卡中打开）看看人们如何保持锻炼习惯。来自美国和葡萄牙大学的研究人员写道：“数十年的报告表明，健身俱乐部的辍学率很高，特别是在实践的前三到六个月”。
研究人员得出结论，你是否喜欢锻炼对你是否坚持一个习惯起着重要作用，写“享受可以极大地影响个人对[运动]的看法，从而加强它（当被认为是有趣或愉快的）或避免它（当被认为是不愉快时，无趣的，或无聊的），影响运动的承诺和参与”。
（图片来源：Shutterstock / BGStock72）
让锻炼变得愉快的一个好方法，特别是对于初学者来说，是参加一个让你到户外的爱好或活动，比如骑自行车（无论是使用传统的手推自行车还是最好的电动自行车之一），玩你喜欢的运动，或者只是步行。步行减肥非常容易融入您的生活：它是低强度、低冲击力的，您可以花时间迷失在您喜欢的有声读物或播客中。Apple Fitness+ 提供“步行时间”音频课程，其中培训师和名人录制个人故事，旨在在散步时体验。
当谈到精疲力竭并将锻炼视为不愉快时，我和任何人一样内疚：当我的能量水平感觉低落时，我有时会强迫自己去健身房，或者开始高难度的跑步。我在最好的 Garmin 手表上的身体电池和训练准备分数可能处于谷底，我通常无法举起重量或达到我为自己设定的当天时间。当这种情况发生时，我失望和沮丧地结束了会议，想知道为什么我什至打扰。
有帮助的是心态的改变。如果我真的不想去健身房或跑一段规定的距离，我可能会用短跑来改变事情，也许把我的智能手表留在家里。没有定时和监控，当我这样做时，我按照自己的节奏奔跑，在河边停下来伸展，欣赏美景，而不必担心弄乱我在斯特拉瓦的分裂。
或者，如果我有点健身习惯，我有时会安排和朋友一起去攀岩，或者预订瑜伽课。我没有遵循我预先规定的健身计划，但我仍然在锻炼和享受自己。你可以指定一些时间在周末去远足，或者在电视机前挤进一个十分钟的低强度锻炼，而不是花一个小时在健身房。
如果您刚刚开始，重要的是要知道灵活实现目标并享受轻松的锻炼可以帮助您使运动成为生活的一部分，而不是偶尔因放纵而受到惩罚。如果你在20分钟后停下来，当事情变得不舒服时，没关系。毕竟，这比你今天移动的要多20分钟。
显然，这个建议可能不适合那些为特定目标而训练的人，比如马拉松比赛，或者那些参加严格的增肌计划的人。但是，如果您正在努力享受并坚持锻炼，请不要气馁：对自己放轻松，找到自己喜欢的活动，并在不愉快时停止。科学说你更有可能再回来一次。
原文
If you’re one of the many people out there who don’t enjoy exercise, you probably envision working out as a grueling hour of pain and sweating. It’s a punishment for all those unhealthy snacks, a necessary evil but a horrible experience.
Lots of people view exercise this way, and it stops people from lacing up their best running shoes, or closing their rings on their Apple Watch, because they can’t bear the thought of another awful run. However, if you want to make 2023 your healthiest year ever, it’s helpful to know exercise doesn’t have to be hard, or intense. Research says doing something you enjoy, little and often, is the key to making a workout habit stick.
A paper published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology(opens in new tab) looks at what it takes for people to retain a workout habit. The researchers from universities in the US and Portugal, write “decades of reports have shown that health clubs register high dropout rates, particularly in the first three to six months of practice”.
The researchers concluded that whether you enjoy exercise plays a big part in whether you stick to a habit, writing “enjoyment can substantially affect individual perceptions of [exercise], thus reinforcing it (when perceived as interesting or pleasant) or avoiding it (when perceived as unpleasant, uninteresting, or boring), influencing exercise commitment and engagement”.
So, in order to maintain a steady workout regime, willpower isn’t enough. Exercise has to be enjoyable and fun.
A great way to make exercise enjoyable, especially for first-timers, is to take part in a hobby or activity that gets you outside, such as cycling (whether using a conventional push-bike or one of the best electric bikes), playing a sport you enjoy, or simply walking. Walking to lose weight is incredibly easy to incorporate into your life: it’s low-intensity, low-impact, and you can spend the time getting lost in an audiobook or podcast you enjoy. Apple Fitness+ offers “Time to Walk” audio sessions, in which trainers and celebrities record personal stories designed to be experienced on a stroll.
When it comes to getting burned out and framing exercise as unpleasant, I’m as guilty as anyone: I sometimes force myself to go to the gym, or embark on a demanding run, when my energy levels are feeling low. My Body Battery and Training Readiness scores on the best Garmin watch might be rock-bottom, and I’ll usually fail to lift the amount of weight or hit the time I set myself for that day. When that happens I end the session disappointed and dejected, wondering why I even bothered.
What helps is a change in mindset. If I really don’t want to go to the gym or run a prescribed amount of distance, I could be switching things up with a short run, perhaps leaving my smartwatch at home. Untimed and unmonitored, I run at my own pace when I do this, stopping and stretching by the river, enjoying the view without fear of messing up my splits on Strava.
Alternatively, if I’m in a bit of a fitness rut, I sometimes make arrangements to go rock-climbing with friends, or book a yoga class. I’m not following my pre-prescribed fitness plan, but I’m still getting exercise and enjoying myself. You might earmark some time to go hiking on the weekend, or squeeze in a low-intensity ten-minute workout in front of your TV, instead of spending an hour in the gym.
If you’re just starting out, it’s important to know that being flexible with your goals and enjoying easy workouts can help you make movement a part of your life, rather than an occasional punishment for a period of indulgence. If you stop after 20 minutes, when things get uncomfortable, that’s okay. After all, that’s 20 minutes more than you would have otherwise moved today.
Obviously this advice might not suit those training for a specific goal, such as a marathon race, or those on a strict muscle-gaining program. But if you’re struggling to enjoy and stick to exercise, don’t be discouraged: take it easy on yourself, find an activity you like, and stop when it becomes unpleasant. Science says you’re more likely to come back for another go.
This article is part of TechRadar’s Get Fit For ’23 week