Minding the Body

The guide to health and happiness.

by Linda Wasmer Andrews

Getting Comfy in an Exercise Rut

Sometimes an exercise rut is where you want to be.

Published on May 22, 2010 by Linda Wasmer Andrews in Minding the Body

I don't know exactly how many times I've walked the same path from this apartment to the beach, but the number is large and growing larger. The walk has become my exercise equivalent of mac and cheese—comfort exercise, if you will. The familiarity and predictability are what make it so soothing. And the soothing quality, in turn, is what makes me want to repeat the same walk time and again with healthful regularity.

As a health journalist, I've written dozens of articles warning about the presumed pitfalls of the dreaded exercise rut. If you keep doing the same thing, so the received wisdom goes, you'll inevitably wind up feeling bored and unmotivated. It sounds like sensible and innocuous enough advice, so it took me a long time to question it.

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Then it dawned on me: When I interviewed veteran exercisers, they often described a favorite activity that they had happily repeated with minor variations for months, years, even decades. Their skill or speed might have increased over time, but the basic activity remained unchanged.

Familiar Ground
In truth, an exercise rut isn't always a bad place to be. Familiarity breeds contentment and ease. That's not to say there is no challenge at all involved in repeating the same activity over and over. Your physical readiness changes from day to day; for instance, you might have skipped breakfast this morning or gone to bed late last night. Your psychological readiness changes; you might be distressed or distracted by a problem. And the environment changes; it might be warmer or more crowded than usual, for example.

Yet, through regular practice, you've already found ways to overcome most of the challenges associated with your old standby workout. They generally don't cause a lot of stress, because you've got this particular activity in this particular setting down pat. You know you can do it. When you don't have to think too much about what's coming next, you can let down your guard and focus fully on what you're doing here and now.

Comfort Exercise
Call it mindful exercise or meditative walking, if you like. Personally, I prefer the term "comfort exercise," because that just sounds so...well, comforting and unintimidating. For me, the activity of choice is walking, because that's what I like to do, and I'm fortunate enough to have a safe, convenient and beautiful place to do it.

For you, it might be bike riding (away from traffic) or lap swimming—anything that involves rhythmic use of your muscles, doesn't require too much attention and is something you enjoy. You know it's a comfort exercise when it feels as natural as slipping on a well-worn pair of sneakers. You might not always be in the mood to do it, but once you get started, you feel calmer and more contented.

Of course, no single activity alone can provide total fitness, any more than mac and cheese alone can provide a balanced diet. Yet a favorite comfort exercise, done consistently, is a solid foundation to build on. So I plan to keep taking the same walk to the beach a few times a week. I know I've probably worn a literal exercise rut in the path by now. But it's still soothing my soul while it strengthens my body, and I think I'll tread that path a while longer.

Linda Wasmer Andrews is author of Stress Control for Peace of Mind (Main Street, 2005) for adults and Meditation (Franklin Watts, 2004) for kids. She spends much of her time on Oahu, outside Honolulu.

Visit Linda online at LindaAndrews.com.| Follow her on Twitter.