Not to brag or anything, but our trainers are more than just exercise-proficient motivators who count out your reps for you. Kathy Xydis is a published researcher in the field of positive psychology by day and a personal trainer at 1on1 Athletic Club by night. To learn more about her work, and her affinity for The Jetsons, read on:
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Positive Psychology Meets Physical Fitness
By Kathleen Xydis
Published on February 20, 2012
Is Exercise an Endless Treadmill?
Our task is to get into the flow
Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure.
- Francesco Petrarch
“Help! Help, Jane! Stop this Crazy Thing!”
I’m probably showing my age but The Jetsons cartoon has always been one of my favorites. For those who have never seen it, The Jetsons is an animated sitcom set in a futuristic utopia in the year 2062, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963. The life of the Jetsons is filled with robotic contraptions, flying cars, aliens, vacations on Neptune, and whimsical inventions. One of the signature inventions was the futuristic electric dog walker shown above. I guess in 1962 they didn’t see treadmills coming! In the picture, George Jetson is walking the family dog, Astro. Astro takes off and George can’t keep up and is flung around and around the treadmill shouting to his wife: “Help! Help, Jane! Stop this crazy thing!” Jane has once more left him outside on the never-ending treadmill.
Variety is the Spice of Life and Workouts
Do you feel like you are on an endless treadmill, stationary bike, or stair climber doing the same workout every time you come to the gym? Have you been doing the same weight circuit for weeks, months, or dare I ask years? If so, positive psychology suggests that you are not achieving as much pleasure or results during your time at the gym as you might. In addition, if your muscles could talk they would say, “Did that, done that, been there… we’re just going to stay exactly the way we are… no need to get bigger, leaner, stronger or faster today.”
What is Positive Psychology?
“Positive psychology is an umbrella term for the scientific study of what makes life most worth living. Positive psychologists concern themselves with positive experiences (happiness, pleasure,
flow), positive traits (character strengths, interests, talents), positive relationships (friendship, family, marriage), and positive institutions (schools, workplaces, communities and now health and fitness clubs)” (Peterson & Xydis, 2012, p. 1). Positive psychology suggests a variety of practical strategies for enhancing the good life, and one of them is engaging in a healthy lifestyle.
Help your Workouts Fly By
One way to achieve more workout pleasure is to experience flow during your workouts. “Flow is the psychological state that accompanies high engagement in an activity. In flow, we lose track of time and stop paying attention to ourselves. We become one with the activity. The aftermath of flow is invigorating, and the long-term psychological benefits are clear. A goal for any workout should be to experience flow, if not constantly but at least occasionally” (Peterson & Xydis, 2012, p. 21).
How Does it Feel to Experience Flow or to Be “In the Zone”?
According to Ben Gordon, a professional basketball player now with the Detroit Pistons, being “in the zone” while playing is like:
You lose track of time, what quarter it is. You don’t hear the crowd. You don’t know how many points you have. You don’t think. Your just playing. Offensively everything is instinctive. When the feeling starts going away, it’s terrible. I talk to myself and say, C’mon, you gotta be more aggressive. That’s when you know it’s gone. It’s not instinctive anymore. (Kennedy, 2005, p. 29)
Hey, I’m not a Professional Athlete
Well, most of us aren’t professional athletes and might even be new to the gym. And perhaps you have never even stepped on a treadmill for fear that, like George Jetson, you will be catapulted off, to the snickers of other gym members. “The great news is anyone can experience flow, regardless of skill level, so long as the workout you choose is closely matched with your current skills” (Peterson & Xydis, 2012, p. 21).
So How Can I Achieve More Flow in My Workouts?
The trick is to plan a workout that fits your skills and has variety. You need to mix up your workout to avoid falling into a rut, becoming bored and possibly a fitness program drop out statistic. Change the place where you warm up, cool down, or stretch. Change the order of exercises or try something new. Think of different ways to accomplish the same workout goals, switching from a treadmill to a stationary bike, for example, or take a spinning, or zumba class for aerobic fitness. Switch from fixed weights to free weights. And so on.
We are Here to Help
Ask our fitness professionals to help you add some spice to your workout. Don’t forget they are there to help you succeed. If you are new to the club, let us show you how to start using the treadmill and more, learn some new ways to hit a muscle group in the weight room or describe one of our many classes. We will do our best to help you achieve flow during your workouts and bring you that much closer to achieving your fitness goals. Stop at the front desk and sign up for a free personal training session or equipment orientation.
We would love to hear if adding variety or making changes in your workout routine make a difference. Please share any positive or negative experiences, questions or concerns. Your feedback will help us in our continuing research at the Michigan Positive Psychology Center. Please e-mail me at: kxydis@umich.edu.
Kathy Xydis has worked for One on One Athletic Club in Ann Arbor for 10 years in sales, marketing, and training and more recently with the Michigan Positive Psychology Center. She has just co-written a continuing education course: Positive Psychology for Health and Fitness Professionals with Christopher Peterson; a professor in psychology at University of Michigan, one of the founding fathers of positive psychology and a long time member at One on One Athletic Club. Kathy also trains a variety of fitness clients across the lifespan including everyone from athletes to elderly and the deconditioned. She is a mother of five children and a competitive runner.
Internet Lectures
For a succinct introduction to positive psychology, watch this lecture by the founder of the field, Martin Seligman on the TED website, at:
For an excellent overview of theory and research on flow, watch the lecture by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi at the TED website:
References
Peterson, C., & Xydis, K., (2012). Positive Psychology for Health and Fitness Professionals. Tucson, AZ: Desert Southwest Fitness, Inc.
Kennedy, K. (ed.). (2005, February 21). Players. Sports Illustrated, pp. 29 – 35.
