Study: The secret life of all-or-nothing thinking with exercise: New insights into an overlooked barrier (BMC Public Health)
You know you should exercise, but you make a solid plan to do it … and then, in the decisive moment, you opt out. Why do many people choose to forgo their planned daily exercise again and again?
University of Michigan behavioral scientist Michelle Segar suggests this all-or-nothing thinking is caused by a deeply embedded mindset that leads many people to abandon their exercise plans.
While all-or-nothing thinking has been studied in relation to eating and weight, this is the first in-depth research to investigate this phenomenon with exercise, Segar said. She and her colleagues Jen Taber, John Updegraff and Alexis McGhee-Dinvaut, all of Kent State University, conducted four focus groups among 27 adults-ages 19 to 79-who tried to exercise but couldn't stick with it.
"Exercise-related all-or-nothing thinking occurs when a specific exercise plan becomes unworkable," Segar said. "At this moment, when people cannot perfectly adhere to their plan (the 'all'), they choose not to exercise at all rather than modify the plan."
The study uncovered four components that collectively make up an "all-or-nothing" mindset. Study participants:
- Had rigid idealized criteria for exercising: For most participants, their "all" constituted rigid standards that had to be met to exercise "right": "If I do something for under 15 minutes, I feel like I didn't even exercise. Even if it had been dead-out sprints, it just doesn't factor into my head like I did anything."
- Sought excuses for not exercising: This component reflects participants actively trying to avoid their intended exercise. They said that exercising in the right way took a lot of effort, citing "it's hard," "it hurts" and "it doesn't feel good to do."
- Believed exercise was expendable compared to their daily priorities: Participants said things like: "When your routine ends up getting crowded and crowded with the things that have to be done or should be done, (exercising) is an easy thing to push to the side."
- Were baffled about why they could not stick with exercise: Participants were unable to reconcile their current inactivity given that they could also recall having had previous positive experiences exercising: "I don't understand why I don't exercise … I'm an educated woman … Why can't I even make a dent in it?"
"The all-or-nothing mindset creates high costs for exercising," Segar said. "Most people are tired and overwhelmed, so in the moment of decision, the immediate costs of exercising feel much bigger than the benefits, making it a low-value choice. This makes doing 'nothing' a prudent choice and desirable exit strategy. Decisions to not exercise are often made outside of awareness-so people are likely unaware that choosing to forgo their exercise plans could be related to having an all-or-nothing mindset."
The study is a first step toward better understanding how all-or-nothing thinking thwarts exercise among people who keep trying to exercise but find it challenging to sustain, Segar said. For those who feel all-or-nothing thinking is getting in their way, she suggested three shifts in thinking:
- Don't blame yourself for not sticking with exercise: Our culture has taught an exercise formula that sets most people up to fail.
- Choose "good enough" over "perfect": Nothing has to be perfect, including exercise.
- Don't be a prisoner to your exercise past: Know that negative exercise experiences in your past can demotivate you now. Acknowledge that fact, then move forward in more positive and realistic ways.
