Running with Tech

Do you remember that kid who never got chosen to join one of the two teams in P.E.? Yes, like in the movies! Well, that kid was me. Actually, my story goes even further: I was so unfit and uncoordinated that my teachers would ask me to “wait this one out”, at least once a month. And we only had three classes a month.

The fact is that fitness never came to me naturally. Getting “directions”, being told to act fast, being a “hustler”. None of these was in my repertoire. But it is what I thought I needed to be in order to be considered “normal".

With time I learned that it doesn't matter, how you think you should be. But still, having a healthy lifestyle should be something desired by everyone capable of having one. Right? So, how to go about it?

Behavioural Science can help

Two theories come to mind for the purpose of this article: Implementation goals, and social identity. Both of these factors are usually considered when developing fitness apps, but what are they?

Implementation goals take into consideration the fact that motivation alone does not always predict success for goals. I might want to start running, but never bring myself to do it. One way to overcome this initial hesitance, as well as other barriers, is to implement an if-then plan.

If-then plans work to make an association between an event and a goal immediate for us. For example, we might say "If it's 4 p.m. on a Monday, then I will go to the gym". Or "If my active watch reminds me it's time for a run, I will go and run". Naturally, these work only if we make sure they are possible. It is no use to form a plan that clashes with other things: not having money for the gym, or setting alarms on working hours.

Social identity is a theory too large to explain in a few words, but for today's purpose, we can consider the idea for which people like to feel like they belong. Be part of something. But how does this come into play when thinking of a healthy lifestyle? One example is the fact that people tend to workout more when they have a workout buddy or a group. Also, many successful health apps and devices leverage the power of building communities. Look for those.

Progression and apps

Most addictive and dangerous behaviours come with a built-in reward system that takes little or no effort on your part.

Smoking a cigarette, or drinking oneself to death are all simple habits to pick up because they release the dopamine throughout your brain.

Even though they are harmful to your general health and well-being, these drugs inherently stimulate your brain and ensure ongoing use.

Many beneficial habits, on the other hand, such as fitness, mindfulness, focused work, and healthy food, don't have evident benefits right away.

Yes, exercise, meditation, and concentrated labor will all become pursuits that naturally excite your brain in beneficial ways and reward you for taking action given enough experience.

However, they require some assistance in order to get started.

My own experiece with progressively building habits came to fruition thanks to the app "Couch to 5k".

The programme is meant to help novices steadily improve their running abilities so that they can run 5 kilometres without stopping.

Thousands of novice runners have tried and tested the pace of the 9-week running regimen.

You may, however, repeat any of the weeks until you're ready to go on to the next one physically.

Because structure is vital for motivation, the app advises you to schedule your runs on specified days of the week and stick to them.

It works because it starts from the bare minum: you walk much more than you run. Then, once you built up a bit of cardio, you gradually run a bit longer and a bit longer until by the end of the program you run without walking.

It's easy to see how it could be used with implementation plans. But also to find online communities to find your running tribe.

But Couch to 5k is not the only good app out there. FitBit has a great app and comminuty. Nike too. And so many others.

Further readings:

https://behavioralscientist.org/to-change-a-habit-get-extreme-progressively/

https://behavioralscientist.org/the-routines-rituals-products-and-apps-that-helped-us-get-through-2020/

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-best-social-media-apps-for-working-out-with-friends/

#