Does it matter whether I enjoy exercise?

 

I reprint sections of an article first printed:

ABC Health and Wellbeing: 17 Nov 2023.

Does it matter whether I enjoy exercise?

Exercise is important, whether you like it or not. It gets your blood pumping, strengthens your muscles and releases feel-good hormones.

It can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, bone disease and depression. It can improve your sleep and promote healthy ageing.

And it can be fun — right?

Well for some, exercise is just a means to an end. For others, they've got to enjoy exercise in order to do it at all.

So, what are the benefits of enjoying exercise? Is it worth searching for the right fit, to keep you fit?

Fun can help with consistency

Government guidelines encourage adults to be active most days, preferably every day.

They suggest at least 2.5 hours of moderate intensity activity each week, or at least 1.25 hours of vigorous activity each week.

But knowing government guidelines, and the health reasons behind them, might not be enough to keep you on track.

Movement researcher Matthew Bourke says we assume that informing people about the benefits of physical activity will be enough to motivate them to be more physically active.

"But what we're learning is that people aren't entirely rational," Dr Bourke says.

"What's more important potentially is how they feel while they're physically active."

Research supports this: One study found enjoyment was a better predictor of persistence than motivation in the absence of enjoyment.

This means motivators, like getting stronger or losing weight, weren't as successful as simply exercising for fun.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2021, physical inactivity was the 9th leading preventable cause of ill health and premature death.

That includes mental ill health. Spending less time moving, even over the course of a single year, is linked to mood disturbances, increased stress and poorer sleep.

Conversely, spending more time moving can help ease the symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress.

Every time you exercise, as Dr. Bourke describes it, "it's like your brain is taking a bubble bath".

So while you don't need to enjoy exercise to receive its physical and mental benefits, Dr Bourke says more enjoyment does bring more gains.

"If we can make exercise feel like eating a whole block of chocolate," Dr Bourke says, "I think that's a good goal to aim for."

My subjective conclusion: Pickleball is good form of exercise. It is fun. It makes you healthier physically, emotionally and socially.