Why an active mindset matters
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As important as exercising: noticing that you are.
Why it matters: Instead of going on autopilot, maintaining an active mindset comes with major benefits for well-being — that's according to Harvard psychology professor Ellen Langer, who's been called "the mother of mindfulness."
What she's saying: "Most people are mindless almost all the time," which shuts down the body, Langer tells Axios.
- When you pay attention to what you're doing and you notice new things around you, "the neurons are firing, and our research has shown that that's literally and figuratively enlivening."
Zoom in: One study Langer co-authored emphasizes how being mindful about movement can pay off.
- How it worked: Participants in the experimental group were told to consider the physical work of cleaning "exercise" (unlike those in a control group who didn't think of their identical work as exercise).
- What they found: Only those in the experimental group lost weight and had lower blood pressure four weeks later.
Zoom out: When you believe you're taking care of yourself, you do a number of small things — like stand taller — that add up to major benefits, Langer says.
- Being mindful about your movement could also mean pausing before taking the elevator to get to the gym (happens more than you think), not automatically parking in the closest spot (a little walk might be OK), or thinking about your form while lifting and doing chores around the house.
Here are two ways to have a more mindful mindset, Langer says:
1. "Notice new things about the things you thought you knew."
- For example, take note of three new things during a walk outside.
2. "Recognize that everything is always changing."
- That means getting comfortable with uncertainty.
The bottom line: Pay attention — it might be the fitness hack you're missing.
