Have you ever started an exercise program after a longer break, only to quit three weeks into your new routine?
If so, you're not alone.
It’s a phenomenon that sees gyms filled at the start of a new year, and back to normal in just a few weeks. But what if there was a scientifically proven way to increase physical activity and keep it up?
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University School of Medicine claim they have found a way to do just that.
How?
By using something called "gamification". Here's what gamification means in the context of physical exercise:
Mixing elements typically seen in a video game - points, levels, bonuses, even other players - with a workout regimen.
Here's what the researchers did in the study:
* Randomly divided 94 families (200 adults) into two groups - the control group and the "gamified" group.
* Had all participants wear activity trackers over a period of 24 weeks.
* Families in the gamified group earned points and progressed through "levels" based on physical activity goal achievement (reaching a certain step count on as many days as possible) for the first 12 weeks. Families in the control group did not.
So what happened?
The families in the "gamified" group increased their activity by 27 percent more than the non-gamified group while also maintaining a higher overall activity level for the second 12-week phase after the game period ended.
According to the researchers, their findings demonstrate how collaboration, accountability, peer support and social pressure in a fun game setting can significantly increase physical activity.
My take on this?
Meh.
We already know the best way to make training fun and enjoyable. And it has got nothing to do with tracking steps or posting updates on Fakebook, relying on the support of half-strangers to cheer you on.
It's called competing.
Win or lose.
You can only learn the true value of collaboration when working toward a common goal - a win, a title, a championship - with your teammates.
What about accountability?
The other 19 guys you go to battle with on the ice will take care of that. You start slacking in training, the boys will put you back in your place, pronto.
Thus, no need for silly, artificial "gamification" attempts.
But what if you're not involved in a team sport? Or play only recreationally? Or don't compete at all?
Simple. You compete against yourself and your previous bests. The numbers written in your training journal are your enemy that need to be abolished.
When you train with a purpose, the drive to lift comes from the inside. It's not just what you DO. It's a part of who you ARE.
If you need to be motivated to make the trip down to the gym and train hard by someone or something outside of yourself, you've already lost.
You either want to lift weights and get stronger, or you don't.
No app, activity tracker, or other gimmick can change that.
For a training program designed to blast old records and dominate the competition, jump over to:
http://www.NextLevelHockeyTraining.com
Yunus Barisik
