You're standing in front of a delicious, gooey, double-chocolate fudge cake. It looks amazing, and you're really craving a slice. But you've also set a goal to get in shape and be healthier. This battle between your immediate desire for cake and your long-term fitness goal is a classic example of something called temporal discounting.
Temporal discounting is just a fancy way of saying that we tend to value immediate rewards more than future rewards. It's like our brain has a built-in discount rate for the future. The farther away something is in time, the less we seem to care about it.
Now, how does this relate to fitness? Well, let's break it down.
Picture yourself on a Monday morning, all motivated to start a new fitness routine. You set your alarm for 6 a.m., plan a healthy breakfast, and promise yourself you'll hit the gym. But when that alarm goes off, suddenly the warmth of your cozy bed and an extra hour of sleep seem way more appealing than the distant promise of toned muscles and better health.
That's temporal discounting at work. Your immediate comfort wins out over your long-term fitness goals. It's like saying, "Eh, I can start tomorrow." But guess what? Tomorrow turns into next week, next month, and eventually, you're back to square one.
However, understanding temporal discounting can actually help you beat this mental hurdle.
Here's how:
Shorten The Time Gap: Make your fitness goals feel more immediate. Instead of aiming to lose 20 pounds in six months, focus on smaller, short-term goals like losing 1 pounds in one week. Achieving these mini-milestones can make the long-term goal seem more attainable.
Reward Yourself Wisely: Use your brain's tendency for instant gratification to your advantage. Reward yourself with small (non-food) treats or enjoyable activities after you've completed a workout or stuck to your diet for a week. This way, you're still getting those immediate rewards while working towards long-term gains.
Visualize Success: Take a moment to vividly imagine how great it will feel to reach your fitness goals. Whether it's running a marathon, fitting into those old jeans or simply feeling more energetic. Imagining and befriending your future self can make the payoff seem more real and less distant.
Get Some Accountability: Involve a workout buddy, join a fitness class with a fixed schedule or hire a coach. When you have someone or something external holding you accountable it's much easier to resist the temptation of temporal discounting.
In the end, temporal discounting is just a fancy way of describing the human tendency to prioritize immediate pleasures over long-term gains. But with a bit of awareness and some clever strategies, you can tip the scales in favor of your fitness goals!