When You Want to Do It Again

Think about a time you were active with friends and everyone was laughing. Maybe you were playing basketball, skiing, walking somewhere, swimming, skating, throwing a Frisbee, riding bikes or attempting a game that seemed to acquire new rules every six minutes. You probably were not thinking very hard about “getting your physical activity.” The activity was happening, but something else may have been keeping you there.

That matters. It might not seem to, but it can be one of the most important things about becoming and remaining active. Young people repeatedly describe several ingredients that make physical activity meaningful: social interaction, because we enjoy experiences with friends; fun, because if it is not fun, why do it again; personal relevance, because if it means nothing to me, why would I care; and an appropriate level of challenge.

Fun, Friends and the Right Challenge

That last one makes sense. If I am just starting to skate, don't put me into an NHL hockey practice when starting to skate. Clearly, that is not an appropriate challenge for learning to skate. The challenge should add to the experience, not remove the fun from it.

So first and foremost, it has to be fun and social. Really, it is often less about exactly what you do than whether you enjoy doing it and enjoy the people you are doing it with.

And that means you can experience enjoyment in many different ways of being active. You do not necessarily need to discover one perfect physical activity that you finally love. Try many activities. What can tie very different experiences together is that they are fun and social.

Basketball with one group can be hilarious. The same game in another situation can feel miserable. A long walk alone might feel endless one day, while walking the same distance with a friend can somehow involve four kilometres of conversation and almost no discussion of walking.

The Experience Around the Movement

Friends are a major part of our lives, and they can be especially important in becoming and remaining active. Being active with someone you like brings conversation, encouragement, shared challenge and the occasional witness when you spectacularly fail to execute something. There is laughter. There is encouragement. And that means you will likely try the shot again.

That is friendship. That is social support. That is relaxed, and that is fun. Why wouldn't you want to be out there again having fun?

So fun is mission critical. If an experience is enjoyable, the behavioural effect is fairly obvious: you have a reason to come back. Nobody needs a motivational seminar to explain why people repeat things they enjoy.

And then...

Coming back is where something biologically interesting begins.

Suppose you and your friends start biking regularly. The first few rides include this hill that seems to have been designed by someone with a personal grudge against legs. Your heart is pounding, your breathing increases and your muscles have to produce enough energy to keep you moving uphill.

Early on, there can be an Oh my goodness series of moments. Initially: Am I going to die? A little farther up, after what seems like several hours: I am going to die.

You make it to the top. You stop, your heart is still pounding, you're breathing hard and your legs are probably reminding you that they were not consulted about any of this. But your breathing settles. Your heart slows down. You look back at the ridiculous hill you just climbed.

Maybe it is mixed with I am never doing that again. Fair enough. But somewhere in there is also that surprisingly good feeling that comes after doing something difficult and discovering that you actually could.

And then, because you were out there with friends and it was fun, you come back another day.

Here is where your body gets involved in the story. With repeated activity, your body begins to change. Your cardiovascular system and muscles adapt to better meet the demands you repeatedly place on them. At the same time, your brain and nervous system get better at coordinating movements you repeat, so those movements become more familiar and efficient.

Then there is that ridiculous hill again.

Your heart still beats faster. You still breathe harder. Your legs are still doing real work (and likely complaining). But something is different.

The science is the same hill now uses a smaller proportion of what your body is capable of doing. You can do more than you did.  Maybe you get farther before your legs start complaining. Maybe you reach the top faster. Maybe you are talking with your friend for part of the climb instead of conducting urgent negotiations with your lungs.

And when you reach the top this time, you know something you did not know the first time:

Think about how that happened. You did not begin by deciding you needed more motivation. You were doing something active with friends and having fun. Enjoyment gave you a reason to come back, and coming back gave your body a reason to adapt.

That is the first part of the cycle.