MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
It has got to be the most popular New Year's resolution, like, the OG of New Year's resolutions. I'm talking, of course, about exercising, about moving more. To help us with that, the host of NPR's Life Kit podcast, Marielle Segarra, spoke with exercise experts, starting with one who says a new fitness routine might be easier than you think.
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MICHELLE SEGAR: When people actually get an immediate, positive experience when they move, that is just about the most potent motivator for continuing to do it. And fortunately for us, the research does now show that basically all movement counts.
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MARIELLE SEGARRA: That's Michelle Segar. She's a researcher at the University of Michigan who focuses on exercise and motivation. NPR science correspondent Maria Godoy quizzed her on what counts as exercise.
MARIA GODOY: All right. True or false? You have to sweat for it to count for health benefits.
SEGAR: False.
GODOY: You have to do it in 30-minute, uninterrupted stretches.
SEGARRA: False.
GODOY: You need to feel the burn or it really doesn't count.
SEGAR: False.
SEGARRA: If you don't have a 45-minute block of time for a spin workout, that's OK. Try doing squats or lunges for a couple minutes while you're waiting for the kettle to boil.
KATY BOWMAN: Your free time is likely going to show up in pockets that are much smaller than you were anticipating but are meaty, you know, if you really look at them and put them together.
SEGARRA: Katy Bowman is a biomechanist. She studies how forces and motion affect the human body. And she's the co-author of the book, "I Know I Should Exercise, But..." She says, try to seize those small moments of downtime throughout the day.
BOWMAN: One thing you can do is if you find yourself waiting, you got someplace early and you now have seven minutes or 12 minutes, tune into that. Set this as an intention or a cue that anytime you find yourself sort of sitting idly in your car, you're going to get up, and you're going to get out, and you're just going to move around. Go for a very brief walk. You can hop in place. You can reach up and touch the top of the car.
SEGARRA: Sometimes I do calf raises when I'm brushing my teeth 'cause I always remember to brush my teeth.
MARTINUS EVANS: You know, one of the things that I urge the people that I train is to get creative with your time.
SEGARRA: That's Martinus Evans. He's a marathon runner and author of the book, "Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide For Anyone Who Wants To Run."
EVANS: You know, if you have a gym membership, can you go to the gym and watch TV while you do your run?
SEGARRA: Or if you're caring for your baby or young kids and you're strapped for time...
EVANS: Look, grab a kid, grab a toddler and do some air squats.
SEGARRA: With them?
EVANS: Yeah. Do some air squats. Use them as a weight. Now you got a 10- to 15-pound weight.
SEGARRA: But if you can carve out time for longer workouts, harness behavioral science techniques to stay motivated. Katy Milkman is a professor at the Wharton School of Business. She researches behavioral change and how we can create habits that stick.
One of the motivation techniques Katy recommends is something called temptation bundling. So say you really like watching some TV series, like "The Crown," for example. Here's Katy explaining temptation bundling to NPR correspondent Allison Aubrey.
KATY MILKMAN: Research has shown that increase the rate at which people exercise if they combine a real pleasure that they look forward to with their workouts (ph).
ALLISON AUBREY: Ah.
MILKMAN: So you're not allowed to watch 'The Crown" unless you're at the gym. That's the idea. And as a result, you're going to start craving trips to the gym to see the next episode.
AUBREY: (Laughter).
MILKMAN: And you won't feel any guilt about spending time watching TV because you'll be working out.
SEGARRA: If there's a kind of movement that you find intriguing or exciting, think of that curiosity as a trail of breadcrumbs. Follow them. Try it out. It could become your favorite way to move.
KELLY: That was Marielle Segarra, host of NPR's Life Kit podcast. Life Kit has a special newsletter series all about building strength. You can sign up at npr.org/stronger.
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