What has psychology got to do with exercise?

By Dr. Francis Quinn, PhD.

The answer is, everything! Exercise is an action we take (preferably consistently!) and every action is triggered by the human brain. The trigger might be something you are aware of, or not. But those triggers originate in the human mind, which is like the software that runs on the brain’s hardware.

Psychology is the science of people, the human mind, and behaviour, and also the profession that helps people to manage it better. It’s not just about mental health. A science is just a way of creating knowledge, in a way that’s systematic and gives us knowledge that we can rely on and that is useful. Science started with investigating nature centuries ago (such as the human body and the physical world) and has been applied to understanding the human mind since the late 19^th century.

How can that help exercising?

Science is not a magic wand to change behaviour. It does not have all the answers to life. But it’s a good source of reliable insights. For example, a person who knows about research that most people enjoy exercise more when they select their own intensity can use that when they work out, or when creating a programme for a client. Or knowing that giving people some choice in which exercises they do fulfils a need that leads to better type of motivation, can be useful when working with a client as instructor or coach (such as this blog post by a personal trainer). Often, just knowledge can help to make your choices more effective (knowledge is power, isn’t it?). In this blog, I plan to share knowledge with some ideas about how you could use it in your own exercise, or with a client.

Psychologists who work in professional practice draw on that science to help their clients. Their training takes a long time and in most places they have to be registered with a professional organisation: “psychologist” is usually a title protected by law (practising psychology without proper training could do great harm – just like practising medicine without a licence!). Most psychologists specialise in something (the human brain has been described as the most complex object in the known universe!); some specialise in the psychology of physical health and/or physical activity. Ones I know help clients develop a good relationship with physical activity, help people get over anxiety about exercising, and train fitness professionals such as personal trainers and coaches to make them better trainers by using a little bit of psychology here and there.

What ways can psychology help us exercise better?

Some ways are:

• Helping people enjoy exercise more, such as getting the right intensity or using music of the right rhythm and tempo
• Maintaining consistency, using principles of behaviour change which draw on the science of why and how we act (or not act).
• Forming strong relationships with professionals and clients, using principles and scientific knowledge about human relationships (including with coaches)
• Managing your feelings and keeping up your work during a session, such as using self-talk in a helpful way
• Feeling better about your body, perhaps with the help of a professional, or creating an exercise venue or class that supports people to avoid feeling bad about their physique
• Helping recovery from injury, including sticking to physio exercises and getting your confidence back in moving affected body parts
• Keeping a healthy relationship with exercise, doing an amount that keeps you feeling good and if you start overdoing it, then noticing and knowing what to do about it.

In this blog, I aim to share as much useful exercise psychology knowledge as I can with you! Think of it as adding the secret ingredient to your soup – without it, the soup is sort of OK, maybe just edible. With your extra ingredient, the soup is extra satisfying!

Because exercise is an action, and is affected by how we think and feel, psychology has knowledge that can help us. Psychology is the science and profession of the human mind and behaviour, and is a lot more than mental health.