Happy New Year!
It’s a new year and the start of a new decade. I can still remember when it was December 31, 1999 at the turn of the century with people dancing to Prince “two thousand zero zero party over, oops, out of time” while stressing over the Y2K bug. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago!
Typically, a new year has people talking about change. I’ve mentioned the importance of goal setting in the past (especially obtainable goal setting) which is an important part of the path towards change. But when we think change, we are also talking about behavior modification. We are modifying our current behavior into a different behavior.
For those of you that might want to know more about the psychology behind behavior, read on. I find this type of information fascinating and also motivating when starting new goals. I hope it can help some of you reach the goals you’ve set for the new decade.
Behavior modification work stems from well-known psychologists B.F.Skinner and Ivan Pavlov. It also includes operant conditioning, which is basically learning through rewards and punishment.
The term positive reinforcement might be familiar to you. But, let’s break down some terms to really understand what we mean.
- Positive (something is added)
- Negative (something is removed)
- Reinforcement (behavior increases)
- Punishment (behavior stops)
Here is an example:
Say you want to reward yourself (watching one hour of Netflix) for engaging in a desired behavior (one hour of exercise). We are adding something (Netflix) to continue the behavior (exercise) therefore we are engaging in positive reinforcement. Got it? Easy enough, right?
Initially, we need to continue this type of reinforcement schedule every time we engage in the behavior to continue to motivate us to make a change. In this example, every time we engage in one hour of exercise we watch one hour of Netflix. Eventually, the reinforcer (Netflix) will start to lose its strength. When the reinforcer (Netflix) begins to lose its strength, we then move to what we call a fixed ratio schedule. To understand this, simply think of a slot machine. Slot machines reinforce (pay out) every so often, but not every time we pull a lever. Therefore, you are more likely to continue to engage in the behavior (lever pulling) in hopes that the next lever pull will create a payout. This type of schedule is called intermittent reinforcement and is the most powerful motivator for behavior and also the hardest to extinguish or undo.
Ok, enough with the psychology. Bottom line is that behavior modification is not an easy task. As we start the new decade, I would like to remind everyone that no matter where you are at in your fitness goals, we all started somewhere. There will likely be a surge of new patrons at your local gym in the coming days. I encourage you to give a smile, offer to help set up a machine, and allow patience for those just starting out. They, like you, are likely coming into the gym terrified but determined to make a difference. Please remember to be kind and accepting as we all work on being healthy.
This year, more than previous years, I am ready to take on the New Year. My fitness goals for 2020 are pretty simple: Continue working out 3-4 days/week, try at least one new type of workout class, continue tracking macros, workout with a buddy, and explore gyms at all hotels/vacations traveled. Oh, and take a week off here and there to reset and rejuvenate.
What are your fitness goals for 2020?