It is a warm Sunday afternoon.
As you shut the curtains, switch on the TV, and slip into your bed, your plans of having a "happening"; weekend are fading underneath your eyes - heavy with sleep.
You casually get hold of your phone, scroll through your Instagram, only to find stories of friends. They may be partying at Connaught Place, having weekend "group study"; sessions with peers, and the fitness freaks flexing for the cameras, post a high-intensity workout session.
You hate yourself for being stuck at home, but you are too lazy to do anything about it.
You continue to do the same things you've been doing all day, but with a newly found sense of guilt. This guilt, however, is not strong enough to keep you from dozing off.
The next thing you know? You wake up on a Monday morning, ready for a new week's grind.
Another weekend has flown by without making its presence felt. Sounds familiar?
We've all been there. But what if there was a science to you being the way you are?
What if workable solutions can help you overcome such situations and turn you into a productivity beast?
Are any of these claims even possible?
Let's find out!
The Couch Potato Gene
We're all not born the same. Our genetics have a major impact on our physical, mental, and emotional characteristics.
Scientists, who conducted a study to understand the physiological differences between two sets of mice - one physically more active than the other, found out that the successive generations of the more active group had a natural propensity for increased physical activity.
Ten generations later, the likelihood of the active group of mice running on a wheel was 75% more than that of the inactive group. The brains of the running mice were also found to have larger dopamine systems to deal with motivation and reward exercise.
The possibility of a "couch potato" gene - a mutation in a normal gene that regulates the levels of physical activity, is also being studied in-depth.
However, this in no way implies that these genetic factors render you incapable of engaging in physical activity. It just means that it might be slightly more challenging for you to start feeling active. But your body will still reward you with dopamine hits if you actually go through with the physical grind.
Newton's First Law of Motion
The law states that: "If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by an external force."
If this could be extrapolated to living, breathing humans, it would come to imply that humans will continue to stay in their inherent state of rest unless acted upon by external circumstances that serve as motivators and get the body moving.
Unless you have a clear reason to get something done, you'll never find the will to do it.
Therefore, a very strong sense of purpose towards achieving an unwavering goal can naturally help you minimize your levels of laziness.
The Food Trap
Human brains have evolved so that they reward you for indulging in good food, sex, and exercise.
For most of us, the easiest thing to go from among these three is food.
However, in hopes of appeasing our senses, we often tend to consume more food than required by our body, which turns us into passive individuals.
This further drives us away from exercise. If compounded over months, it will decrease your will to engage in physical and mental activities.
Some Workable Tips That You Can Implement Right Away
Here are some of the best ways you can adopt to help fight lethargy:
- Have a strong reason and desire to achieve your goals.
- Map your progress and set clearly defined goals for every day, every week, and every month. When you lack a clear plan of action, it is easy to get distracted.
- Talk to the people that you confide in. This could be your friends, your family, or a health professional. Don't be afraid to share the way you feel.
- Get regular physical activity. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to run 20 miles or lift 100 kgs every day, but make sure to get your body moving every day. This could include simple stretching exercises that you can practice in your home or a low-intensity casual walk that can help you lift your mood.
- Watch what you eat. While restricting yourself and depriving yourself of all the delicacies might be hard, you need to keep a balance. Consciously monitoring your eating habits and restricting the intake of junk food to minimal levels can help you become more agile over a period of time.
- Coldwater showers are the best way to snap out of a lazy, unmotivated mood instantly. Force yourself into taking a shower if necessary. You'll find it worth the effort.
- Engage in creative activities that you enjoy. This could be reading, music, sports, or learning a new skill. But practice things that you are enthusiastic about. They'll keep you alive and glowing.
Conclusion
Change is hard.
If you have already settled into a lifestyle that is too comfortable for you, switching to a super productive lifestyle can be a challenging task.
Not only does it require dedicated and consistent efforts, but it also requires a healthy mental space in which you can operate and keep your motivation levels up.
Transforming the way you live your daily life is not something that happens overnight. It is a slow and steady process, and the prime need is to always keep in mind why you first started.
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