Have you decided to work out more in 2026? Or maybe start exercising?
Then you should be aware of a pattern many people fall into, says researcher Christina Gjestvang at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
"Every year we tell ourselves we’re going to get started, but we end up setting the same rigid and ambitious training goals as we did last year," she says.
"For a few weeks, we feel motivated. But then we suddenly start thinking that it’s actually pretty hard – and kind of boring. We lose the sense of progress, and we fail again," she explains.
That often leads to a vicious cycle of defeat.
Annonse
Christina Gjestvang is an associate professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences' Department of Sports Medicine.(Photo: Trine Hisdal)
We carry our experiences with us
Motivation alone is not enough to maintain good habits.
In recent years, research has highlighted something that may be just as important, Gjestvang says.
Namely emotions.
Exercise triggers a lot of emotions in us. These can affect both our motivation and how we experience exercising, the researcher explains.
While some people feel joy and accomplishment, many associate exercise with negative emotions such as disappointment, guilt, and shame.
"You’re carrying a bag full of training experiences. To make it easier to pick up that training bag time and time again, you have to fill it with positive experiences," says Gjestvang.
But if you push yourself too hard every January and give up by February or March, you risk ending up stuck in the same vicious cycle.
That's why the researcher believes we should think differently.
We often set goals for how much we're going to exercise. Or what we want to achieve, such as how strong we want to become or how much weight we want to lose.
But to escape the negative cycle of quitting and feeling like you’ve failed, Christina Gjestvang suggests shifting the focus. Instead of asking what you want to achieve, ask what kind of feeling you want activity to give you.
Maybe you want to feel happier, recharge your batteries, or get a break from a stressful daily routine.
It's often connected to negative experiences in the past.
"Many were picked last in gym class. They didn't find a place in sports, or they met healthcare professionals who don't understand their background," Bratland-Sanda tells the newspaper.
By building knowledge, confidence, and motivation, she believes people can become better equipped to stay physically active over time.
Be more flexible
If you currently exercise little or not at all, you should first try to find joy in moving your body, says Christina Gjestvang.
"Don’t place such high demands on yourself at the start. Focus more on the experience of exercise in the moment. That’s what will create the foundation for future behaviour," she says.
