2795: How Temptation Bundling Can Help Build Healthier Habits by Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness on Exercise Motivation

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Health Daily. How Temptation Bundling Can Help Build Healthier Habits by Steve Kamb of NerdFitness.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there, with permission from the websites, of course, and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Alright, let's keep this intro nice and short, so let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life. How Temptation Bundling Can Help Build Healthier Habits by Steve Kamb.

[00:01:03] of NerdFitness.com.

[00:01:06] How did I just watch 10 episodes of Bridgerton? I have stuff to do. We've all been there. There are the things we know we should do, the things we need to do, and the things that we want to do. More often than not, the want wins out over the need and should.

[00:01:24] It's like trying to win a tug-of-war against a tractor pulling in the opposite direction. It's why we struggle to get to the gym after a long day of work. It's why we opt for Taco Bell instead of taking the time to cook a healthy meal.

[00:01:37] Today, I'm going to give you a quick life hack that can help you level up your life and get things done that need to get done, and while still doing some fun stuff.

[00:01:47] What is temptation bundling?

[00:01:49] I bet you've said the following.

[00:01:51] Before I can watch TV, I need to exercise.

[00:01:55] And yet, TV ends up winning over exercise most of the time, especially if it's after a long, miserable day at work.

[00:02:03] So, instead of, if I do this, then I get this, what if we combined the two into one epic activity?

[00:02:12] The idea is called temptation bundling, a term coined by Wharton professor Katie Milkman.

[00:02:19] Ultimately, you combine something that needs to be done with something you want to do.

[00:02:24] She describes the idea in a paper titled,

[00:02:27] Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym, an Evaluation of Temptation Bundling.

[00:02:31] The goal is to get us to do things we need to do by combining them with things we want to do,

[00:02:38] removing the either-or temptation, and getting us to actually do stuff.

[00:02:43] Quote,

[00:02:45] Participants were randomly assigned to a full treatment condition with gym-only access to tempting audio novels,

[00:02:52] an intermediate treatment involving encouragement to restrict audiobook enjoyment to the gym,

[00:02:57] or a control condition.

[00:02:59] Initially, full and intermediate treatment participants visited the gym 51% and 29% more frequently.

[00:03:08] End quote.

[00:03:09] Long story short,

[00:03:11] the people in the study who were told they could listen to addictive audiobooks only while working out

[00:03:16] visited the gym 51% more frequently than those who were just told they should exercise more.

[00:03:23] Here's some nerd fitness examples.

[00:03:26] In love with the bear?

[00:03:28] Season 2's Forks is my favorite half hour of TV ever.

[00:03:32] Don't say,

[00:03:33] I can only watch the bear after exercising.

[00:03:36] Change your phrasing and try this instead.

[00:03:38] I can only watch the bear while exercising.

[00:03:43] Bring your iPad or laptop to the gym and only watch particular shows while you're on a treadmill,

[00:03:48] walking,

[00:03:49] or using the elliptical.

[00:03:51] Maybe you can only listen to cereal or the rewatchables while walking,

[00:03:55] doing a particular work task,

[00:03:57] or even completing a chore at home like cleaning or laundry.

[00:04:00] An hour episode while walking could result in you racking up three or more miles on your walk to Mordor.

[00:04:07] Afraid to try cooking a new healthy meal?

[00:04:08] Well, you can only listen to a podcast or music in your house while you are cooking.

[00:04:14] Blast it at top volume while having fun making a mess trying to cook.

[00:04:19] Now, although this study teaches us that bundling a healthy life improvement activity

[00:04:24] with one you enjoy can help you make a change,

[00:04:27] the boost can oftentimes be temporary.

[00:04:29] The study went on to say that the allure of the audiobook and gym combo wore off after a few months,

[00:04:37] thus furthering the suggestion that the best chance for long-term success

[00:04:41] is to truly enjoy the journey.

[00:04:44] Long story short, this can be a great strategy to get started

[00:04:48] and a great way to identify types of exercise or strategies that work for you.

[00:04:53] Long-term results might require leveled up strategies, but that's fine.

[00:04:58] We're going to be using it to build long-term habits.

[00:05:01] Try the temptation bundle challenge.

[00:05:04] If you can implement it properly,

[00:05:07] temptation bundling can both increase your time spent doing a healthy activity

[00:05:10] while also helping you limit the unhealthy one.

[00:05:14] Now, you might be saying,

[00:05:15] doesn't this make the fun activity less enjoyable

[00:05:18] and the exercise or health portion less efficient?

[00:05:23] Possibly, but that's not the point.

[00:05:26] Sure, I would love it if you went to the gym

[00:05:28] completed a really hard workout,

[00:05:30] ate a healthy meal,

[00:05:31] and then got eight hours of sleep.

[00:05:33] However, the best workout plan is the one you actually complete.

[00:05:37] This is infinitely better than the perfect workout plan that makes you say,

[00:05:41] eh, I'll start tomorrow.

[00:05:43] So what do we do?

[00:05:44] We use temptation bundling to get us started

[00:05:47] and then use drive to keep us going.

[00:05:50] When we build interest in the activity itself,

[00:05:52] we shift our focus from,

[00:05:54] I'm enduring this workout,

[00:05:56] to,

[00:05:57] I can't wait to see how much better I am this week.

[00:06:00] The change can become permanent.

[00:06:06] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:08] How Temptation Bundling Can Help Build Healthier Habits,

[00:06:11] by Steve Camp of nerdfitness.com.

[00:06:14] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:17] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:06:19] Temptation bundling is something that I actually use all the time.

[00:06:23] There are days when I'm not motivated to work out.

[00:06:26] Shocking, I know.

[00:06:27] How could a guy like me,

[00:06:28] who's made a career out of talking about health and wellness,

[00:06:32] not be motivated to work out?

[00:06:34] Well, it's because like you,

[00:06:35] I'm human.

[00:06:37] So, besides reminding myself of my why,

[00:06:40] you know,

[00:06:41] the deeper reasons why I spend time improving my health and wellness,

[00:06:44] I also only allow myself to listen to my favorite music

[00:06:48] when I'm working out.

[00:06:50] There are also days when I'm not super excited about making dinner from scratch,

[00:06:54] or doing the dishes,

[00:06:56] or folding laundry.

[00:06:57] But those are the times when I listen to an audiobook.

[00:07:00] Now, I can't say that I now look forward to those chores all the time,

[00:07:04] but it definitely helps get me started.

[00:07:07] And as today's author Steve said,

[00:07:08] if temptation bundling can just get us motivated to take that first step,

[00:07:13] then it's worth it.

[00:07:15] All right, that'll do it for today.

[00:07:17] Don't forget, I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A,

[00:07:20] so definitely stay tuned for that,

[00:07:22] where your optimal life awaits.