Why some people find exercise harder than others | TED Talk by Emily Balcetis

An interesting TED talk on one possible reason why some people find exercise particularly hard to stick with. It made me think of this quote from Greek philosopher Epictetus (which is probably paraphrased a little…):

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.

Our perceptions define everything. Two people can view the same challenge from totally different perspectives. In a perfect world, we would be able to change our perceptions at will — perhaps then we’d be totally free from self-doubt and self-defeating habits. But in reality this level of control is incredibly hard (impossible?) to achieve.

When it comes to exercise, however, there are a few basic things that you can do to change your perceptions. Although this TED relies a pretty dubious line of best fit, I think the takeaways are valuable. Watch it to find out what they are!