Using Extrinsic Motivation to Achieve Your New Year’s Fitness Goals

By James S. Fell

I awoke on a cold and snowy Sunday morning with a beer-to-blood ratio that was not conducive to running. Before rolling back over to sleep, I remembered my friend Stephan would be waiting for me at Calgary’s Nose Hill Park. So I groaned, pulled myself out of bed and suited up for a run.

Having a friend waiting for me is what is called extrinsic motivation, which has ties to renowned psychologist B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning and the stimulus-response model of behaviour change. For example:

• Positive reinforcement – an extrinsic motivator of enjoying meeting my friend for a run, despite it being cold and me feeling like my eyes were bleeding.
• Negative reinforcement – were I to bail on this run, I’d feel guilty for not meeting my friend. Sucking it up and going removed these negative feelings of being a pansy.
• Punishment – again, were I to wimp out, Stephan would give me hell. I wanted to avoid such punishment.

Extrinsic motivation is powerful, and can be a key ingredient in successfully integrating a New Year’s fitness program.

“It’s hard for people to kick their own ass,” says Paul Plakas, trainer for the weight loss television show X-Weighted.And he’s right. Even Olympic champions can struggle with motivating themselves to exercise. I spoke with speed skater Clara Hughes, who has won six Olympic medals, about the role extrinsic motivation plays in her athletic career.

“I was very fortunate to be on the receiving end of great extrinsic motivation,” Hughes said. “My coach created an environment where teammates could feed off each other’s energy.

You knew that everyone was expecting you to show up and work hard, and it really helps.”

If extrinsic motivation is good enough for an Olympic champion, then it’s good enough for you. Here are three examples of how regular folks achieved their fitness goals through being part of an environment where there was external pressure to work hard.

Fitness Competitor
Heather Yourex is a health reporter for Global TV Calgary, although there was a point in her life when she did not exemplify healthy living. Yourex stands five-foot-nine and for much of her adult life weighed 175 pounds, wishing she could lose about 10 pounds. But it turns out it was the constant effort to lose those few pounds that was keeping her weight stable.
“After years of trying to lose this weight and being stuck at 175, I gave up on my diet,” she said. “I kept exercising but ate what I wanted and ended up gaining 15 pounds.”

Then it got worse.

“I got up to 190 and then took a leave of absence to travel to South Africa,” Yourex said. “I was living in an area where running outside wasn’t safe and there was no gym, so because of a lack of exercise my weight then hit 205.”

Yourex returned to Calgary and a friend offered to train her for a fitness competition. She got as low as 165, but opted out of competing because she didn’t feel lean enough. She quickly gained back 10 pounds then held steady until the opportunity of another competition arose.

“It bugged me that I hadn’t followed through on the goal,” Yourex said.

The pressure of the looming competition got Yourex to exercise every day and clean up her diet. On the day of the competition she was a rippling and muscular 155. Then she went on an all-inclusive vacation and promptly gained back 20 pounds, but she’s holding firm at that 175 mark, which is a vast improvement over 205.

Personal Trainer
Sheila Pantuso was five-foot-six and stuck at 140 pounds. She was having as much luck changing her weight as she would changing her height.

“I would go to the gym and do cardio, but never any weights,” said Pantuso. “I was also intermittent in my trips to the gym. There were days when I’d be tired from work and just not want to go.”

She also wasn’t seeing the results she wanted from going it alone. “I thought about attending a boot camp class instead, but it wasn’t going to work with my schedule, so I asked the people who ran the classes if they knew a good personal trainer and they referred me to Terri Champagne,” of Champagne Fitness Inc.

“I started working with Terri in July 2009, in my own home,” Pantuso said.

“She started me off two days a week and gave me programs to do on my own when she wasn’t there. Even on days that I didn’t want to exercise knowing that Terri was coming over to push me forced me to be motivated. I was even motivated to work out while she wasn’t there because I knew she’d be coming back to check on my progress.”

Champagne focused on ensuring Pantuso used good form, stressing the need for proper neck and back position while exercising. “It gave me the confidence to know what I was doing when she wasn’t there,” said Pantuso. “I could hear her voice in my head.” Pantuso has lost 10 pounds and kept it off. “You start to feel addicted to having a trainer. I feel like my body has taken a form that I like.

I feel good about myself. I would miss not having her come over. If I didn’t have a trainer, I think that it would derail my fitness. I really need regular sessions with Terri to keep me going. I’m still using her twice a week and intend to keep doing so.”

Honolulu Marathon
Every December there is a popular marathon in Honolulu, and every April the University of Calgary starts a program that helps marathon newbies prepare for it.

Cheryl McDonald was a newbie, and she really needed the help.

“I spent 21 years in the military and did lots of running with 50 pounds of gear,” said McDonald, 54. “But I left in 1996 and hadn’t exercised since then.”

In 2009, McDonald’s husband decided to do the Honolulu marathon and joined the U of C’s training program. He completed the race and he inspired his wife.

“I saw the camaraderie that he had with his fellow classmates and decided that I wanted to do it with him in 2010.”

McDonald’s husband signed up for the training course a second time to be there and make it a team effort.

“I intended just to walk it.” she said. “I wasn’t planning on ever becoming a runner, but people in the program said I would become a runner and they were right.

By the end of May I was running, except that I think it is more like jogging because I’m really slow. I’m a turtle. I’m always at the back of the pack.”

McDonald said the program gave her the push she needed. “I don’t think I ever would have done this on my own.

With the program you get support, classroom and nutrition training, and they’ve got an injury specialist too,” she said. “It’s good to feel part of a team. They’re fun to hang out with.”
As part of her training McDonald completed two 10K races and a half-marathon. “I’m happier about what I see in the mirror. My legs have never looked so good.”

McDonald completed the Honolulu Marathon in late December in eight hours, 44 minutes, walking most of it because of a muscle seizure. She is planning to compete in a half-marathon later in 2011.

James S. Fell, MBA, CSCS, is a personal trainer and healthy living consultant. He is the author of Body for Wife: The Family Guy’s Guide to Getting in Shape.

Photo by A.J. Valadka

January/February 2011 Issue