Although it is always said how important it is to be physically active, for lazy people maintaining an active lifestyle is not easy at all.
We're used to health warnings urging us to do things we don't really want to do: exercise, carefully balanced meals, even 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. All the tips are hard to follow, especially if we like to spend most of our time sitting on the couch. But there is one thing you should know if you consider yourself a lazy person that will, perhaps, make you change your approach to life.
Michael Inzlicht from the University of Toronto explained what the paradox of effort is. Sometimes we take the easy way out and do as little as possible, but other times we value things more if we have to put in a lot of effort to achieve them. The natural joy of effort gives us much satisfaction. For example, we may spend hours puzzling over a difficult crossword puzzle instead of using a search engine, such as Google, to find the solution.
As children, we are taught through experience and conviction that effort leads to reward, and over time this has led us to enjoy effort for its own sake. This phenomenon is known as learned diligence.
Forced and prolonged rest, unless we are sick and the body requires it, does not lead to feelings of relaxation, but restlessness and nervousness. During moments of free time we must find ways to replicate as closely as possible the rhythms we achieve when we are active and involved in society.
So exercise, setting goals for yourself, doing things that are tiring and difficult is important. Even in our free time, doing enjoyable activities like painting or gardening are some of the things you can do.
