I left the gym at 11. I had arrived at 7. It was my second workout of the day.

Why on earth would someone want to spend 4 hours in the gym? If anything, you would usually say “I want to be fit and work out, but I don’t want my workouts to take over my life.”

I don’t spend as long in the gym anymore, and it’s been a long time since I regularly did two-a-day workouts. Turns out that much working out eventually does take over your life if you do it long enough.

I eventually eased up my workouts, but I was later able to effortlessly work out a normal amount because of what I learned by going to the extreme.

What was the key insight?

You have plenty of time – that isn’t the problem. A lot of people will tell you to watch less TV or spend less time browsing the Internet, without realizing that those activities have their own purpose.

They aren’t “essential” in the sense that you won’t have money for food or rent if you don’t do them – they represent “me time.” They are stress free activities that you don’t want to give up, just because you enjoy them.

You might be able to phase out “time wasting” activities eventually (I have not), but trying to do it right away is a recipe for failure. Instead, focus on the real reason you spend time on these things and use it to your advantage.

I was able to use psychology to consistently work out – a lot – because of the House of Cards Technique.

What is the House of Cards Technique?

When I was doing undergraduate research in college, I was at one point tasked with heavy duty data entry. I’m talking about putting hundreds of answers to hundreds of surveys into a spreadsheet. Not the most exciting work, and because of a flexible schedule and lenient professor, I was having trouble motivating myself to do it.

Then, by chance, I came up with the House of Cards Technique.

The House of Cards Technique revolves around this question:

“What would I be doing if I didn’t have to do this?”

When I was inputting data, the answer was lie in bed, browse the internet, and watch Netflix. I wanted time to enjoy myself with low energy, stress free fun.

Now, I couldn’t lie in bed or browse Reddit while doing data entry, but I could put some Netflix up in the background.

The change was drastic and immediate, and it started with House of Cards. For months I’d had friends bugging me to watch the show, but I never felt like I had time. But now I had found a way to blast through it, guilt free.

House of Cards, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother – I watched all of them while doing data entry. Before, I had always wanted to escape the looming data entry ahead of me, but I could never motivate myself to do it.

But when I made data entry my excuse for watching TV, I suddenly was willing to enter a lot more surveys – I even got excited about it, because it meant I got to watch more shows.

It didn’t take long to realize I’d struck gold. I applied the same idea to my workouts and suddenly had time to do all the exercises I hated – mobility work, stretching, yoga, agility drills, and even running became much easier. Every new season of House of Cards means a lot more working out for Benyamin.

How to Use the House of Cards Technique

I’m not the first person to think of watching TV while you exercise – there are literally TVs built in to most new cardio equipment.

The House of Cards Technique doesn’t actually have anything to do with TV specifically. It involves your answer to the above question.

So, right now, stop reading and write down 4 answers to this question: “What would I do instead of working out?”

With your answers in hand, find some part of that activity, no matter how small, and figure out how to do it while you work out.

Unless you’re doing crazy interval training, you probably have some time to do stuff between sets. If you like to read, can you read an eBook on your phone? You may not be able to cook, but you could read new recipes or cooking blogs between sets. If you’re a gamer, catch up on the latest news or check out discussion in the forums.

The key to making this work is that it’s specific to you. There’s a huge difference between “watching TV” on some random channel on the screen of the elliptical and “watching the 7th episode of Heroes because I have to know what happens to Hiro” (sorry, I’m on a rewatch).

It also helps if it’s something that excites you. That could be anything from Netflix to Reddit stories to forums about your hobby.

Why it Works

The House of Cards Technique works because of simple classical conditioning. By pairing something that you, personally, love and enjoy doing with a habit that you aren’t sure about yet (working out), you start to associate your new habit with excitement.

Classical conditioning was discovered when Pavlov noticed his dogs salivating, but its basic principle of paired stimuli and responses can be used to have to salivating for your next workout.

Eventually, you look forward to your workout because it means you can indulge yourself.

It also works because it doesn’t mean sacrificing your “me time.” You don’t need to give up anything, and you may even start to think of your gym time as me time (that’s what happened to me).

On days when you don’t work out or have time after the gym, you can relax – and indulge in your “time wasters” guilt free, because you know you’ve already accomplished something.

When it Doesn’t Work

There are times when this isn’t the best idea. If you need to do something that requires a lot of thought, you probably don’t want to split your attention (and won’t be able to, if your technique involves reading). All the psych research shows that multitasking hurts your performance, so I wouldn’t have Netflix in the background when you are first learning new exercises or writing something up for work.

Another common mistake is picking activities that aren’t engaging enough. Listening to music or browsing social media barely requires your attention, which means they fade into the background and likely don’t excite you in the same way as other pursuits.

The House of Cards Technique works best when you use it on something that excites or engages you. Instead of just listening to music (you can also listen to it), try reading about new artists or learning lyrics. Instead of browsing social media, shoot a text to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.

Take the passive version of your activity and make it active.

7 Ways I’ve Used the House of Cards Technique

If you need a place to get started, here are 7 ways I’ve used the House of Cards Technique in the gym.

Some of these might resonate with you, some might not. You don’t need to be limited to these options, but they are broad enough that you can probably find something you like.

• Netflix – Of course I’ve done this. I like to use Netflix when the gym wifi is working well, but otherwise it’s especially great for home workouts that involve continuous activity (like intervals or long mobility sessions). I’ve found TV shows to be better than movies, and particularly like using How I Met Your Mother because it’s interesting enough to keep me going but doesn’t require a lot of mental effort to follow the story.

• Podcasts – A lot of people love podcasts, but I usually don’t. That is, until I found an Ultimate Frisbee podcast (a sport I’m super into). The lesson here is that personalization is key.

• Ebooks – I love reading. I prefer to keep fiction reading outside of the gym because it’s easier to get immersed with a big chunk of time, but I love reading books about psychology, fitness, performance, and productivity. Most recently I read “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin.

• Texting old friends – There are lots of people that I don’t talk to as often as I like because of geography and busy schedules. At first I hesitated with this (thinking it would be weird, we’ll just catch up some other time etc.), but most people have been very enthusiastic and I’ve had some lovely conversations as a result of this.

• Reddit – Not gonna lie, I’m a sucker for Reddit. Reddit has a ton of content, but I find the text based stuff to be key for keeping my attention, as images a bit too passive and not engaging enough for me. I particularly enjoy /r/AskReddit and /r/Relationships for the intriguing stories people tell.

• Memorize Poetry – I was involved with my high school’s literary magazine, but for a long time never did anything else related to literature. At some point I wanted to read more poetry, so I started learning more at the gym. Now I sometimes even recite “Invictus” before heavy sets!

• Other Reading – Every day I see a dozen articles that my friends post on social media but don’t have the chance to read. I also find myself randomly interested in ideas I come across and find myself needing to know more. So, I make a list of all the little reading I want to get to but don’t have time for. Then I use my time between sets to read.

Hopefully that gives you a place to start. I’m a guy that loves psychology and fitness, so I wind up reading or listening to things that involve those topics. There’s tons of material out there for you to choose from – you are limited only by your creativity.

What’s your answer? What do you do instead of working out?

 

Warning: This article contains entirely too many references to How I Met Your Mother. Enter at your own risk.

No, it’s not saying “I love you” on the first date. Classic Schmosby.

In fact, Ted Mosby, the main character of the popular sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” has a pretty terrible track record of going to the gym. In the episode where the gang joins a gym, Ted is alone among the main characters in never working out.

In later episodes he is seen to do yoga, pilates, and (briefly) running, but in general he isn’t exactly someone to model your health on.

Adding to the confusion, his name is used to describe a few different things in the show. “Tedding out” about something is “to overthink something with disastrous consequences.” “The Ted Mosby” is when Barney pretends to have been recently left at the altar. And, of course, Ted is known for getting very invested in relationships very quickly.

But none of that has anything to do with fitness. So why do I bring him up?

Getting Fit with the Mosby Method

Ted’s big contribution to fitness is revealed in Season 5, when he teaches Barney his trick for getting over relationships.

Whenever a relationship ends, Ted writes a letter to his future self detailing why it didn’t work. Whenever he wants to give in and go back to the relationship, he reads the letter and holds out.

This technique, what I call “the Mosby Method,” can be easily applied to fitness.

It works for two reasons:

1. It’s available whenever you are having doubts or second thoughts. You can use it to remind yourself of your goals and confront negative thoughts immediately.  
2. It represents the thoughts that you have when free from the distractions and stressors in your immediate surroundings. The letter represents a precommitment, which I touch on in this article.

How to use the Mosby Method

The core of Ted’s breakup technique is that it gives you something to latch onto in moments of weakness. You can adapt that idea to help yourself work out more consistently.

You’ll need a method of writing ideas down that will stay with you at all times. I think something handwritten has a nice effect for this purpose (because it feels more personal), so I’d use a small index card. Some other physical writing or a note on your phone would work too.

At the top of your letter, jot down your overall goal and 3 reasons that goal is personally important to you. If you haven’t come up with those yet, check out this article on effective goal setting.

In the bottom half of your letter, answer these 3 questions:

• How do I feel when I give up and skip workouts?
• What part of this workout will help me reach my goals, and how?
• What do you like about working out?

That’s it. The beauty of the Mosby Method is that it’s so simple. All you have to do is read your letter when you’re thinking about skipping.

You’ll be reminded of your goals and their importance, remember that skipping workouts won’t make you feel good, and get some much needed motivation from your past self.

Here’s an example of a Mosby Method letter, to give you a sense of how they look.

To get an exact template, along with a step-by-step fitness planning guide, check out the Fitter You Roadmap. 

And here’s the text only:

“Dear Future Self,

Seems like you’re having some motivation trouble? Keep reading – you can do it!

Your goal is to lose 20 pounds and fit into your old jeans by the end of this year. It’s important because:

• You’ll feel more confident meeting people for the first time and going out on dates

• You’ll feel more comfortable in your body, have higher self-esteem, and stop worrying that you used to look better

• You’ll be healthier and stronger, and won’t have to feel guilty when you indulge in dessert every once in a while

Remember how it feels to not work out? I know it’s tempting to call it a day, but is it worth feeling lazy, like a quitter? You might feel crappy now, but you know you always wind up feeling energized after the gym (and you’ll feel even worse if you don’t go).

Remember your goals – the squats in this workout will help you get firm, toned legs that look awesome in those old jeans. Every workout is another step closer to that goal – stick it out!

Still not convinced? Think of how good you’ll feel after this workout. You might be a little out of breath, but you’ll be awake and energized. Plus, then you can really enjoy a good Netflix session without feeling guilty. Remember how good it feels to slip under the covers with a laptop, take a deep breath and feel your (slightly) sore muscles, and watch your shows without a care in the world?

That feeling is just one workout away.

You can do it,

Past You”

 

When do we reach the last straw and start taking fitness seriously?

Many of us mess around for years before doubling down and committing to an exercise habit. A recent thread on Reddit had incredible stories of what made people take the final step. The most common reasons were:

• They’re getting over a breakup
• They’re sick of how their body looks
• They’re scared that their unhealthy lifestyle will catch up to them

Of course there are also other reasons, but these are three of the biggest and most common.

One comment in the thread particularly stood out to me because it’s packed with fitness motivation insight. The poster was talking about what it feels like to be too skinny and struggle to build muscle, but the ideas apply to everyone (and go beyond advice like “Just Do It”).

Men, women, overweight, underweight, and totally normal people have all experienced the disappointment of negative comments and the rewards of compliments. We have all been encouraged at some times and discouraged at others.

Here’s the comment (reproduced with permission):

And here’s why it’s awesome.

Finding Your “Reason Why”

Take a look at the early sections. “I felt like I was perpetually a kid” and “Every time I get under the bar, it’s a big double-fisted “fuck you” to anyone who ever made fun of me for being skinny.”

I talk a lot about finding reasons why fitness is important to you, personally. If you understand exactly what you stand to gain from success, you are more likely to be successful.

This is a great example of that. The poster wants to be taken seriously and not be treated like a kid, and that reason motivates him to keep pushing.

You don’t need to curse at people while you work out, but it is definitely worth taking the time to appreciate how important fitness is to your life.

Practicing Positive Self-talk

Pay attention to your self-talk. Take a look at this:

“I think no matter how big I get I’ll always feel like a 120lb runt somewhere deep down inside.”

Working out can improve your body image and self confidence, but it doesn’t do that on its own.

If you don’t practice creating a positive body image, it won’t matter how good you look – you’ll never feel comfortable with yourself.

Notice I say “practice.” That’s because it actually is possible to practice positive self-talk. A simple activity (borrowed from cognitive behavioral therapy) is to write down your negative thoughts. Capture them, in writing, outside your head so that they are clearly defined. Then tear them apart with simple logic.

For example: “I’m fat and unlovable, and nobody will ever love me.”

That’s a real thought that comes from a real person. It seems pretty devastating, but breaking it down with logic makes it obvious how wrong (and dangerous) thoughts like these are.

Here’s one way you could battle this thought:

• You’re overweight, and not happy about it. It may not be a best-case scenario, but that’s something that you can work on. Dwelling on it won’t change anything – action will.
• Your weight (whether you’re overweight or very skinny like the original poster) doesn’t determine who you are. You have hobbies, interests, thoughts, and dreams that make you unique and interesting. Some of those things are probably pretty lovable.
• There are people that care about you and there are people that have cared about you in the past. So there will probably be more people who care about you in the future.

If you ignore your negative self-talk, you’ll wind up hating your body no matter how fit you get.

I once heard someone say “I think you should always kind of hate your body. It pushes you to get better.”

I couldn’t disagree more. You can be dissatisfied and start pushing yourself for that reason, but finding other motivation is a must in the long run. It doesn’t matter if other people love your body if you hate yourself.

Overcoming Negativity and Excuses

“I don’t think I could ever really be big.”

Again, that’s a real belief I’ve heard many times. You can see it in the Reddit comment too: “My dad’s skinny, so I’ll be skinny,” along with comments from friends and even the poster’s mom.

The belief that you can’t change is a dangerous one, and is related to a well-known idea in psychology: learned helplessness.

If you want to change, chances are high that you’ve tried before. Lifestyle changes are difficult, so chances are also high that you’ve failed before.

It takes an incredible amount of mental fortitude to consistently pull yourself back from failure and make another attempt. And the more you fail, the more likely you are to think that success is impossible.

That belief, that success is impossible, is learned helplessness.

Of course, you can overcome barriers. As the Reddit poster realized, gains began once more serious training and nutrition was put into place. Genetics, upbringing, and other factors play a role, but you can ultimately overcome them.

How can you fight learned helplessness?

Because learned helplessness is the belief that success is impossible, all you have to do is prove to yourself that success is possible after all.

Fortunately, this gets easier as you start to experience success. As you gain muscle, lose fat, or both, you gain confidence and tend to push yourself towards even more success.

When you’re getting started, I suggest reading stories of people that have had success despite similar limitations. The internet is full of people who have lost weight, gained muscle, or even regained the ability to walk after traumatic injury.

Read their stories, not to compare their success to yours, but because they show that consistency and the right program can get results even when you’re at a disadvantage.

Experiencing Rewards

Once you’re in the habit, the rewards of exercise are incredible. You don’t need to seek out a “gnarly pump” like this Reddit poster, but it’s true that the feeling of a good workout is something that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s also true that it feels incredible when you start getting compliments.

There’s a lot to take away from the comment’s description of rewards. One of the most important is to fully appreciate rewards as they happen.

It’s easily to wave off gym compliments, or start thinking about other responsibilities right after a workout. Instead, pause to appreciate them. Too many people minimize their successes, dismissing them as not real or too small to matter.

When people compliment you for working out, they probably mean it and you probably have made real progress. When you walk out of the gym on a sunny day, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself on a workout completed.

Motivation in One Comment

Reasons why, self-talk, learned helplessness, and rewards are all packed into that one Reddit comment.

Fast forward a few years. If you had to write a comment like that one, what would it say?