Moneky See, Monkey Do: Why I Beleive in DVD Programs

Modern DVD fitness programs are more than your TV aerobics class from the 70's. These things are for real.

On the surface, DVD exercise programs are a great way to overcome the knowledge barrier in a short amount of time. Many people think they know what moves they need to do and in what order to achieve certain results. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong.

But I got to thinking about it and I realized there is slightly more to it than just overcoming a knowledge barrier and working out. There is actually a psychological impact to watching people workout regularly. You become what you feed your main sensory/reactive organ, the brain. Let this video explain it a little better:

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA scienceNOW.

This has many implications. If you want to change your body, you need to start feeding it stimulus that will get you into a habit. Don't get silly and replace your Smokey and the Bandit reruns with workouts from P90X, watching them won't get the results, you have to do them.

But the more you watch them and do them, the more you want to do and the more you see yourself as the kind of person in the videos who lives a lifestyle of health and fitness. Now start hanging out with other people who do this and see what happens! We become who we associate with. Until we can find those people, and after we do, we feed our minds with books, tapes, movies, and yes, even workout programs on DVD.  

A quick note for quitting smoking...

From a note I sent Dad when he started quitting smoking...

Nicotine is also a beast. Don't buy any and don't hang out when and where people are doing it. If you get the urge, go knock out some push-ups and pull-ups. What you will find over the next few months is that your mind starts to change. There is a neuron in the brain called the mirror neuron or the monkey-see-monkey-do neuron. The more you see people doing something healthy, the more your brain will work to do something healthy. The more you watch the clock for meal time, the more your brain will think about healthy habits. This is why the power of association is so important. You become what you are exposed to. 

We are all pack animals. The more times your brain processes a healthy habit between now and when your chantix wears off, the easier it will be. Your addiction to nicotine is somewhat chemical. Mostly, its behavioral. Anytime I put the uniform on, I would want to chew. After drill my can would sit in the freezer until next drill. A friend of mine found it useful to write her cigarettes a dear john letter.