WEBVTT - Bribe yourself

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to bribe yourself to exercise by making

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<v Speaker 1>exercise your ticket to an experience you do enjoy. When

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<v Speaker 1>I talk with people about what they'd like to spend

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<v Speaker 1>more time doing, exercise comes up a lot. We know

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<v Speaker 1>we should be doing it, but well, in the moment,

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<v Speaker 1>other things can feel more appealing. Our future selves will

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<v Speaker 1>be happy we exercised. Unfortunately, our current experiencing selves are

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<v Speaker 1>the ones who have to power through the workout, and

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<v Speaker 1>our experiencing selves can resent this division of labor. The

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<v Speaker 1>best way to solve this problem is to bribe your

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<v Speaker 1>current experiencing self as a way to compensate her for

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<v Speaker 1>making the right choice. In a previous episode, I described

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<v Speaker 1>the concept of temptation Bundlett. This means making something you

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<v Speaker 1>should do more attractive by pairing it with something you

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<v Speaker 1>want to do. When researcher Katie Milkman paired going to

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<v Speaker 1>the gym with listening to an engrossing audio book, participants

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<v Speaker 1>in her study suddenly wanted to go to the gym

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<v Speaker 1>a lot more often. Basically, they were bribing themselves. Go exercise,

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<v Speaker 1>and you get to find out what happens next. If

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<v Speaker 1>you've got particular styles of audio books you love, you

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<v Speaker 1>can bribe yourself the same way. You only get to

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your mysteries while you're on the treadmill. As

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<v Speaker 1>I've been doing a research study for my new book,

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<v Speaker 1>Tranquility by Tuesday, a number of participants have reported that

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<v Speaker 1>they listen to podcasts while they exercise. Want to laugh

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<v Speaker 1>along with wait, wait, don't tell me awesome? You just

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<v Speaker 1>need to be walking or running all that happens. If

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<v Speaker 1>you exercise outside, you can listen to an audiobook or

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<v Speaker 1>podcast through just one earbud to leave your other ear

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<v Speaker 1>free to hear traffic or other sounds in your environment. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you are not a fan of audiobooks. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>you're a fan of podcasts, But maybe you do like

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<v Speaker 1>to watch TV. This suggests a great way to bribe yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>You are not going to watch TV, or at least

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<v Speaker 1>you're not going to watch a certain favorite show except

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<v Speaker 1>while you're exercising. Maybe there's a TV near your treadmill

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<v Speaker 1>at home. Years ago, when I lived in an apartment

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<v Speaker 1>building with a fitness center, I'd time my workouts for

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<v Speaker 1>four PM, when I could go watch the Oprah Winfrey

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<v Speaker 1>Show which was on. Then suddenly running for fifty minutes

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<v Speaker 1>felt a lot more attractive. For many people, the best

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<v Speaker 1>way to bribe yourself to exercise is to get an

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<v Speaker 1>exercise partner. Theoretically, this is for the accountability, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>far more fun if hanging out with your exercise buddy

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<v Speaker 1>would be an actual highlight of your day. Let's put

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<v Speaker 1>it this way, if you don't like to exercise, find

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<v Speaker 1>an exercise buddy you like a lot. You'll be more

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<v Speaker 1>willing to go for a runner a walk if you

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<v Speaker 1>get to chat with a close friend at the same time.

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<v Speaker 1>Just be sure to choose someone with a compatible schedule

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<v Speaker 1>and exercise approach. If you are running eleven minute miles,

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<v Speaker 1>don't go for someone who was a Division one track

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<v Speaker 1>star in college. Common sense here. I like to think

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<v Speaker 1>that I like exercise for its own sake, but as

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<v Speaker 1>I was thinking about this episode, I realized that there

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<v Speaker 1>is a bribe involved for me too. I love quiet,

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<v Speaker 1>and in a house with five kids and a dog,

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<v Speaker 1>quiet can be hard to find. For me. Running is

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<v Speaker 1>a precious opportunity for thought and reflection or just zoning out.

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<v Speaker 1>When I need a break from the bustle of my

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<v Speaker 1>house or want to chew on an idea without interruptions,

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<v Speaker 1>I go run. Trust me, I was a really dedicated

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<v Speaker 1>runner during those early days of the pandemic. When everyone

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<v Speaker 1>was in the house, it was my chance to get out.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you are trying to exercise more, try making

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<v Speaker 1>exercise your ticket to something that is attractive to you,

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<v Speaker 1>like an audiobook or podcast, a TV show, time with

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<v Speaker 1>a friend, or even time alone. When exercise gets you

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<v Speaker 1>something you want, you will be a lot more willing

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<v Speaker 1>to do it. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can

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<v Speaker 1>send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just

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<v Speaker 1>connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast p

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<v Speaker 1>o D. You can also shoot me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com. That

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For more

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