Overgamification

I would really like a stronger core - not only would it be helpful for both climbing and running, it’d also be great for my posture and spinal health, and I’d generally feel a lot better for it. The problem is, I really don’t like doing core exercises, they’re uncomfortable and unsatisfying and all-round unfun. So for the past week, I’ve been trying to think of all the ways I could gamify getting a stronger core - how could I reward myself, how could I track some kind of daily streak, how could I minimise the intertia and maximise the results. Maybe I could use the help of an app, maybe I could track it in my journal every day, maybe I could set myself a 30 day challenge and buy myself something nice at the end as motivation for completing it.

And then I realised that’s all insane. My motivation for doing these exercises should be that I feel good, mentally and physically, that I’m stronger and healthier, that I’ve made progress towards my goals and my back is less stiff. The fact that I’ve conditioned myself to somehow need a greater reward than those things in order to start a habit or even accomplish a task is mindblowing in the worst possible way.

So tonight when I go to the climbing gym, I’m going to do some core exercises. There will be no reward, there will be no streak, there will only be the satisfaction of knowing that I can suffer a little now in order to suffer less in the future.