What People Say to Fit In: How Normal is Keeping You Sedentary
You’ve heard it before, “I hate running! I only run if I’m being chased, ha ha ha!” Says the funny guy in the room… or so he thinks.
Soon the rest of the group joins in, “Me too, I haven’t exercised in years.”
Bruce, the lone exerciser in the room becomes quiet. He knows if he says anything about the yoga class he attended before work that day, the rest of the group would chastise him. He’s heard it before, “You’re an overachiever, Bruce. Stop making the rest of us feel guilty!”
Why does this happen? Why does the exerciser feel like he has to hide a positive behavior? The answer- social norms.
A norm is a level of performance, pattern of behavior, system of beliefs and values, shared by the majority of people in a group or society. In ways we are not even aware of, we are all “pressured” to conform to what others think, say, and do. We intrinsically feel a need to conform to the group. Norms have a POWERFUL effect on behavior.
The Evidence
The Ash Experiment (1951) was one of the first studies to demonstrate that people will go to great lengths to fit in. Check out this two-minute video to see the power of social norms in action:
What is normal?
In the United States, sitting is the norm. Less that 5% of adult Americans achieve the recommended amount of daily physical activity. LESS THAN 5%! Normal is sedentary, unfit, and missing out on thriving in life. Who wants to be normal?!
What is weird?
If you walk for 30 minutes a day, YOU ARE WEIRD. By weird, I mean, you don’t do what most people do. You behave outside of the norm. If you do more than this, you are really weird. From an exercise perspective- weird is good!
How to live outside the box:
• Give yourself permission to be WEIRD! Own it.
• Expect lame comments from people who feel threatened by your challenge to the status quo.
• See discouraging remarks as a sign that you are on the right track.
• Know that there are others like you; they just may not always be in the room.
• Spend time with other exercisers.
• Get a walking partner or attend a group fitness class.
I’ve been weird for a long time (in more ways than one). But I like here. It’s part of who I am.
I’d like to encourage a movement (literally and figuratively- ha!). Where sitting is the new weird. Where excessive TV watching, video games, and screen time are the new strange. I didn’t say TV and screen time are bad (how else will you read my blog?). But in excess, sedentary activities limit us from moving, living a healthy lifestyle, and thriving physically. Dare to be WEIRD!
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References:
Asch, S.E. (1951). Effects of group pressure on the modification and distortion of judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.), Groups, leadership and men(pp. 177–190). Pittsburgh, PA:Carnegie Press.
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