This Is Why You Really, Really Don’t Want To Work Out (It’s Not Your Fault)

We know it’s good for us. And we know we’ll feel great afterwards. But sometimes we just can’t bring ourselves to work out. Although we might call ourselves weenies when that feeling of dread hits after glancing at our sneakers, a new study published in the journal Current Biology says our brains may be wired in a way that makes us want to be lazy. Thank you, science, for coming to our rescue.

This new study, published in July 2018, backs up previous findings that show humans are inherently lazy. Researchers gathered together 29 adults and looked at their mental responses when faced with physical activity. They found that, in most participants, “additional cortical resources were required to counteract an attraction to sedentary behaviors.” This means more brain effort was needed to get moving.

In 2015, another study published in Current Biology also found that we, as humans, are more likely to take the easy way out thanks to our evolutionary history. Researchers found that even when we want and do physical activity, we’re more likely to do so in the most economical way possible in order to conserve energy.

We subconsciously do this in an effort to limit the calories burned while walking, running, or exercising. The more calories we conserve, the better for our survival.

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Our nervous system slightly alters our movements to conserve energy and calories. “This is good news if you’re an athlete,” the study’s co-author Max Donelan, professor of biomedical physiology and kinesiology at Simon Fraser University in Canada, told Time in 2015. “You’d like your body to be helping you move as cheaply as possible if you’re trying to win a race so you have as many energy reserves as you possibly can.”

However, this subconscious conservation can work against us if we’re trying to shed calories. Even when we think we’re really exerting ourselves and working off the weight, chances are our nervous system is secretly optimizing our energy output.

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But, there is good news. The July 2018 study proves that you can train your brain to not be so shady. Entering into a routine can help this process, as can setting up some sort of reward for yourself after a workout.

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If you struggle to get your groove on in the gym, you’re not alone. Most humans do. But with this new research in mind, you can try your best to work something out with your brain as you work to overcome your evolutionary woe.