The Mind-Set Matters Experiment
In 2007, researchers Alia Crum and Ellen Langer conducted an experiment that changed how we think about exercise. They studied a group of hotel housekeepers—people who spent their workdays vacuuming, scrubbing, lifting, and moving nonstop. But when asked, most of them didn’t see their work as exercise. They believed they weren’t active enough. So, the researchers divided them into two groups. One group was told that their daily work was physically demanding and counted as a workout. They were shown how many calories their tasks burned and how their jobs actually met recommended exercise guidelines. The other group received no information at all. Four weeks later, something surprising happened. The housekeepers who had been told their work was exercise started seeing real physical benefits—without changing anything else. They lost weight, lowered their blood pressure, and improved their overall health. The other group? No changes. The only difference was their mindset. That study stuck with me because I’ve seen the same thing in my own life. When I’m out riding my bike and hit a wall—feeling drained and still far from home—I have two choices: I can think of it as exhausting, something to suffer through, or I can reframe it. I can see it as a workout, a challenge that makes me stronger. The moment I make that shift, I find energy I didn’t think I had. It’s the same with stairs. I could drag myself up, annoyed by the effort, or I can turn it into a game—pretending I’m training for something, seeing the stairs as a built-in challenge instead of an inconvenience. The prize being strength to keep living my life. Every step adds to the version of me that’s fitter, more resilient, and more capable. It makes me wonder: how often do we ignore the effort we’re already putting in? How many times have I thought, I need to exercise more—while carrying heavy groceries, walking to do my errands, or cleaning my entire place? The movement is already there. But when I don’t see it as valuable, I don’t feel the benefits. The housekeepers didn’t change their work. They changed their perception of it. And their bodies responded. So what if we started recognizing the effort we’re already making? What if we noticed the workouts hidden in our daily lives? The more we acknowledge the movement we’re already doing, the more we might find the energy to keep going. Because sometimes, the only thing standing between exhaustion and momentum is the way we see it.
ACTION: Today, pay attention to the movement you already do. Walking, lifting, stretching—count it. Reframe it. See the value in it. And notice if that shift changes the way you feel.
