The Premack principle comes from behavior analysis and it leverages the IF, THEN statement.
If I complete Activity A, then I have access to Activity B.
The principle works like this:
By completing Activity A FIRST, Activity B should reinforce Activity A…and in theory, you should do activity A more often.
However, there’s one important part of the PreMack Principle:
Activity A should be something you really want to do but aren’t doing yet
Activity B should be something you enjoy and have ZERO problems doing
Activity A Examples:
- Walk 6,000 steps
- Run a 10K
- Go to the gym 5 days
- Exercise 200+ minutes this week
- Stretch before class
- Learn a new skill or sport
Activity B Examples
- Netflix and Chill
- Buy new work clothes
- Get a facial/massage
- Purchase a new iPhone case
- Doom scroll on my favorite social media account
- Eat THAT extra donut
Putting these together, you get combinations like:
- If I walk 6,000 steps then I can watch my favorite Netflix episode
- If I go to the gym 5 days this week, then I can buy new workout clothes
- If I warmup like I should all month long, then I get a new iPhone case
There are many examples and infinite combinations to leverage the Premack principle to help you meet fitness goals.
The power of the IF, THEN statement from behavior analysis gives you one strategy to meet your fitness goals heading into 2022!
