How the world cup can inspire you to be more active

When it comes to regular, consistent exercise, I’m firmly on ‘Team Good Intentions’ – enthusiastic at the start, but not always successful when it comes to sticking with a fitness routine. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably felt driven to start a new workout plan, only to abandon it when the novelty wears off and the repetition sets in.

Mark Vahrmeyer is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist at Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy, UK. I asked him why some people struggle to stick with routine exercise, and what’s happening in our brains that can make us feel highly motivated one moment and completely unmotivated the next.

Vahrmeyer points out that the issue with repetitive, solo workouts is that they make your brain work hard without giving much in the way of instant rewards.

“A treadmill, for example, can make you acutely aware of time, discomfort, boredom, and bodily strain,” he says. “The mind has very little to attach itself to beyond the fact that it is working hard.

“Motivation is rarely sustained by willpower alone. Willpower is useful at the beginning, but it is a poor long-term strategy because it requires constant mental effort.”

Vahrmeyer notes that when exercise starts to feel repetitive and disconnected from enjoyment, purpose or, especially, social connection, your brain is quick to view it as a chore. From a psychological perspective, we’re much more likely to stick with an activity when it offers a mix of fun, a sense of progress, social interaction, and emotional reward.

“Without those elements, exercise can become something we have to force ourselves to do,” he adds.

Mark Vahrmeyer

When the World Cup rolls around, people across the globe get swept up in the camaraderie, social connection, and excitement of seeing how far their country can go. There’s something powerful about sharing in a collective goal and feeling part of a wider community.

But beyond the fun and fanfare, it’s worth remembering that what we’re essentially watching is other people exercise. If getting ourselves off the sofa feels far less appealing than watching elite athletes perform, what lessons can we take from the psychology of sport fandom to help us get moving too?

Vahrmeyer says that playing football creates a very different psychological experience from doing something more monotonous, such as running on a treadmill.

“Your body may still be working hard, but your mind is not simply thinking, ‘I am exercising,’ he explains. “It is thinking, ‘Can I reach the ball?’ ‘Can I make the pass?’ ‘Can I improve this skill?’ or ‘Can I help the team?’”

“When effort is organised around play, skill, purpose, and the relationship to others, fatigue becomes part of the game rather than the central experience. In psychotherapy, we know that people can tolerate discomfort and strain far better when it is attached to meaning. The same applies to exercise.”

Football also brings a sense of spontaneity, making it far from a predictable or repetitive activity. Vahrmeyer describes it as rich in emotional experiences – anticipation, reaction, frustration, excitement, and pleasure – all of which are deeply engaging states for the brain.

He says: “They help you forget, at least temporarily, the self-conscious monitoring that often accompanies exercise, such as ‘Am I fit enough?’ ‘Do I look foolish?’ ‘How long is left?’”

“In this sense, football allows effort to be metabolised through play. The person is still exercising, but they are not imprisoned by the awareness of exercising. And football invests exercise in a greater purpose – that of being part of the team.”

Starting a new exercise plan, even when you really want to get fitter, can sometimes feel out of step with what you’re realistically able to stick to. Your body can find the change daunting, and your mind can reinforce that resistance, often leading to anxiety – particularly if you start to feel like you’ve failed just because getting going feels hard in the first place.

As Vahrmeyer explains, the barriers to exercise are not always physical. It can awaken feelings of shame, fear, or judgement, memories of school sport, anxiety about your body, and a sense of not belonging.

For some people, walking into a gym or joining a football session feels exposing. They are not just starting exercise – they are opening themselves up to feeling inadequate.

“This is why telling people to ‘just get on with it’ is not always helpful,” he says. “The resistance often has meaning. It may be protecting the person from embarrassment, shame, disappointment, or the old feeling of being the one who was picked last.

“The way through is to make the first step small enough that it does not overwhelm your nervous system. Do not begin with a fantasy version of yourself who trains five times a week. Begin with the real person you are now. That might mean walking to the pitch, doing ten minutes, joining a beginners’ session, or practising alone before joining others.”

Vahrmeyer points out that the first mental hurdle isn’t about transforming yourself – it’s about getting comfortable. Once a new activity feels familiar, it stops feeling so intimidating.

Community and a sense of belonging can have a hugely positive impact on our health. Friendships, social connection, and simply feeling that you’re not alone are all well-known to support mental wellbeing. The same is true when it comes to staying physically active, and there’s a lot we can learn from the sense of belonging and community many people find through football.

“Human beings are relational creatures,” says Vahrmeyer. “We are far more likely to persist with something when we feel connected to others and feel a sense of belonging.

“Football offers not only movement, but belonging, shared effort, humour, rivalry, encouragement, and accountability. We become an integral part of a tribe.”

He points out that exercising alone can be helpful, but it can also leave you stuck with your own inner critic. Being part of a group or team shifts the focus away from yourself and towards simply taking part and connecting with others.

“You are no longer simply an individual trying to improve your fitness – you are part of something bigger beyond the self,” Vahrmeyer explains.

“This is psychologically powerful because belonging reduces shame. People often imagine they need to become fit before they join in. In reality, joining in can be part of how they become fit.”

When taking that first leap from watching other people exercise to actually doing it yourself, Vahrmeyer concludes with some practical advice to help get you started on your fitness journey.

“Identity changes through action, not simply through thinking,” he says. “A person does not need to wait until they ‘feel athletic’ before they begin. They begin, and over time, the sense of themselves starts to change.

“The key is to avoid all-or-nothing thinking. Someone does not have to become a serious footballer to move from spectator to participant. Buying a ball, practising a few drills, joining a casual session, or playing with friends all begin to alter the story the person tells about themselves.”

Vahrmeyer explains that every time someone chooses movement over passivity, they give themselves a new piece of evidence. Maybe they are someone who moves. Maybe they can play. Maybe, after all, this is something they are capable of and enjoy.

“We are embodied beings,” he notes. “How we inhabit our body directly influences our sense of self.”