Weekly Newsletter:

June 17, 2026

What can a children’s story teach you about fitness motivation? 

The term “Goldilocks Rule” was derived from the children’s tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” where Goldilocks goes through items that are too hot, too cold, too big, or too small until she finds one that is “just right.”

We all know that physical activity promotes good health. It’s staying motivated to keep up the physical activity that we struggle with. You may think your inability to stick with a fitness plan is because of lack of motivation, lack of willpower, or even laziness. But the discipline to maintain a consistent workout plan isn’t all about willpower.

THE GOLDILOCKS RULE

In James Clear’s popular book, he questions how some people are very good at building and sticking to their habits, while others struggle to stay motivated. How do we design habits that pull us in rather than ones that fade away? Studies have shown that the best way to maintain motivation is to work on tasks of “just manageable difficulty.”

“The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.” Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. In other words, if you take on new tasks that are too easy or too hard, that’s when motivation, focus, and consistency fall apart.

Finding what’s JUST right for you… What can you comfortably maintain while still being challenged? You don’t have to know ahead of time. You know as you go… Trust yourself. Have fun!!!!

The best results come from implementing small changes over and over again without stress or overexertion. Consistency… Slow and steady wins the race!

“Just manageable difficulty.”

“It has to do with achieving that perfect blend of hard work and happiness.

As psychologist Gilbert Brim put it, ‘One of the important sources of human happiness is working on tasks at a suitable level of difficulty, neither too hard nor too easy.”

“This blend of happiness and peak performance is sometimes referred to as flow, which is what athletes and performers experience when they are “in the zone.” Flow is the mental state you experience when you are so focused on the task at hand that the rest of the world fades away.”

DANCING! for chronic pain…

Here’s another really GREAT idea to help get you motivated to get and keep moving….   

“Globally, 20–25% of people will experience chronic pain in their lifetimes. Dance is a physical activity with psychosocial benefits that might positively (likely) impact pain.”

“Dance for Chronic Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review”

Chronic pain? What is it? You know it, if you have it! 

What do folks usually do when dealing with chronic pain? Depression. Avoidance of movement. Search for causes. Look for cures. Despair…

Dancing is:

1. Social.   

2. Uses music and rhythm.  

3. Often involves touching other humans.  

4. Dancing is GREAT EXERCISE!

“Promoting wellbeing and health through active participation in music and dance: a systematic review”

You might also want to consider: 

Joining ”GET YOUR ZOOM ON”— given by DayBreak, FREE, twice a week, hour-long, virtual exercise program. Started during Covid. Especially for “under-active older adults”!

Led by the author of this article: Susan Musicant, DPT, certified geriatric physical therapy specialist, worked for DayBreak for 8 years. Lives in Hawaii.

Learn more: https://www.daybreakac.org/gyzo

Oh, and by the way… and probably very true.

Everything we really needed to learn, we learned in nursery school!

The summary of the famous philosophy from Robert Fulghum's book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, is that life's most profound wisdom isn't found in advanced degrees, but in the simple, foundational rules we learned as children: be kind, share, play fair, and ”… take care of yourself!“

— Susan Musicant, DPT

Injury Prevention Specialist at DayBreak

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