The science-based trick to make exercise easier

By Tracy McBeth | Writer

6 minute read

Published 15 February 2026

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Key takeaways

A behavioural science trick known as ‘temptation bundling’ may help train your brain into enjoying exercise.
The key is pairing exercise with something enjoyable that you look forward to, which may make it easier to stick to.
Working with your brain is often more effective than pushing through willpower.

Exercise can boost your brain as much as your body, but those long-term benefits are a hard match against the snooze button at 6 am.

If exercise feels hard to stick to, it’s likely not because you’re lazy or lack discipline. Behavioural science shows that your brain is wired to prioritise immediate rewards over long-term benefits.¹

And many of the benefits of exercise, like better health or fitness, take time to show up.

The good news is that you can work with your brain instead of against it.

Could temptation bundling help?

Temptation bundling² means pairing something you should do, like exercise, with something you want to do, like:

listening to an audiobook
catching up on a favourite podcast
watching a show
listening to music you love
The “treat” is saved specifically for when you’re moving.

This approach was popularised by behavioural scientists and has been shown to help people exercise more consistently.²

How does temptation bundling work?

From a behavioural science perspective, this strategy works for a few key reasons.

Your brain prefers immediate rewards

Exercise often comes with delayed rewards. Enjoyable activities like music or audiobooks deliver instant pleasure.²

By pairing the 2, your brain starts to associate movement with something positive right away.

It builds habits through reward learning

When enjoyable experiences consistently happen during exercise, your brain learns that movement predicts a reward.

Research shows that people who experience a higher enjoyment of exercise tend to have stronger exercise habits and intend to exercise more often.³

This shows pairing exercise with something to make it more enjoyable can reduce resistance and make exercise feel less like a chore.

It reduces reliance on willpower

Willpower is limited and easily depleted, especially when you’re tired, stressed or busy.⁴

Temptation bundling lowers the mental effort required to start moving. Instead of asking, “Do I feel motivated?”, you’re thinking, “I want to hear the next chapter.”

How do you try temptation bundling?

You don’t need a gym membership or intense workouts to try this approach. Small, realistic habits matter.

You might try:

only listening to an audiobook while walking
saving your favourite podcast for gym or home workouts
watching a series while stretching or using an exercise bike
creating a “movement-only” playlist you love

The key is choosing something you genuinely enjoy.

Consistency matters more than intensity

Research consistently shows that people are more likely to stick with exercise when it feels enjoyable and achievable.⁵ You don’t need to push yourself to exhaustion for movement to be beneficial.

Regular, moderate activity can support:⁶

mental wellbeing
joint and muscle health
energy levels
long-term health

Finding ways to make movement pleasant increases the chance you’ll keep coming back.

Be kind to yourself

If exercise has felt hard in the past, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means your brain is doing what it’s designed to do.

Using behavioural science strategies like temptation bundling is one way to design your environment to support you, rather than relying on motivation alone.

Sometimes, the most effective changes are also the simplest.

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At Bupa, trust is everything

Our health and wellbeing information is regularly reviewed and maintained by a team of healthcare experts, to ensure its relevancy and accuracy. Everyone's health journey is unique and health outcomes vary from person to person.

This content is not a replacement for personalised and specific medical, healthcare, or other professional advice. If you have concerns about your health, see your doctor or other health professional.

¹ Burghoorn, F., Scheres, A., Monterosso, J., Guo, M., Luo, S., Roelofs, K., & Figner, B. (2025). Pavlovian impatience: The anticipation of immediate rewards increases approach behaviour. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 25(3), 358–376.

² Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. (2014). Holding the hunger games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60(2), 283–299.

³ Teixeira, D. S., Rodrigues, F., Cid, L., & Monteiro, D. (2022). Enjoyment as a predictor of exercise habit, intention to continue exercising, and exercise frequency: The intensity traits discrepancy moderation role. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 780059.

⁴ Baumeister, R. F., André, N., Southwick, D. A., & Tice, D. M. (2024). Selfcontrol and limited willpower: Current status of ego depletion theory and research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 60, Article 101882.

⁵ ColladoMateo, D., DomínguezMedina, S., Adsuar, J. C., MerellanoNavarro, E., Gusi, N., & Olivares, P. R. (2021). Immediate enjoyment is a key predictor of long-term adherence to physical activity: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1907.

⁶ Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. (2021). About physical activity and exercise.