Names and Scores on the Board

What do CrossFit and Febreeze have in common?

If you’ve read Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, you might know where I’m going with this.

For the rest of you, let me take a step back and explain. Our lives are governed by routines. Duhigg neatly summarizes the lifecycle of a routine, called a “habit loop”: (1) A cue triggers the action (2) You perform the action (3) You reward yourself for having done it. The anticipation of the reward stimulates your brain to release the neurochemical dopamine, which gives you a pleasant feeling of well-being. Your brain likes this feeling, thus craving the routine again. Those repeated cravings make the routine a needed experience each day, and that’s how the habit is formed. That’s why the key part of this habit loop is the positive reinforcement - the reward - at the end.

We have lots of dogs at CrossFit CFPH and CFMB, so many of us can relate to this example. This is obviously how dogs are trained to perform tricks. The owner cues the dog, the dog performs the trick, the dog receives a treat. The anticipation of the positive reinforcement of the treat makes the dog eager to roll over again.

Now, think about your own routines. What’s your habit loop when it comes to CrossFit? What’s your trigger? Is it when you check the workout on Wodify the night before? Is it when you reserve a spot in class? Is it when you lace up your No Bulls or Metcons?

Now, you’ve performed the WOD, and what is your reward? Is it the feeling of total exhaustion, or the surge of endorphins, as you bask in a pool of sweat on the floor? Is it high-fiving the coach, or someone else in class? Let me tell you mine: It’s writing my name and score on the board. The act of writing up my results not only gives me a feeling of accomplishment, it also places my effort in the context of everyone’s efforts that day. If I work out in the morning, I know that my score might motivate someone in a later class. If I work out in the evening, and the board is already full of scores, I am grateful to everyone that came before me for giving me some extra motivation.

Alright, so back to my original question: what do CrossFit and Febreeze have in common? In The Power of Habit, Duhigg recounts how Febreeze air freshener was initially a failing product. Sales were slumping, and the marketers could not understand why. Then they had an epiphany when they did an in-home study with a lady that had nine cats. The cat smell in her house was so overpowering that it made the researchers gag, and yet she was completely oblivious to it. They realized that people become desensitized to the smells of their own home, and that’s why Febreeze was ineffective as an air freshener. You don’t need an air freshener if you don’t feel that the air needs to be freshened. There’s no cue for the habit loop!

Additional observation showed that people primarily used Febreeze as a “finishing touch” to their cleaning routines, and that was the eureka moment. “Spraying feels like a little minicelebration when I’m done with a room,” one woman said. The marketers realized that a nicely scented spritz of Febreeze is the dopamine hook - the reward - in a cleaning habit loop. The olfactory positive reinforcement of that finishing touch triggers the feeling of well-being that comes from a clean room.

OK, so now I think you have your answer. Putting your name and score on the board is the Febreeze to your workout. It’s a small but highly effective step you can take each time after you exercise. Not only does it add to the feeling of community, it also gives you that extra dopamine hit that will keep you motivated to return tomorrow.

So, wipe off that abmat. Put away your barbell. Pick up a marker. And, as the coaches say, “Names and scores on the board!”

P.s. For an extra helping of dopamine, I highly recommend you log your workouts daily in Beyond The Whiteboard. It’s not only Febreezy, it’s also a great way to refer back to your past performances. This is especially useful when the Open rolls around, or if you’re recovering from an injury, a pregnancy, or otherwise long hiatus. Being able to see your sub 6-minute Annie from 2018 can be a really great way to set a target the next time you pick up that jump rope. Ask our coaches for the special BTWB discount code.