Tons of people out there work out regularly. We jog, we lift weights, we do yoga, we walk, and so much more. But for those of you who have made fitness a part of your routine, tell me honestly: Is exercising something you love or hate? Maybe somewhere in between? If you exercise regardless, does it matter if you enjoy it? Yes!
Here’s why it’s so important to find exercise you enjoy doing.
Why it’s important to find exercise you enjoy
As adults, we’re forced to do things we hate every single day. That’s life. And no matter who we are or where we live, we’d all agree that life is too short to be doing things we hate.
But sometimes it’s a necessary evil. Many of us hate our jobs or hate cleaning the house or hate paying bills, but we work, clean and pay bills anyway, right?
I personally hate straightening up and I tend to have a cluttered workspace. And bedside table. And closet. Once I’m actually cleaning up, I get in the groove and get it done, but forcing myself to take the first step and start is the problem. But I do it anyway.
When it comes to exercising, something most would not consider mandatory, we need to love it if we’re going to make it a habit.
Yes, fun workouts exist.
Doing a leisure activity you hate (or at least dislike) will not set you up for longtime success. How many times have we started a new project or hobby just to quit a few weeks later? I know I have. : :: sheepishly bows head in shame : ::
Now let’s talk about that word hate and how it relates to working out.
I’m not talking about hating the workout in the moment. Trust me, during a really challenging workout, I’m hating my very existence by the last round or set. But once I’m done, I feel proud and accomplished. I don’t hate the overall idea of exercise and what it does for my body and mind. Just the opposite. When you’re doing fun workouts, you’re that much more motivated to continue and view it as a positive in your life.
Speaking of positives, check out this post from one of my favorites, Nia Shanks. Exercise is extremely powerful and can be about so much more than fat loss.
Don’t pick an exercise activity that you think you’re supposed to do because it’s easy, trendy, or convenient. That isn’t a good measure of if we’ll stick with something in the long term.
Maybe you run because it burns calories but you hate it. Or you cycle because it’s on the class schedule at your gym at the only time you can go. Or you do yoga because you’re too scared to try something else.
Finding exercise you enjoy doing is so important because it’ll be that much easier to just start and get it done every time you show up to work out.
How to stay motivated to work out >>
How can you find a fitness activity you love?
Experiment. Finding exercise you enjoy doesn’t have to be diffult. Search on YouTube or Pinterest for inspiration. Ask friends. Try new things in your area. Get a workout buddy. Invest in a few workout DVDs. Join a gym or hire a personal trainer. Keep trying new things until something clicks. If you like wrking out at home, I can’t recommend the Les Mills app enough. You can get a 30-day FREE TRIAL via my link here.
I’ll say it again: Take a fitness risk.
Push yourself to try something that’s high impact and low impact as well as low intensity and high intensity and see what gets you pumped and excited. What type of workout environment makes you feel the most confident and comfortable?
For me personally, I don’t enjoy low-intensity exercise 99% of the time and anything that’s too high-impact ends up hurting my joints if I do it too often. So I’ve found a happy medium and a schedule that works for me that includes working out at home and the gym. I discovered indoor cycling in college and never looked back.
Believe it or not, I look forward to going to the gym and getting my sweat on. I’ve managed to stay motivated and I credit that to variety. I enjoy motivating others and sharing what’s worked for me.
When you love what you’re doing:
- You’re more likely to be consistent and stick with it instead of hitting the snooze button for the fourth time.
- You’ll start looking forward to your workout and make it a priority.
- It’ll be something positive in your life.
- It’ll be a little bit of “you” time to focus on yourself.
Life’s too short to do anything you hate. Really.
But let me qualify that. It’s true, but what I’m saying here is that life is too short to do anything you hate on your own leisure time. Like I said, plenty of us hate cleaning or working or grocery shopping — but it’s necessary. When it comes to your downtime, social life, and voluntary exercise, why would you continue doing an activity you hate? We have choices!
Make a choice that works for you… and your body and mind will thank you. I know you’ll kick butt at finding exercise you enjoy. 😉
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What’s your go-to workout or exercise? How did you go about finding exercise you enjoy doing?
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You make great points. There are a million ways to stay fit; the question is finding the one you like and that you’ll keep doing. Also, it’s OK to change–it doesn’t have to be a commitment for life. I was into aerobics, then group gym classes. Then my schedule didn’t allow for classes and I rode my indoor bike (while reading the paper and often while a load of laundry turned, so I was triple-tasking). Then classes and biking. Then yoga. Now I do Pilates and interval running. I’ve always done something, but it has changed based on how much time I had, where I was living, my work schedule (days/nights), etc.
Hi Catherine, thank you. 😉 So true about any activity not being a commitment for life. Knowing “this isn’t forever” and that we have options can be a great way to mentally deal with things that seem scary at first, or just things that feel like a chore or tedious. There’s so much fitness variety these days (especially in the US) that really anyone — even those of us who are exercise averse — can find their tribe and an activity that motivates them.
I totally love your points. You’re so right, life is too short to do something you hate. I do love working out more because of how it makes me feel and pushing myself to see what I can do. I actually just signed up for a half marathon and training has been run! Jessica
Thank you, Jessica! It makes me so sad when people tell me they hate exercising. They just haven’t found something that they like or that matters enough to them…. yet. I love the challenge of a hard workout and like you, how you feel both during and after. The mental aspects are just as valid as the physical ones. Congrats on signing up for your race. Running is one activity that makes me miserable. 😉 You’ll do great!!
This is sooo true! I was a gymnast for 14 years so finding another sport to love was so difficult for me throughout college. When I graduated I discovered Les Mills- and fell in love with Body Pump, Attack, and Flow! Now in France I run and do yoga. Running went from being a chore to something I actually kind of enjoy. I did a 1/2 marathon in 2016! 🙂 I wish yoga wasn’t so expensive.
I still want to see your splits!!! Like you, I discovered Les Mills classes after college and dabbled in BODYPUMP and others. These days, I love BODYCOMBAT and do RPM because it’s the only cycling class my gym offers. It seems like in France, many gyms do the choreographed franchise stuff and I miss the freestyle programming (where instructors make up their own workouts each week).
So happy you’ve started to enjoy running. It really takes time and patience to try out new things to find something you love.
I’m not a yoga expert, but I like this woman’s site. I know it’s not the same as being in a class in person, but she’s good. 😉 http://yogawithadriene.com/
Bloody oath, indeed
I love physical fitness ! I started ballet at 3 and switched to middle eastern dance as a teenager. I feel that to stick with something you have to love it. I’m not the athletic type. In fact I actually flunked PE In junior high ! Dance and yoga do it for me. Whether I’m on a stage, at small dinner party or in my living room in doesn’t matter. My mind goes blank, it’s just the music and the movements of my body. To me that’s the joy of it all just clearing the mind. You are so right on about fitness Diane ! So great to see these wonderful articles ! I enjoy them so much ! I wish you a blessed and happy new year ! Cheers to lots of success and well being !
I love hearing your story, Cynthia! I have 2 left feet but admire anyone who can dance. So fab that you’ve found joy through fitness as well. Always happy to read your comments!
Such a great post, and so true!
I loooove walking and jogging outside. I just love being in nature. I’m more introverted when it comes to fitness. For me, that’s the ideal alone time to decompress, so I tend to avoid classes or anything that involves paying attention to numbers, reps, etc. The gym is fun, but I much prefer to zone-out doing something by myself. I always brainstorm best when I’m walking or jogging, oddly enough!