If staying in shape and being healthy and fit is always at the bottom of your priority list, then the reason is not because you don’t have time or that you have other obligations that week, and so forth. It’s not a priority because you don’t enjoy it, plain and simple. When we don’t enjoy things, we look for ways to avoid it. Think about brushing your teeth. Thankfully our parents instilled this non-negotiable habit in our routine as toddlers but if you could totally skip this two minutes of your adult life, you probably would.
Many people that currently exercise routinely can probably tell you about a time when they hated it. I certainly did. Why would I voluntarily show up somewhere when the exercises seemed boring, I would have to motivate myself, and I could barely jog 30 seconds without stopping? That one hour was me being bored on the treadmill, using a few machines (and hoping I was using them correctly), and being on my phone trying to find a good song.
I had to find my fun with an exercise routine, otherwise I’d become an unfit and unhealthy woman with lots of self-doubt and self-defeat. Thankfully, I was able to successfully create a fitness habit and now I’m exercising six times a week, and looking forward to doing it!
Here are seven tips to make fitness fun:
Ask yourself, “what do I enjoy doing?”. What actually makes fitness fun for you? Is it cycling, lifting weights, mixed martial arts, dancing, cross-fit, high intensity exercises? Whatever you truly enjoy doing, do mostly that, and then incorporate the other fitness elements that are not your favourite in small doses throughout the week.
Progress into the challenge. Don’t walk into a fitness class for the first time and do 20 jumping jacks that leave you winded and keeling over in pain. Listen for the modifications and listen to your body. Start with five jumping jacks, with 15 lower-intensity single-leg jacks. Eventually when doing five jumping jacks feels easy, then you try to do 10, and so forth. Be challenged enough so that you’re proud of what you CAN do versus being overwhelmed and upset about what you can’t do.
Find your tribe. Ask a friend to go with you or just smile and say “hi” to other people in your fitness class or in the facility common areas. It’s that simple. You’ll start to see the same people weekly and that’s how the conversation begins. Having a community will help you stay accountable (especially when they ask why you weren’t there the week before) and make you look forward to seeing those people again. If you think instructors don’t notice, believe me, we DO notice each time a regular participant isn’t there.
Music. This is key element to enhancing an exercise program. Think about why fitness facilities always play background music or why group fitness classes are always done to music. It can be both motivating and uplifting.
Set realistic goals. Don’t show up each week with one specific weight-loss goal and just weigh yourself on a scale only to be disappointed that it hasn’t moved. Set an achievable fitness goal like doing 10 jumping jacks or jogging for one minute without stopping. It’s simple, realistic, and achievable goals that you can be proud of.
Experiment. Be open to trying other forms of exercise least a couple of times. For example, just because a fitness program is called “Pound The Floor”, don’t assume that you’re just pounding the floor for an hour with your bare arms, without reading the program description or trying it. If you don’t enjoy running on a treadmill, then try a mixed martial arts class or join a sport and ask a friend to try it with you. You may be surprised to find something that you enjoy.
Celebrate your achievements. Again, most people show up to the gym with a weight-loss goal and when the scale hasn’t moved in two weeks, they become self-defeating (even though 2 lbs of fat could have been replaced with 2 lbs of muscle). Instead, celebrate your commitment of showing up for yourself, for creating a healthy habit in your routine, for being able to do five push-ups, and for participating in a program or an activity each week that is challenging for you.
Happy Work Out!
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