Loving Your Workout
Raise your hand if you’ve ever hated working out.
Yup, I see you out there, slogging it out on an elliptical just because it’s supposed to be good for you.
Did you know that the treadmill was once a criminal sentence? That’s right – exercise, as we now define it, was once used as corporeal punishment!
According to Daniel Lieberman in his book Exercised, for more than a century many English convicts were “condemned to trudge for hours a day on enormous and steplike treadmills.” No wonder that elliptical feels like a torture device sometimes.
The thing is, exercise is good for us. In today’s modern society, most of us lead rather sedentary lifestyles, sitting for hours at a time at desks and certainly not laboring for hours on end to actually grow the food our family eats.
But our bodies are evolutionarily designed to move, so we have to find ways to make that happen. And trust me, you don’t have to hate your workout!
First things first, take some time to think about why you are exercising. Many of us work out because we have some sort of weight loss goal, but if you reframe your focus, you can transform your outlook.
Perhaps you can think of the energy you’ll have to play with your children or the strength you’ll be able to call on to take care of an aging parent. Maybe it’s as simple as learning to value yourself, reminding yourself that your body is yours to take care of, to love and nurture.
Next, find ways to vary your exercise routines so that boredom doesn’t set in. Try a new activity every so often. If time permits, take an online class or in-person class to learn something new. I can attest to the value of this.
Recently I have taken classes in tennis and pickleball, and I can’t tell you how fun it was to change up my regular workouts and get out of my comfort zone a little. Practicing your child’s cheerleading routine with her can be just as much of a workout as a run on the elliptical. When you find an activity that makes you happy, you’ll look forward to doing it!
That leads me to another surefire way to fire yourself up: camaraderie! Exercise with other people. The old adage “strength in numbers” holds double meaning here!
There are plenty of studies out there that prove that our social networks influence our exercise-related behaviors. Spending time with friends who share your outlook on wellness can lead to greater joy in exercise.
Finally, some of us are motivated by specific goals and enjoy our workouts more when there is a specific event or challenge in our future. Maybe the goal is as simple as being able to perform ten perfect pushups, or maybe it is to participate in an upcoming race.
You might be motivated to love exercise if your goal goes beyond simply “getting leaner.”
Also, over time, it pays to change up your goals. A new goal can be a refreshing way to motivate you and lead to a lot more pleasure while exercising.
I have so much fun with my clients. We laugh while we sweat, pump good old 80s music loud enough to wake the neighbors, and generally just have a good time. Come join me sometime! I can guarantee you that you’ll find something to love about your workout!
