“Physical fitness can neither be achieved
by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.”
Joseph Pilates
I love exercise. I love my muscles being sore the day after a great workout. I love knowing I did something good for my body. I love the results. I love the way I feel about my appearance. I love being strong. I love feeling proud of myself.
All of that being said…I used to approach working out as a job. Something I did not want to do. Something that took energy and drive and made me hurt. When I first started a fitness regimen I was going to the gym every day for the long-term goal of losing weight. I did not like it… I was fat, out of shape, didn’t know what I was doing on my own, felt like I looked like an idiot. Working with a personal trainer helped; he taught me how to design a game plan for each day I was exercising.
So, I started seeing results…muscle tone, increased strength, weight loss. Then I started to feel better about doing things on my own & getting the most out of an hour at the gym every day. I found motivation in the constant improvements I was making. I could lift more weight, I could go another mile on the elliptical. I also benefited from lowering my blood pressure & cholesterol. A lot of my long time aches and pains were gone, they were due to inactivity!
When I plateaued…several times over a year period, mind you…I had to learn to change things up. My muscles became accustomed to doing the same workout routines, my strength level was not increasing anymore. I found myself back at the point where I didn’t enjoy working out…again!
Variety is the key to enjoying physical fitness. I started trying different classes. I took weight lifting, Pilates, kick boxing, yoga and boot camps. When your body and mind don’t know what’s exactly in store for a workout, you can be pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it is to test your limits/strength…try something new.
So, my advice to anyone struggling with hating to workout/exercise: Try lots of different types of exercise. Focus on the positives about weight loss, health, looking better, feeling better, living longer.
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