My philosophy is to simply do the best you can with what you have at that moment.
Find what you enjoy and what works for you and stick with it.
But if I had a dollar for every time I heard, “You’re so lucky, you love to workout. I just can’t stick with it; I just hate it!” I would have a never-ending supply of Lululemon and Asics in my closet and boxes upon boxes of Quest Bars in my pantry. (A girl can dream, right?)
My opinion on this is that anyone who says they hate to exercise just hasn’t found something that they enjoy doing yet. There are so many options out there when it comes to movement that there is virtually no excuse not to get your booty in gear doing something.
There’s kickboxing, weightlifting, running, walking, biking, swimming, kettlebells, Zumba, hiking, yoga, pilates, barre classes, ballroom dance, gymnastics, Crossfit…. The list is nearly endless. There even indoor fitness classes using surf boards! If you can dream it, there’s probably a class or DVD already out there!
We sometimes get so caught up in a narrow definition of what a good workout is or what fitness looks like.
We think we need to have a solid 30 minutes or more for it to count and need to be drowning in our own sweat, or why bother?
The most important thing about our health is that we just. Do. Something. A brisk 10-minute walk on our lunch break, a few sets of squats between commercials, playing outside with the kids, a 15-minute strength circuit before getting in the shower for work, and so on.
Contrary to the “go hard or go home” #beastmode social media memes and posts, a good workout needn’t be ridiculously strenuous or long to be effective or health-boosting. While intensity and duration are two important aspects of training and movement, you can’t drive your body into the ground day in and day out without negative consequences.
The key is finding an optimal balance that is based on YOUR body, your lifestyle, your schedule, your preferences, and your goals. Don’t try to fit someone else’s program into your life. Because they have the kind of results that you want.
Everyone is so different in what will work for them.
Honor your body and your process. Find out what you enjoy. You’re more likely to stick with exercise if you gain some kind of enjoyment from the actual process. So don’t run if you hate it. Just because that’s what you think you have to do to lose fat and get in shape. If you have two left feet (like me!) when it comes to dancing, maybe Zumba isn’t for you. And that’s okay.
If you hate, hate, haaaaaaaate lifting weights at the gym, there are other options to get some strength training in. As much as I promote weight lifting using challenging weights, I know that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Try pilates, power yoga, or bodyweight circuits at home or at the local park/playground. Try out a few of my Fast Fit workouts that I post on Instagram (@bkinetic).
Have fun with it!
Get out of the narrow box that you’ve put exercise into and try something new. You never know what you’ll end up liking.
If none of the above is striking your fancy, how about a few more ideas: trampoline parks, roller blading (apparently it’s making a comeback), indoor rock climbing, kickball, pick-up soccer leagues, or laser tag? Still nothing? Try searching Meet-up.com for groups in your area (and bonus — you meet new people!).
The hardest part is getting started, but once you get on a roll, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it. And that’s the ultimate goal — finding a healthy lifestyle that actually enhances your life and feels good.